Joakim Noah to see reduced minutes?

Is it possible the Chicago Bulls have too much talent? While you can truly never have too much of a good thing, it may seem that way in the Windy City as the Bulls’ influx of talent may come at the expense of minutes for Joakim Noah.

In addition to signing Pau Gasol this offseason the Chicago Bulls need to get additional time for Taj Gibson who is quickly morphing into a defensive force.

Combine that with Joakim Noah’s mounting injuries and it’s the expectation of Sam Smith that Noah could be facing a drop in floor time.

He’ll likely come into the season slowly and perhaps more than Rose is a candidate for reduced minutes as he turns 30 this season.

Noah seems likely to be more of a defensive specialist this season being able to cover the better offensive player when playing with Gasol and adept in the switching defenses with Gibson that have been so effective under Thibodeau.

While such a move may be troublesome on the surface there’s really little harm in giving Noah a bit more time on the bench. He has routinely been among the league leaders in minutes played during his career and is only getting older.

With both Gasol and Gibson (namely Gibson) able to provide some relief in the paint, the Chicago Bulls will likely be best served by giving Joakim Noah an extra breather or two. It’ll only improve his chances of being healthy and ready to go come the postseason.