Joakim Noah thrilled ex-teammates thriving with Knicks

CHICAGO — Joakim Noah is 1 erstwhile Bull who ne'er enjoyed prosperity successful New York. But he’s thrilled to spot his erstwhile caput manager Tom Thibodeau and erstwhile Bulls teammates Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson thriving.

Before ceremonies for “Joakim Noah Night’’ connected Thursday astatine United Center, Noah saluted his past compadres for their enactment successful New York.

“Thibs is simply a large manager and to spot guys similar Taj and Derrick successful New York, I’m truly blessed for them. Great guys. I spot however Taj is moving astir — not conscionable connected the court, but successful the [New York] community. I’m truly arrogant of him. That’s brainsick helium was my son. And present he’s similar an ‘OG’. Derrick, I’ve seen these guys truly instrumentality connected enactment roles and doing it New York and spot those guys doing it well. … I’m truly excited for them.’’

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Noah, who retired past year, is surviving successful South Florida and not eyeing a coaching gig, though helium played for 2 bully ones: Billy Donovan, with whom helium won 2 nationalist championships astatine Florida, and Thibodeau, with whom helium hooked up for aggregate playoff runs.

“To beryllium a coach, you person to beryllium a small spot sick,’’ Noah said earlier the Knicks’ 104-103 triumph implicit the Bulls. “When you’re not feeling it you person to motivate players to get the occupation done. That’s a pugnacious job. At the pro level it’s excessively hard.’’

One newsman piped up: “So you’re calling Thibs sick?”

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“Thibs, he’s sick for sure,’’ Noah said. “I emotion him. It’s large for him to beryllium astatine this game. Thibs and manager Donovan are 2 begetter figures to me. Two guys I learned a batch from. Thibs ever told me, ‘Get your location successful order.’ Thibs is the manager I spent the astir clip with — workouts, hardest workouts of my life. And helium … was ever asking me, ‘Do you person your location successful order?’

“And I didn’t cognize what that meant astatine the time. Now I recognize what that means. It’s thing that resonates for maine each day. Do you person your location successful order? There’s a batch of beingness lessons successful basketball.’’

Wednesday night, Noah and his erstwhile Bulls teammates gathered for a enactment astatine a Chicago restaurant. Thibodeau dropped in.

“He’s wholly astatine peace,’’ Thibodeau said. “He should be. He gave everything helium had to the game. There’s thing left. That’s the mode you should spell out. I’m truly blessed for him.’’

The Knicks are inactive paying Noah $6.4 cardinal this play arsenic portion of his stretch-provision waiver successful 2018.

Nerlens Noel missed a 5th consecutive regular-season crippled Thursday aft missing each 4 preseason games. But it sounds precise apt he’ll instrumentality astatine New Orleans connected Friday. Thibodeau said Mitchell Robinson, who had 9 points and six rebounds successful the Knicks’ 104-103 triumph implicit the Bulls connected Thursday, volition stay the starting center.

The Bulls had their splashy free-agent offseason by signing PG Lonzo Ball, SF DeMar DeRozan and G Alex Caruso. At the commercialized deadline past season, they added Nicola Vucevic.

The Knicks ne'er made an connection for Ball, deciding helium mightiness not beryllium acceptable to backmost a playoff team.

Asked if helium was impressed by the Bulls’ aggressiveness, Thibodeau said: “It’s the mode the league is built. You look astatine the summation — not lone for the Bulls, but a fig of teams added players. Then you effort to survey and analyse connected the interaction it mightiness person for your ain mentation and however you’re going to play against them the pursuing year. That’s the quality of the league.’’

MSG Network enactment retired a connection further condemning Comcast successful its quality with the cablegram institution that is shutting retired immoderate Knicks fans successful New Jersey and Connecticut: “Comcast unopen disconnected MSG Networks astir a period agone but is charging its Xfinity customers successful the Tri-State country much than $10 a period for contented they’re not getting. Comcast shouldn’t get to pad its bottommost enactment astatine the disbursal of frustrated sports fans — it’s clip to inquire erstwhile they’ll bash the close happening and reconstruct the channels oregon rebate each their customers’ money. Xfinity customers should telephone Comcast present and request an answer.”