The Demise of Joakim Noah?

Last night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers could only be toppled by the Chicago Bear's blown game against the Minnesota Vikings earlier this afternoon. What a terrible weekend for Chicago sports.

Last night's game against the Cavaliers wasn't as bad as the records might indicate. Cleveland is a decent team with lots of offensive firepower. Kyrie Irving, though mostly contained, still poured in 19 points and 6 assists. Emerging power forward Tristan Thompson had 14/14, and Dion Waiters did his best Nate Robinson impression, coming in off the bench and taking every shot that came his way en route to 20 points and 0 assists.

However, the big difference maker last night was one Andrew Bynum. The much heavier Bynum dropped in 20 points, grabbed 10 boards, and blocked 5 shots in 30 minutes of action. Bynum absolutely dominated Joakim Noah, which leads me to this question...

Are we experiencing the demise of Joakim Noah?

After posting career highs in scoring, rebounds, and blocked shots last season, Noah has yet to show anything offensively, scoring only 8.8 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. On the defensive end, Noah has not shown his trademark energy to quite the same extent, grabbing only 8 boards per game and not even averaging 1 block per contest.

It goes without saying that, offensively, Noah has zero confidence. His trademark 18 footer isn't there, but even worse, he's scared to death of pulling the trigger. Noah's only shooting 62% from the freet throw line, down 10 percentage points from his career average of 72%. While his hi-low passing remains fantastic, Noah no longer needs to be guarded on the perimeter, allowing teams to clog the paint against slashes from Luol Deng and easily double down on Carlos Boozer or Taj Gibson in the post. This allows a poor defensive team like the Cavaliers to look competent (at times).

On the defensive end, I suspect Noah isn't suffering from a lack of confidence. Rebounds are often as much effort as skill, particularly for Noah. This season, guys like Anderson Varejao and Bynum have pushed him around with little resistance. Because Noah usually plays well at the beginning of games, I'm questioning whether his issue may be conditioning or even the lingering impact of the injuries Noah sustained during the preseason.

A Gibson/Boozer combination is too small to remain on the floor for a sustained period of time, particularly against a dominant post scorer like Andrew Bynum. Noah either needs to sit until he's healthy or figure out what's going on in his head.

If the Bulls want to make it to a second round exit this year, Noah must step up his game. I have a hard time believing his career has peaked, and I am confident that he'll resemble the Joakim Noah of 2012-13 at some point this season. However, this offseason may be the perfect time to start grooming his successor.

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Chicago Bulls (2-3) Vs Cleveland Cavaliers (3-4)

With the battle of the pathetic Florida teams headlining Monday Night Football, tonight is the perfect night for Chicago Bulls basketball. The Bulls take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs continue to build a solid core around star point guard Kyrie Irving, and if this team acquires LeBron James in the offseason, the Cavs will dominate the East once again. Let's take a look at some key players.

Kyrie Irving

I can't recall a more obvious number 1 pick who was a less of a consensus pick than Kryie Irving. Due to injury, he didn't play much at Duke, and we've also seen him slowed in the NBA. However, don't let some injury trouble and his slow start in 2013 fool you: Irving is an elite point guard. He certainly showed it last night, dropping in 39 points with a career-high 12 assists.

Irving isn't a one dimensional scorer; rather, he's a quick guard who can get to the rim and finish with fantastic three point range. Irving is one of the most unguardable players  in the league, so Derrick Rose will have his hands full in their first ever head-to-head match-up.

While we've seen the Bulls do a fantastic job clogging the paint, Irving is incredibly talented, so he will get his buckets. If the Bulls sufficiently clog the paint, he can display his solid passing skills by hitting one of his strong three point shooters like Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters, or C.J. Miles. Ouch. That's dangerous.

Andrew Bynum: 2nd Bust in a Row?

Cavaliers fans were rewarded this offseason with gobs of cap room, but let's face it, the team  hopes LeBron James opts out of his contract with the Heat in order to return home to Ohio. Whether or not you think there's a chance that happens (it's either Miami or Cleveland, IMO), the Cavs' front office wanted to retain maximal flexibility, hence the team took a chance on former Laker stud Andrew Bynum.

Bynum has played in just 5 of the Cavaliers' 7 games, and he has not looked good.  Like many 7 footers, Bynum's knees have been horrible for the majority of his career, and he was also sidelined all of last season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

If Bynum does play (doubtful since this would be a back-to-back), he will not make a meaningful impact. Bynum has looked lost offensively, shooting just 32% from the field--an impressive task consider how short his average shot is. Bynum is not the double-double machine that he was for the Lakers in 2011-12. In fact, he's hardly worth mentioning at this point, less his $12 million contract.

Tristan Thompson

Tristan Thompson had a disappointing rookie campaign, but he's become a solid and durable power forward. We can assume he'll match-up against Boozer defensively, but Boozer respond by banging the ball inside against the much lighter defender. The trio of Taj Gibson, Boozer, and Jokaim Noah should help keep Thompson off the boards on both ends of the court. Along the same line, Thompson won't be able to do much inside, so look for him to settle for some long, inefficient jump shots.

Although Kyrie Irving is a top 5 point guard, the Bulls will win tonight. However, I think it will be a struggle. The Bulls have not played well against teams with great three point shooters, and the Cavs are just that with Waiters, Irving, and Jack on the court at the same time. The Bulls should be able to get some easy buckets offensively, especially since Anderson Varejao hasn't to form after he missed considerable time last year with a blood clot.

Boozer should go off for at least 20 points tonight. Rose should have another solid game, showing some strides, though Irving will embarrass him on the defensive end a few times. The Cavs aren't a great rebounding team, so Taj and Noah should generate several second chance opportunities. With the Cavs taking the 11th most three pointers in the league, the Bulls should have several fast break opportunities that will lead to easy buckets for Jimmy Pump Fakes.  

More importantly, the Cavs are not a deep team and have to play the Bulls after a double-overtime victory last night. 4 of 5 starters played 40+ minutes, while the Cavs' best bench player, Jarrett Jack, played 37 minutes. The Cavs will be tired, and the game could get ugly if the Bulls get out on the break like they did against Utah.

The score: Bulls 97 Cavs 89