Kendrick Perkins and Joakim Noah Would Make it Work

The Chicago Bulls are rumored to be in the hunt for Kendrick Perkins once he becomes available. The question of whether he and Joakim Noah can coexist on the same team has become a major deterrent to adding this player to the roster.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as the front runners to land Perkins once his contract is bought out by the Utah Jazz.

Perkins has had an eventful last 48 hours. On Thursday he was traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Utah Jazz in a trade that involved three separate teams. The Jazz are currently in negotiations with representatives of Perkins. The two entities are attempting to execute a buyout agreement that would allow the Jazz to pay-off the remaining $7.1 million of his contract while releasing Perkins in the process. Once Perkins clears waivers, he will be available to other teams.

Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

In terms of what he could bring to the table, Perkins would be a fantastic fit on this Chicago Bulls team. For full analysis on this specific topic, please read Ernie Padaon’s post. To briefly summarize, Perkins brings both veteran and championship experience to a team that has been surprisingly devoid of leadership at some points this season. With the fragility of Noah and the age of Pau Gasol, further solidifying the depth of the front-court by adding another quality big man is a wise idea. The East, particularly the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks, have highly skilled and physical big men. Perkins’ grit and toughness could go a long way towards neutralizing some of these big man duos that have given the Bulls problems this season.

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During the 2014-2015 season, Perkins averaged 4.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time. His real value comes on the defensive side of the ball. Surprisingly, quality defense is Chicago’s biggest need this season.

The downfall of adding Perkins is he may take away minutes from Nikola Mirotic and stunt Mirotic’s development as a player. Another potential downfall, is that Perkins and Bulls center Noah have butted heads in the past.

Feb 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) drives past New Orleans Pelicans center

Jeff Withey

(5) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Bulls defeated the Pelicans 107-72. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, Noah attempted to enter the Oklahoma City Thunders’ locker room to talk to former Bull Thabo Sefolosha. Thunder’s big man, Perkins, took exception to Noah’s intrusion. According to “The Oklahoman” as cited by ESPN, the following exchange took place between the two big men.

"Perkins: “They just let anybody in the locker room?”Noah: “C’mon, man.”Perkins: “I’m just asking, though.”Noah: “C’mon, man.”Perkins: “Just let anybody in the locker room now?”Noah: “You want me to wait outside?”Perkins: “I’m just saying, though.”Noah: “If you want me to wait outside, I’ll wait outside.”Perkins: “Get your ass up outta here.”Noah: “Aight.”"

Although nothing else came out of the exchange except for these words, is it possible that bad blood still exists between Noah and Perkins? Would the addition of the center upset the locker room chemistry and create a civil war between the players?

Feb 8, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at Amway Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Orlando Magic 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Noah is a team-first player that values winning over everything else. Over the years, he has been introduced to dozens of new teammates and hasn’t had a major problem with a single one. He isn’t one of those players that would allow petty conflict in the past to deter the team from accomplishing the ultimate goal of a championship. Noah is one of those players that you love if he is on your team, but hate if he is your opponent. This model will likely hold true as Perkins acclimates to his new teammate. Once both players realize that they must cohesively work together to accomplish their ultimate goal, the tension between the two (if there still is any) will quickly dissipate.

Exploring the context of the game in which the two conflicted can shed some light on what instigated the exchange of words.

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