Noah 'On Schedule' After Having Pin Removed
On Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah had the pin removed from his surgically repaired hand and continued his conditioning and rehab work. Roughly six weeks since undergoing surgery, Noah continues to make improvements.
"He's on schedule, maybe a little bit ahead of schedule," coach Tom Thibodeau told the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. "Now he has to strengthen the hand."
The team anticipated that Noah would miss roughly eight to 12 weeks from the time of his surgery. That timetable could potentially put Noah back in the lineup in the middle of February.
"The next step will be getting him on to the court to do non-contact stuff," Thibodeau said. "He's probably a week or two away from that. Once he can get through the non-contact part of practice, then the next step will be contact in practice. When he gets through that, then he plays. He's still two steps away."
