Bernstein: Assessing Bulls' Options Without Noah
By Dan Bernstein--
It's never easy, is it? All the fear about Derrick Rose getting hurt, and now this.
Just as Carlos Boozer is rounding into form after recovering from that vicious gym-bag attack, Joakim Noah's possible All-Star season is derailed by injured thumb ligaments that require surgery.
He has been playing with the bad hand for two weeks, getting by with pain management and limited ballhandling ability, and keeping the extent of the problem as private as possible. Correcting it now is the right move, allowing him to return healthy and well-rested for the playoffs.
The silver lining is that we don't have to worry about Tom Thibodeau overusing Noah and exacerbating the foot problems he's had, but the cloud remains until early March. Let's look at the lineup possibilities until then.
First idea would be to reinsert Taj Gibson as a starter, and play him with Boozer as 4-5 or 5-4 depending on size/length matchups in any given situation. There is not that much difference between the two positions in most NBA offenses, and Thibs is a facile enough manager to keep one from being exploited.
Second possibility is just replacing Noah with Omer Asik and keeping the rotation otherwise the same. Weighing against this option are Asik's problems with physical/aerobic stamina and fouls, which are related. They would be into their bench earlier each game, essentially ending up with the Gibson/Boozer scenario anyway. So it's probably better to deploy Asik in more favorable ways as dictated by the game – he's a decent defender of the basket when he keeps his foot-position and balance, is getting better at anticipating weakside help responsibilities, and heeded the offensive lesson he got from some coach along the way ("You're seven feet tall, kid! Try to dunk everything!").
Early indications are that Luol Deng could see time at power forward against smaller players at that spot. Deng's solid, all-around play this year has gone largely uncredited, and it has not taken long for him to earn Thibodeau's trust. Deng can run end-to-end with bigs in a fast-paced game, and will fight for defensive position near the basket, even when overpowered.
Kurt Thomas was acquired for just this kind of crisis, as he has been a capable, physical player in the past. But he may be done, if the little we have seen of him indicates anything. Last chance to see if there's any value there with some rebounding and pick/fade midrange shooting.
No street free agent leaps to mind as any bench help. When Erick Dampier was the last one in, that's a message to look elsewhere. Chris Richard is a familiar face, but the rest of him is bad at basketball.
Get used to a little more James Johnson in the mix, and hope he has some idea of what's happening around him at any given time. Brian Scalabrine is Thibodeau's blue blankie, since he always knows where he's supposed to be, even if he's not there yet (and the guy he's guarding has already made the layup, gotten back on defense, showered, and eaten dinner).
Replacing Noah's defense and rebounding will take all hands. And feet – everybody boxes out, everybody helps. The best rebounds are the ones that can be scooped up off the floor after no opposing player has an unblocked path to the ball.
Those seven straight wins with a fully-healthy team were fun, since they gave us a glimpse of what the Bulls may be come postseason. Now it's back to the real NBA life of doing the best with what you have.
