Report: Joakim Noah unhappy with role, Fred Hoiberg
Joakim Noah is reportedly not pleased with his role with the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Sun Times’s Joe Cowley cited a source on Tuesday claiming that Noah “hasn’t moved past losing his starting job” and that he isn’t pleased with coach Fred Hoiberg, though he hasn’t been a distraction.
Cowley says that the Bulls hoped that winning would quiet Noah’s discontent, but that has not really happened.
Noah had been a starter for almost all of his career, so it’s not a huge surprise that he’s having some difficulty coping with a new role. After getting 30 minutes per game every year of his career since 2009, he’s been dropped to about 22 this year by new coach Hoiberg. He’s a free agent after the season, and it seems increasingly likely he’ll be assessing his options when that time comes. He’s also been the subject of trade rumors, so the Bulls seem to realize that they have a player who is feeling discontent and may be on his way out the door anyway.