Noah to miss todays game. (Hawks)

[Three34]

Maybe it's even why they tuned him out this year?

Yep, that's the theory and I'm buying it. Guess they tuned Boylan out too, though.

[Rerisen]

Guess they tuned Boylan out too, though.

Or they never tuned him in to begin with.

It was interesting Duhon said Boylan was seen as Skiles right hand man and that, "If you have a problem playing for Skiles, your going to have a problem playing for Boylan." Well it seems a lot of guys had problems playing under Skiles this year and still have the same under Boylan.

There wasn't even a need for a feeling out period with this coach, because its not like if you bring in a new guy out of the blue. Boylan had already been around these players for several years and the players would obviously know if this is a guy they were going to lay it all on the line for or not.

[BBPud]

The eyebrow raising part of the article was that it stated that Wallace demanded action by his teammates. I don't think the team would have voted out of their own free will to suspend Noah for another game.

Like I said before I think there are a bunch of pus*ies on this team that are easily walked into things. And are the rooks and second year guys going to go against Wallace when he standing over them in a public form. Probably not.

I also see Thomas and Noah taking the "if the veterans are so great let's see if they can win while playing the majority of the minutes" approach the rest of the season. They know that Boylan will not be around next year so they are not worried about building a relationship with him.

This happens all the time in the Business world and it's no different and probably worse in the professional sports leagues. This whole thing will segregate the young guys and the old guys in the Bulls locker room.

[Addicted123]

-= original quote snipped =-


Maybe its time to bring in LB and let him clear out the roster as he sees fit. We are in trouble if Wallace and Griffin are our team leaders.

That's one of the scary things I take out of this. Wallace and Griffin and bears, oh my!!!

[Addicted123]

The eyebrow raising part of the article was that it stated that Wallace demanded action by his teammates. I don't think the team would have voted out of their own free will to suspend Noah for another game.

Like I said before I think there are a bunch of pus*ies on this team that are easily walked into things. And are the rooks and second year guys going to go against Wallace when he standing over them in a public form. Probably not.

I tend to agree. I think this player vote thing is being exagerated. It could have easily been Wallace and Griffin telling the players "listen, we're demanding Noah be suspended for an extra game. Who objects? Nobody? Good."

Noah needs to be traded so he can shine somewhere else. After all, we need to free up more minutes for Wallace, lol!

[TB#1]

Full Article

Noah is given peer penalty by Bulls
Bulls vote to sit rookie extra game after tirade
By K.C. Johnson | Tribune staff reporter
10:26 PM CST, January 13, 2008
Article tools

ATLANTA - In a stunning move, Bulls players voted to increase Joakim Noah's discipline for verbally abusing assistant coach Ron Adams at Friday's morning shootaround in Philadelphia, forcing the rookie to miss Sunday's 105-84 loss to the Hawks.

Several Bulls, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the vote was unanimous.

A shellshocked Noah, who, according to sources, snapped when Adams kept riding him for forgetting plays, paused several times to compose himself while discussing his teammates' decision to urge coaches to sit him for one more game.

"I mean, I've just got to accept it," said Noah, 22. "What do you want me to say? I'm a rookie. ... I mean, it is what it is. I've just got to move on, and there's nothing I can do about it. So ..."

On Friday in Philadelphia, interim coach Jim Boylan said Noah's punishment would last only one game. Noah said his teammates' decision to lengthen the penalty wouldn't affect his relationship with them, but he talked around whether he agreed with it.

"Ask the players who made the decision," Noah said after sitting behind the Bulls' bench in street clothes for the second straight game. "Do I agree with it? That doesn't matter or make a difference. I respect my teammates and respect their opinions and stuff like that. They told me what I did was unacceptable. I just have to deal with it and move on."

Veterans Adrian Griffin and Ben Wallace called for the vote, which took place after Saturday's practice at Georgia Tech. Several players said Griffin, a quiet leader who served as a Bulls captain in the 2004-05 season, was particularly unhappy over the incident.

"We have a chance to salvage this season and we just need everybody on page," Griffin said. "We believe he's on page with us. It's one of those things that I believe will bring us closer. We just have to move on.

"Everybody on this team knows what Joakim can do. The players are supportive of each other and supportive of Joakim. We look forward to getting him back on the court."

"I understand frustrations with coaches," Wallace said. "But you can never take it to that level where you overstep the coach-player relationship and talk to a grown man like that. I might not like you as a coach, but I have to respect you as a man.

