Joakim Noah’s relationship with the Chicago Bulls is forever.
It doesn’t matter that he’s now a member of the New York Knicks, or that he typically views anyone who doesn’t share his jersey color scheme as an arch enemy. It doesn’t even matter that his tenure in The Windy City ended in complete implosion, amid injuries, Tom Thibodeau’s unceremonious departure and the Bulls’ decision to trade for Robin Lopez, another center, ahead of his free agency.
None of that matters.
Joakim Noah still has a fond place in his heart for his former team and city, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune:
“I have no anger towards nobody,” Noah said. “If we had a couple rough years at the end, I’m just still so grateful for the opportunity the Bulls gave me. It’s like a family to me. Even though it’s a new chapter for the end of my career to be in New York, I think Chicago is always going to be a home to me.
“Everywhere I go in this city, it’s always love. If I’m walking in the airport, wherever I am and someone’s from Chicago, it’s never animosity or negative or why did you leave us? It’s always very appreciative. And it’s humbling. I know free agency is a business. But I feel I always show a lot of respect for this city and its people. And I get love back for it. And it feels good.”
According to Johnson, Joakim Noah also called Bulls executives John Paxson, Gar Forman and Jerry Reinsdorf, among others, once he officially signed with the Knicks. That’s an extremely classy move on his part, and it definitely represents a shift in how high-profile departures from the Bulls have been handled in the recent past.
Thibs was shown in the door in contentious fashion, and Derrick Rose wouldn’t even answer the team’s phone calls at first (or, perhaps, at all). Hell, the Bulls even seemed to be having trouble with their wanted cornerstone in Jimmy Butler, allowing his name to meander in and out of the rumor mill ahead of the draft.
On the perception front, it’s good for the Bulls that JoakimNoah considers them his family, and Chicago one of his homes. He spent his entire career there to this point, and it definitely would have been a red flag if he, Rose and Thibs were all anti-Bulls. Chicago’s front office has a hard enough time coming across fully functioning as it is; losing Noah’s affections is not something with which they should want to deal.
