The Chicago Bulls are likely to trot out center Joakim Noah and guard Kirk Hinrich in Tuesday's regular-season opener against the Miami Heat.
Joakim Noah injury: Bulls center ‘100 percent’ to play opener against Heat
The Chicago Bulls will have Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich available on opening night against the Miami Heat.
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Noah, who suffered a lingering groin injury in the preseason, told ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell he’s “100 percent” ready for the opener, which also marks the official return of point guard Derrick Rose.
“I think if my groin was still bothering me we’d have to talk about it because I didn’t want it to linger on all season,” Noah told Friedell. “It would have been really tough to sit out a game that I’ve been waiting for all summer. I’ve been training for this game all summer. So it would have been tough but we got to think big picture.”
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Noah played in just one preseason game but went through the entirety of Sunday’s practice. Joining him was Hinrich, who was sitting out because of a concussion suffered on Oct. 18. He was also battling a shoulder injury.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn't commit to playing either Hinrich or Noah, but he added that Noah had been without pain the last several days. Noah averaged 11.9 points and 11.1 rebounds for Chicago in 2012-13 but struggled throughout the season with plantar fasciitis.
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