For two weeks now, people have come into our house around 7 am to repair the basement ceiling. The labor's basically free because my roommate's dad is the landlord and the guys working are his uncles. Best of all, the part of the basement ceiling is the floor of my bathroom.
Unfortunately, this means they are pounding, hammering, drilling and sawing from 7 to 11 in the morning right next to my room. Since I'm on a light schedule at college this semester, I usually start my mornings at 11.
Not the last two weeks.
This has led to some interesting dreams, the latest of which centered around my friend Ben and I trying to find a pair of Joakim Noah's signature shoes. You know the ones: the crimson red Le Coq Sportifs with the white soles.
In the dream, not only are Ben and I discussing how to find the shoes, we actually talk to Joakim about our difficulties in finding the kicks, to which he says, "Ahhhhh shit. Let me talk to someone."
Four years ago, had you or I mentioned the words "Joakim Noah" and "signature shoes" in the same sentence, we probably would have been asked where to the get the herb we had been smoking. Either that or shot by Skip Bayless.
Now it's 2010, and the Bulls are being scoped as a possible four-seed in the East, thanks in no small part to J-No, who just recorded his sixth double-double of the young season (13 points, 19 rebounds).
The buzz around the Bulls? Not what they will do once Carlos Boozer returns. Not how they will deal with the suddenly uprising Knicks in a possible renewal of the mid-'90s rivarly. No, the latest question surrounding the Bulls is "Do they have the stones to deal Noah to Denver in exchange for Carmelo Anthony?"
Excuse me. What?
In the glory days (3-Peat I and II), the Bulls had two or three guys who could destroy you on the court, with Phil Jackson's intellect and wicked sense of humor running a close fourth. But with all respect due to Michael Jordan, they've never really had a guy who just didn't care about who the other guys on the team were or who they were playing next.
If there was anything about Jordan, it's that he made every move with devastating purpose. He knew when the Bulls were playing Lenny Wilkens and put that much more energy into his game. He knew when Gary Payton was on the floor and put extra effort into making him look silly. He did the same thing to Bryon Russell after 1995. But he at least was semi-respectful in the media or in interviews.
Noah, on the other hand, just does not seem to care about that. He will go out every game and get 12-plus rebounds, whether he's playing Shaquille O'Neal or Joel Przybilla. He will shoot jump shots and free throws with that ridiculous release and Jeff Van Gundy screaming about fundamentals—and still make them.
That's what makes him so....cool.
Remember when Florida won the NCAA championship (completing a glorious stretch for them and myself when they won the college football and basketball championship, twice defeating Ohio State in a calendar year)? All the Gator players were gathered at center court with their caps on, ready to receive the trophy. Some had put on the championship t-shirts, most were laughing and saying whatever 20- and 21-year-olds say to each other after winning a title on national television.
As the cameras rolled and Bill Raftery looked on bemusement, J-No did that absolutely ridiculous dance, flailing his arms about with reckless abandon.
(Video: J-No Gets It, Florida Style)
Purists everywhere cringed at the prospect of him coming to the NBA, heightened when he showed up to the Draft in that blindingly white, seersucker suit.
I mean, seersucker? I thought that only existed in Faulkner books.
Rick Morrissey, then of the Chicago Tribune, wrote that Noah was a terrible draft choice for the Bulls: "They are putting him in the 'high energy' category, which is code for 'can't shoot if his life depended on it.'"
Morrissey declared then that if Noah was a success in the NBA, he would literally eat his words. Last season, he did just that. In front of Noah, no less. (Good to find a journalist willing to stand behind what he writes, by the way.)
So not only does Noah score and rebound consistently, he is the guy who will wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to the team. Last season, Noah yelled at LeBron James from the bench when he thought LBJ was showing up the Bulls in a blowout. Then, as the Bulls were being stuffed by the Cavs in the playoffs, Noah stated (and reiterated) that "there was nothing to do in Cleveland", insulting the fans and the team multiple times.
(Video: Hear What Joakim Thinks About Cleveland)
When asked after the Game Four blowout whether he still felt the same, Noah responded with: "Has anyone ever planned a vacation to Cleveland?"
Everything about Noah is done without an eye to public image. His hair. His teeth. His shoes are from a high-fashion French company and aren't available anywhere in the U.S. The rumors abound that he frequents Chicago-area marijuana shops during the season. He says whatever he wants to whoever he wants if they aren't wearing a Bulls logo.
He just doesn't give a...you know.
That's why the Bulls need to listen to Charles Barkley and all the other smart basketball minds and not trade Noah to the Nuggets. Yes, you would be getting a superstar player and great inside-outside scorer, but you would be losing more. If there's anything the recent past has shown, it's that big-name free agents who will chase cash and a chip aren't necessarily worth the headache their presence will cause (check in with Miami come playoff time.)
Guys who will defend the team come hell or high water are. That's why Joakim Noah is invaluable.
As Jack Nicholson's character says in A Few Good Men, "you want me on that wall, Danny. You need me on that wall."
The Bulls need Joakim Noah on that wall. Otherwise, there won't be a lot of defense when (excuse the pun) the heat turns up.
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