Paxson Fights Del Negro Over Noah

Joakim Noah's return from plantar fasciitis has lifted the Bulls from the draft lottery to one win away from the playoffs. Even though LeBron's Cavs await in round 1, earning rights into the 2nd season should be cause for celebration in Chicago. Instead, there are reports of front office chaos and violence between vice president John Paxson and coach Vinny Del Negro.

While Noah was out with aching feet in March, the Bulls lost 10 straight games, including two losses to the  Grizzlies. Since his return, they've gone 9-4. 

Noah leads the Bulls in FG%, rebounds & blocks while shooting 75% FT. During the 10 game losing streak without him, Chicago gave up 132 points to Utah, 122 to Dallas,  and let all but 1 opponent score over 100 points. In the 13 games since Noah's return, only 4 opponents have reached 100 in games Chicago lost. 

Paxson allegedly first scolded Del Negro in February for giving Noah too many minutes when his foot pain was an increasing concern. After playing 27 minutes in a Feb. 26 win over the Blazers, Noah missed the next 10 games.

Noah returned to the lineup on March 20 and brought their losing streak to an end, playing 9 minutes in a 98-84 win over the 76ers. Over the next 5 games, he never played more than 17 minutes and the Bulls went 4-1.

On March 30, Noah played 27 minutes in a 111-105 loss to the Suns. Afterward, Paxson reportedly grabbed Del Negro's tie, jabbed him twice in the chest and challenged him to a fight for giving Noah too many minutes. Del Negro opted out of retaliation and assistant coaches stepped up to calm Paxson down.

Last week in a crucial double OT loss to the Nets, Del Negro opted to keep Noah on the bench instead of risking another assault by Paxson. Meanwhile, Paxson was trying to send word to Del Negro to put Noah back in the game. Del Negro didn't get the word and the Bulls lost to the worst team in the NBA. Chaos and disarray from the top down.

 Noah has put the Bulls on his back (and feet) and appears to be leading them into the 2nd season, despite the disarray and mismanagement between his coach & GM. They will likely see a first round exit at the hands of the Cavs. Chicago hasn't been this volatile since Phil Jackson played mind games with Jerry Krauss in the '90s. The next 2 weeks could be Del Negro's last run with the Bulls.