Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 12:10 pm  |  15 responses

Joakim Noah Says Pressures of Contract Extension Hurt His Play


Joakim Noah tells the Chicago Tribune that the big contract extension he signed last season has messed with his head this year: “Noah for the first time revealed the five-year, $60 million extension he signed in October 2010 and which began this season contributed to his struggles. ‘Yeah, no question, I thought about that,’ Noah said. ‘Sometimes you feel like because you’re given so much money you’re expected to do things. That’s not the right mentality to have as a player. I have to play my game. I have to have fun out there. If I don’t, I’m not the same player.’ Noah is having fun now. Beyond the Bulls’ Eastern Conference-best 18-5 mark, the center is, well, affecting winning. He has double-doubles in five straight games, narrowly missed a triple-double Monday in Washington with a career-high seven assists and is averaging 10.4 points and 11.5 rebounds over his last 10 games. Perhaps equally important, Noah’s energy and intensity have returned. Anyone who saw him mimic holstering his guns after sinking one of his patented “Tornado” jumpers against the Wizards knows his spirit has too. ‘I’ve always been a player who reacts well to criticism and doubters,’ Noah said. ‘I feel my teammates were always behind me. But I knew as well as anyone how poorly I was playing. And not only wasn’t I playing well, but I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I wasn’t playing loose out there. I was playing tight. In the beginning of the year, I was overthinking a lot. I was going through a lot of things personally. I feel a lot more comfortable now. I have to stop overthinking and just play.’”

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  • Ldub Posted: Feb.1 at 12:23 pm
    2 things players want. Rings and fortune. He has the fortune, now keep playing how youve been playing.

  • DFrance21 Posted: Feb.1 at 12:36 pm
    I can’t front, when Noah’s draft stock rose and he became a lottery pick, I was convinced he would be a bust. But he’s worked hard, bulked up and he plays with a motor that’s not matched by many. He’s definitely made me a fan.

  • nbk Posted: Feb.1 at 12:36 pm
    I think that is the first time I have ever heard a player say they are playing worse because their new contract added pressure for them to play better. Man the Bulls have great character guys.

  • bike Posted: Feb.1 at 12:53 pm
    ‘Sometimes you feel like because you’re given so much money you’re expected to do things.’
    I don’t know what to think about an nba player saying something like that.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Feb.1 at 1:04 pm
    Noah’s draft stock actually dropped, not rose.
    He would’ve been a top 3 pick in 2006, but he decided to go back to Florida instead.
    When he came out in 2007, there was no way he was getting picked before Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, and his own teammate Al Horford had broken out to being considered a better pro prospect, among other reasons why he slipped to 9 where the Bulls snatched him up thanks to owning the Knicks’ pick in the Eddy Curry trade (thanks, Knicks!).
    I actually hated him when he was at Florida so I wasn’t too happy when the Bulls drafted him but now I’m glad they did.
    I was actually hoping they’d get Brendan Wright. Lol. Stupid me.
    I hope Noah gets out of this slump for good and goes back to playing how he was early last season before the thumb injury.
    He was averaging 15.6 points and 13.2 rebounds a game before he hurt his thumb last year, and was basically playing like the second best center in the NBA.
    Although granted, that was with an injured Boozer, but that’s the type of player Noah can be when he’s both 100% in health and in mind.

  • T-Money Posted: Feb.1 at 1:23 pm
    nbk: meh. we get it, the bulls want it so much and they have really high character, whatever that means. so he was out there not grabbing boards because he couldn’t deal with how fat his paycheque got?

  • niQ Posted: Feb.1 at 1:31 pm
    I remember wanting Noah in 2006, then he opted to stay another year in college and we ended up with Bargnani. Meh, at least he was finally coming around before that injury…

  • T-Ray Posted: Feb.1 at 1:36 pm
    I actually thought he was playing pretty well. If Thibs didn’t sit him in the 4th so long his stats would be better.

  • nbk Posted: Feb.1 at 1:49 pm
    T-Money – I’m just talking about his (and a lot of the other Bulls players) honesty. I don’t actually think the Bulls are good enough to win a title.

  • LA Huey Posted: Feb.1 at 2:14 pm
    I feel you, Joakim. When I get my annual raise, I have trouble showing up and getting back from lunch breaks on time. The pressure is just so great!

  • nbk Posted: Feb.1 at 2:47 pm
    attitudes* forgot that word my fault

  • Slick Ric Posted: Feb.1 at 4:06 pm
    yeah, he’s been playing better lately.

  • Scottie Pimpin Posted: Feb.1 at 6:18 pm
    come for noah, stay for rose, GO BULLS !

  • Kid Dynamite Posted: Feb.2 at 4:55 am
    No Joakim, your lack of game hurt your game.

  • ab40 Posted: Feb.2 at 5:30 am
    Poor baby

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