Evaluating Joakim Noah’s Minutes Restriction

Joakim Noah, the heart-and-soul of this Chicago Bulls team, will have less opportunities to make a difference for the remainder of the regular season. Noah’s minutes are currently being strictly monitored by Bulls management, and Tom Thibodeau has been instructed to refrain from allowing Noah to play more than 32 minutes in a single contest. With the Bulls already severely shorthanded and locked in an intense battle for playoff positioning, the justification for this decision is questionable.

Mar 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) defends Indiana Pacers guard

George Hill

(3) during the second half at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-86. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

According to ESPN writer Nick Friedell, the Chicago Bulls front office continues to impose strict minute restrictions on Bulls center Joakim Noah. Although Coach Tom Thibodeau privately opposes this decision, he is learning to adapt his rotation to compensate for the decreased availability of Noah.

"“We’ve dealt with it all year. Basically he gets up at the same time every game. Sometimes you don’t have control over [the timing]. If there’s not a dead ball, he doesn’t get out as quickly as you would like. We’re short-handed, we’re trying to manage it as best we can. Usually it does work out. That’s what we’re hoping for. We get more guys back, we’ll have more depth. So we’ll go from there.”"

Joakim Noah publicly expressed his thoughts concerning his reduction in minutes for the first time since being put under a limit.

"It’s frustrating. But I think I’m not the only one who’s frustrated sometimes. I think it’s part of the grind. But I’m just trying to stay focused on what’s important: trying to win basketball games. I’m not trying to get caught up in any noise or anything like that. I don’t want to be a distraction. We’ll figure it out internally and do what’s best for the team.”"

Although there isn’t a concrete date in which Bulls management began restricting his minutes, Noah hasn’t played more than the allotted 32 minutes per game since Thursday March 3rd against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This game went into overtime, so of course that skews the data to a degree. Regardless, Noah has been playing at least two weeks under a strict minutes restriction. Why?

Mar 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) and coach Tom Thibodeau react after a call during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Chicago 98-84. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery over the summer, Joakim Noah has been battling knee soreness for the majority of the season. The minutes restriction is an attempt by management to maintain Noah’s health until the playoffs begin in April. Despite the lingering impact of the surgery, Noah told reporters recently that he is feeling healthy right now.

"“I think right now I’m feeling more and more healthy,” Noah said. “I’m feeling better and better on the court. I know I still have another gear I got to get to. But I think the reason for this minutes restriction is to try to protect me, too. It’s not to point any fingers or anything like that. We just got to do what’s best for me and for the team. I think we’re going to be just fine.”"

The eye test confirms what Joakim Noah is saying. Over the last few weeks, his activity and energy on both sides of the ball has substantially improved. Noah’s season splits indicate that the months of February and March have yielded some of his highest statistical averages. During the month of February, Noah averaged his high monthly totals in total rebounding (11.7) and offensive rebounding (3.7). These numbers are directly indicative of a healthier Noah becoming more active on the boards and overwhelming opponents with his relentless pursuit of the basketball. In the month of March, Joakim Noah is averaging 7.4 assists, a full 2.5 assists more than in any other month during the season. His increased assist totals stems from his new found role as “point center”. With the injuries to Rose and Butler (players that control the ball a lot for this team), Noah has had the opportunity to operate from the top of the key and systematically pick apart defenses with his pinpoint passing. His improved offensive statistics confirm that Noah is improving health wise.

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It is harder for management to justify restricting Noah because Joakim said himself that he is feeling healthy. His stats are also backing up this claim.

The Chicago Bulls are currently in a tight race for playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference. As of March 18, 2015, here are the standings in the Eastern Conference.

Eastern	W	L	PCT	GB	CONF	DIV	HOME	ROAD	L 10	STREAK
Atlanta^1x	53	14	0.791	0.0	32-9	9-2	30-4	23-10	8-2	W 3
Cleveland²	44	26	0.629	10.5	27-14	6-5	25-9	19-17	7-3	W 1
Toronto³	41	27	0.603	12.5	28-13	10-2	23-12	18-15	4-6	W 2
Chicago⁴	41	28	0.594	13.0	24-15	7-5	21-14	20-14	4-6	W 1
Washington⁵	39	28	0.582	14.0	25-18	8-6	25-10	14-18	6-4	W 4
Milwaukee⁶	34	34	0.500	19.5	23-16	5-7	19-13	15-21	2-8	L 4
Miami⁷	31	36	0.463	22.0	20-20	4-9	16-18	15-18	6-4	W 2
Boston⁸	30	37	0.448	23.0	18-21	8-4	18-16	12-21	7-3	L 1

The 2nd through 5th seeded teams in the Eastern Conference are separated by only 3.5 games. This fact adds importance to every single one of the Bulls remaining games. For the sake of playoff positioning and match-ups, the Bulls need to finish the season strong. The stats don’t necessarily always show it, but Joakim Noah is one of the Bulls most impactful players. The more he plays, the more likely the Bulls are to win a game.

Further adding fuel to Thibodeau’s annoyance with the limit on Noah’s minutes is the fact that the Bulls are already shorthanded. Thibodeau doesn’t like to creatively expand his rotation to compensate for the injuries on the roster as well as Noah’s minutes restrictions.

Mar 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Indiana Pacers guard

C.J. Miles

(center) is defended by Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) and forward

Nikola Mirotic

(44) during the second half at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-86. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Joakim Noah provided a rational reason for why management is limiting his minutes. Quote courtesy of Nick Friedell’s twitter page.

Noah: "The reason for this minutes restriction is to try to protect me too. It's not to point any fingers or anything like that."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) March 18, 2015

If the Bulls continue to protect Noah and consequently he begins the playoffs healthy and in top form all this talk of minute restrictions will quickly dissipate. Wining cures all. If the Bulls win in the playoffs with a healthy Joakim Noah leading the charge, everything will be good in Chicago-land. However, if the Bulls continue to fall in the standings and draw a tough first round match-up that they subsequently falter in, people will wonder why Noah wasn’t out there more at the end of the season fighting to get the Bulls a higher seed.

Mar 13, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) looks on from the bench during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets defeated 101-91. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

VERDICT: It is tough to see Noah being benched late in games when the Bulls are battling for playoff positioning. However, I understand what the Bulls are trying to do. Ultimately, this team needs a healthy Noah to seriously contend for an NBA title. If this means sacrificing a few minutes here and there in the regular season, I’m all for it.

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