Joakim Noah Comments on Bulls' Season, Free-Agent Plans and More

After seeing his role with the Chicago Bulls diminish over the past two seasons, veteran NBA big man Joakim Noah will take a hard look at every opportunity as a pending free agent.

Noah reflected on his 2015-16 season in which he played only 29 games due to a shoulder injury and averaged only 21.9 minutes per contest, along with his maiden venture to the open market as a pro in an interview with Sportando's Orazio Cauchi.

"Terrible. I was very disappointed," said Noah of this past season. "I played little minutes, and then I got injured and the team didn't reach the expectations. Very bad season but you need to learn from these things to become better."

Asked how he feels to be a free agent for the first time, Noah said, "I spent the last 10 years in Chicago, there were good moments and bad moments, but now I have an incredible opportunity for a player, being recruited by a team, I definitely want to live that kind of experience. It's new for me, but it's something very intriguing for a player."

Noah also discussed how the transition from coach Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg had him making an unexpected adjustment.

"Playing time, man," Noah said when asked about the biggest difference for him between having Thibodeau and Hoiberg at the helm. "I haven't played many minutes this season, and that was a major change for me. It was difficult, there was a change of culture in the team, and many things changed."

The Bulls missed the playoffs this past season for the first time in seven years, posting a 42-40 record despite having proven All-Stars on the roster in Pau Gasol, Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose.

At age 31 and with plenty of time to heal from this past year, Noah is among the most intriguing free agents. He was the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year as recently as 2014 and would benefit in a big way from a fresh start.

Hoiberg's system is more perimeter-oriented and uptempo, which didn't fit Noah's less finessed skill set. Based on how productive Noah was in his heyday under Thibodeau, a more defensive-minded coach, he should have a strong line of suitors this summer.

Thibodeau was out of coaching last season but is now the Minnesota Timberwolves' head coach. There would be room for Noah to compete for a spot in the frontcourt rotation in Minnesota, and he could even complement reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns quite well.

Although he did tell Cauchi he'd "consider every offer on the table, no doubt," Noah would be a strong fit with the Timberwolves who field a coach that believes in him.

If Noah is unable to crack the starting five anyplace in the NBA, he could at the very least be a high-energy player off the bench who'd provide a strong interior defensive anchor for any second unit to get stops while starters rest.

As for his future in the Windy City, based on Noah's remarks from Tuesday's interview, it seems his days with the Bulls franchise are indeed at their end.