By Rafael Bandayrel
Derrick Rose signed with the Timberwolves after getting released by the Utah Jazz that acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers. He reunites with his former coach, Tom Thibodeau, plus other former Bulls teammates in Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson.
The only piece lacking to bring the 2011 Chicago Bulls team back together is center Joakim Noah who is currently a member of the New York Knicks.
The French big-man’s best year was 2014 – the year he was hailed Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals that year.
This season, Noah has only played a combined total of 41 minutes through seven games. Looking at Noah’s numbers, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek cannot be faulted for not giving the former DPOY extended playing time.
Noah, 32, is years away from being a productive player. Last season, he averaged 5.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.3 steals.
Thibodeau loves his former Bulls and proved that when he picked up Rose despite having one of the worst seasons of his career. Would Thibodeau’s fondness for his former squad be enough to bring Noah to Minnesota?
Unlike Rose, Noah will not come cheap. His “bad contract” is described as one of the worst in the league, nearly $17.8 million this season despite rarely seeing action. Worse, he’s slated to receive roughly $37.8 million from the New York Knicks over the next two seasons.
Thibodeau should look ahead and focus on developing his young stars Andrew Wiggins, especially Karl-Anthony Towns.
While it would be neat to have the band back together, signing Noah is perhaps not in the best interest of the T-Wolves. Towns is one of the most promising big men in the league right now and is expected to develop as a top player.
