Noah the Name to Know

Rich Bucher dubs Joakim Noah as the name to know on the Bulls roster heading into the 2009-10 season.  “Talk about a serious one-year transformation,” Bucher writes of the Chicago center.  ”Last summer there were questions about whether he was still in the Bulls’ plans.  This summer?  He and the team value each other so much management insisted that he limit his service to the French national team so he’d have more time for strength training at the Berto Center and he readily complied.”

“By all accounts, Joakim is ready to build on his no-joke double-double playoff average against the Celtics,” Bucher continues.  ”He joined the French squad for two games after strength training at the IMG Academy in Florida and then resumed the weight workouts with the Bulls’ staff.”  Noah will certainly be a major factor in the team’s success this season.  He’s a good defender in the paint, which is crucial to have in the middle in the NBA.  If he can continue to play with the energy that he always has, as well use the experience he gained last season to improve as a player, he should be in for his best campaign yet.  Plus, his penchant for rebounding and defense would go very well with a dominant post player, something the Bulls could be targeting next summer.

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