Joakim Noah Could Miss First Round of the Playoffs


According to Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, there’s a chance center Joakim Noah may sit out the entire first round Playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets. This would be a major blow to an already depleted Bulls squad. Per ESPN: “Coach Tom Thibodeau is planning on having Noah available for the first-round series that begins Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets, but admitted that some uncertainty still hangs in the air when it comes to the All-Star who has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. […] Thibodeau was asked if it is possible that Noah doesn’t play. ‘It’s possible, yeah; he’s still day to day,’ Thibodeau said. ‘If he has soreness, we’re going to take it as it comes.’ Noah has played in just three games since March 21, and played just 14 minutes in each of the last two games of the season. He looked sluggish in two separate stints on the court Wednesday against the Washington Wizards and afterward admitted to feeling ‘rusty.’ When not soaking his right foot in a bucket of ice water after the game, he walked around the locker room with a severe limp. Even if Noah does play against the Nets, it’s likely he will be on a severe minutes restriction. How much might Noah be able to play? ‘I don’t know and that’s the unfortunate part,’ Thibodeau said. ‘All I know is that we’re better with him on the floor. I prefer for him to be out there extended minutes but whatever he can give us we would like him to do it. But if he can’t go he can’t go and we have to go to the next guy.’ Nazr Mohammed figures to pick up key minutes in place of Noah.”