"We have to be responsible for each other. We're together all the time. We feel we're becoming a close-knit group and a family-type atmosphere. It's up to us to hold everybody accountable for his own actions."

Noah's actions include habitual tardiness, for which he has been fined. Boylan acknowledged that the players' decision addressed a host of transgressions.

"This has been building during the course of the season because Joe has had some situations where he's been late or not doing what the Chicago Bulls do," Boylan said. "I think the cumulative aspect of this is definitely part of the reasoning for the players doing what they did.

"Joakim is a great kid. He really is. He's got a good heart and wants to help his team. He just needs to realize that this isn't college anymore. He needs to follow the rules that are set down for everyone.

"I think the veteran players, by doing what they've done, are going to help him see that. He'll make the proper adjustments because in his heart he wants to help the team. This is a good lesson for him."

"I don't think he's going to lose his personality," Boylan said. "In the moment, he's a little more subdued, his emotions are a little raw. I had a discussion with him about it and said if I was in his position, I would feel that way also.

"This isn't college anymore. It's the NBA, it's pro sports. You're dealing with more mature, older people. It's an adjustment period for him. The team has sent a message to him, and I think he's smart enough to know what he needs to do without losing the part of what we like about him, and that's his zest for life and his enthusiasm."

Adams declined to comment. It didn't matter. The players spoke volumes for him.

"We appreciate the way Joakim has handled it," Wallace said. "He's said he would sit out and learn from his mistakes. That's all we ask of him, just learn from what he did and know it wasn't right. He's going to bounce back because we need him out there on the floor."

[DuckIII]

The eyebrow raising part of the article was that it stated that Wallace demanded action by his teammates. I don't think the team would have voted out of their own free will to suspend Noah for another game.

If, indeed, Ben Wallace was the driving force behind this all, then that would be pretty darn hypocritical, though I can appreciate the distinction he's drawing between opposing coaching decisions and making things personal.

However, to the extent people are interpreting this part of the article:

Yet Wallace said Noah's transgression crossed the line and demanded teammates' action because it became personal.

as evidence that Ben Wallace "demanded" team action, I personally didn't read it that way. I read that sentence as saying that when asked about it after the fact, Wallace said "the transgression" demanded teammates' action, not that Wallace demanded it.

Either way, I don't really understand this thread at all. Noah clearly did something inappropriate to the extreme. How being punished for that conduct (and evidently this also included an accumulation of inappropriate behavior) leads to the conclusion that criticism should more properly be directed at the rest of the roster, Boylan, John Paxson or even Jerry Reinsdorf, escapes me.

This is what happens to fans when the team is losing. Games and reason are lost in tandem.

[sk33]

But he calls his mom every day.

[TB#1]

I did a bit of Noah thread merging. TB#1

[ATRAIN53]

makes me wonder if Noah was the final straw in the Skiles/Paxson era-

Perhaps Skiles wasn't in favor of the Tyrus pick last year because he knew the kid had attitude.

and then Paxson repeating the same kind of pick this season really left Skiles in a bind.

if he can't discipline the picks his way...
Paxson wanted them to play....

makes you wonder if they both wanted Wallace or if Paxson forced him on Skiles as well?

what a mess.
reports like this usually aren't followed by winning streaks and playoff talk.

[AirP.]

''It was a situation we felt got a little out of hand,'' veteran center Ben Wallace said. ''You can hear both sides of the story and say he's right or he's wrong. But our big thing is, regardless of what happened between a coach-and-player relationship, you should always have respect for a grown man. You should respect that's who you're talking to. A coach-player relationship is built to get a little volatile and hostile, but it should never go to that level.

"I mean, I've just got to accept it," said Noah, 22. "What do you want me to say? I'm a rookie. ... I mean, it is what it is. I've just got to move on, and there's nothing I can do about it. So ..."

What I take out of those 2 quotes up there is that Noah may have been right in the argument but it really doesn't matter because he's a rookie. I have a big problem with that on a team where the vets aren't just playing bad but not giving their 100% each game and you can see that.

I think Noah's a little out there but he has leadership qualities, he's outspoken and from what I've heard is very passionate about winning. I think this losing coupled with him not being able to help the team on the court because of his lack of minutes is getting him frustrated and rightfully so.

[voice of reason]

Remember Noah on draft night- all smiles, said the right things, was happy he's going to "winning" franchise already. wonder what he's thinking now- something along the lines of "get me the hell outta here".