Ex-Knick Joakim Noah on If He'd Return to Bulls: 'It's a Tough Question'
As Joakim Noah looks for an opportunity to resume his basketball career, he isn't sure if he'd want to go back to where it all began.
"It's a tough question," Noah said when asked if he would want to play for the Chicago Bulls again, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Madeline Kenney.
Chicago is currently 2-5 on the season and has a need for big men with Bobby Portis out four to six weeks with an MCL sprain and Lauri Markkanen still on the shelf with an elbow injury. Guard Kris Dunn, another key player, is also out four to six weeks with an MCL sprain of his own.
The ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Noah spent the first nine years of his career in the Windy City while making a name for himself. The two-time All-Star teamed up with 2011 MVP Derrick Rose to help the Bulls achieve their best success since the Michael Jordan era in the late '90s.
Noah and the Bulls went to the playoffs seven consecutive years and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010-11 before losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. That would be the farthest that Chicago core would make it before injuries derailed them.
As much as Noah's time in Chicago will be remembered fondly, his time with the Bulls ended on a sour note as coach Fred Hoiberg opted to bring the veteran off the bench during his final year with the team.
Noah went on to sign a four-year, $72 million deal with the New York Knicks during the summer of 2016. His time in New York didn't go any better, as he appeared in just 53 games, and the team waived him earlier this month.
Now, the 33-year-old Noah is looking for an opportunity. "I'm staying ready and focused," Noah told Kenney. "[Just] waiting if something good comes along."
