Joakim Noah and Chicago Bulls Navigating 'Frustrating' Minutes Limit
CHICAGO — Joakim Noah understands the big picture. He may not like the restrictions on his minutes that have been in place all season, but he gets it. He knows what the Chicago Bulls front office is doing, even if that can cut into his ability to play as hard or as long as he would like.
In the ongoing struggle between head coach Tom Thibodeau and Bulls management, one of the sticking points is minutes for their key players. All season, Noah has been limited to 32 minutes a night as he’s played his way back into form after offseason knee surgery.
And only in the last six weeks has he finally looked like the version of Noah that was present last season, the uniquely skilled point center, monster rebounder and deserving Defensive Player of the Year Award winner. He’s gotten back to a semblance of that level because of the Bulls brass’ conservative approach with his minutes. He gets that.
That doesn’t mean he’s happy about it, though. After Sunday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which Noah didn’t play for most of the fourth quarter, Thibodeau explained he simply ran out of minutes. Noah declined to address reporters. It was a position neither of them wanted to be in, even though they both recognize the reality of their situation.
“It’s frustrating,” Noah said Wednesday morning after the Bulls’ shootaround at the United Center. “I think I’m not the only one who’s frustrated sometimes. I think it’s part of the grind...I’m not trying to get caught up in any noise or anything like that. I don’t want to be a distraction. We’ll figure it out internally and do what’s best for the team.”
On Wednesday night, in a convincing 103-86 win over the Indiana Pacers, there was nothing to figure out. Foul trouble limited Noah to 18 minutes through the first three quarters, leaving him well under his limit hitting the closing stretch. He finished with six points, 14 rebounds and seven assists and provided the kind of defensive energy that proves he needs to be playing in crunch time.
Most nights, the playing time limit won't be a problem, especially when the Bulls get Taj Gibson back, which could happen as soon as Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. But Noah’s minutes limit gives Thibodeau yet another thing to juggle as he tries to get the most out of a team that’s perpetually shorthanded.
The coach tries his best to mitigate it, but he and Noah are both passionate people, and the game can sometimes get away from them. And with the minutes limit out of Thibodeau’s hands, that can come back to bite both of them. But they're managing pretty well.
“You go into the game and you know the times you’re going to sub,” Thibodeau said. “If you look back, it’s basically the same times every game. Sometimes you go to OT and that changes things. You’re trying to get [Noah] out. I try to leave minutes for the fourth quarter. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes you have to deal with the game itself. There could be foul trouble. There could be matchups. There could be a run going on. There’s a lot going into it. I tried to do the best I could all year with it. I think he’s averaging less than 31 minutes a game. But we’re going to adhere to what we’re asked to do.”
That can be hard on a day-to-day basis, especially when the Bulls are shorthanded. But the payoff will come in April and beyond, when Noah is at full strength in the postseason and can go longer if needed. At least that’s the plan. And they both get it.
“I think that right now I’m feeling more and more healthy,” Noah said. “I’m feeling better and better on the court. I know I still have another gear to get to. But I think that the reason for this minutes restriction is to try to protect me too. It’s not to point any fingers or anything like that. We just have to do what’s best for me and the team. I think we’re going to be just fine.”
Sean Highkin covers the Chicago Bulls for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at @highkin
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