Bulls center Joakim Noah has started every game he's appeared in for the team over the last two seasons and has started in 463 of 543 appearances since he entered the NBA in 2007. But the 30-year-old former All-Star has been struggling, recently missing 8-of-10 from the floor, and 8-of-13 from the free-throw line during his best game of the preseason.
Noah will be coming off the bench on opening night, according to new coach Fred Hoiberg. Noah does not seem to mind being potentially out of the starting lineup in the start of the season.
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"It's definitely an adjustment," Noah told ESPN after Thursday's practice. "But at the end of the day, it's still basketball. I got to go out there, bring energy, and do what I do. I'm down with whatever coach thinks is best for this team," Noah said. "I'm a worker. I'm never going to stop working. So I'm excited for this team, we have a lot of talent, and just got to keep grinding, keep getting better."
According to Yahoo Sports, Noah's struggles began in the team's first round playoff loss to the Wizards. The center was noticeably slowed and at times limping in the five-game defeat, sloughing off any questions about a severe leg or knee injury. The Bulls refused to disclose when, exactly, Noah did hurt himself (or even what part of his knee was injured), but they did reveal that Noah underwent a "minor" operation on his left knee following the season that would leave him out 2-3 months.
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Hoiberg said the Bulls will use the same lineup in Friday's preseason game against the Mavericks in Lincoln, Nebraska, as they did Tuesday against the Pacers, when Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Tony Snell, Nikola Mirotic, and Pau Gasol started.
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