Joakim Noah To Receive Huge Bonus If Named 1st Team All NBA
Joakim Noah is known to Bulls fans as a “lunch bucket” type of player. However, if Noah keeps playing the way he has for the past month, he has a strong likelihood of shedding his blue collar image and padding his wallet. Noah has been one of the top centers in the NBA this season, and has put the Bulls on his back leading them to a likely first round home playoff series. Fans at the United Center in Chicago have even begun canting that Joakim should be the the league MVP this season.
While MVP is an extreme longshot, Noah is a strong contender for other honors this season. Just this week, after a game against Houston, Rockets coach, Kevin McHale, went on record that Noah should be the Defensive Player of the Year this season. This praise for Noah, despite coaching Dwight Howard, a three time winner (2009 – 2011) of that award. Joakim thoroughly outplayed Howard in the game, stuffing the stat sheet with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.
It has been reported by the Chicago Sun Times that Noah will receive a sizable bonus if he is named All NBA First Team at center this season. Joe Cowley of the Sun Times reports:
“Joakim Noah doesn’t want to get involved with all the hype surrounding his candidacy as a first-team All-NBA performer. But he might want to start, considering he has a $500,000 bonus check coming his way if he receives that honor at the end of the regular season.”
Noah is not the type to look for individual accolades, as he is focused on finishing the season strong and leading the surprising Bulls into the playoffs. Luckily for Joakim, others are watching. He has a great chance at landing the 1st team All NBA spot this year. There are really only two other contenders for that spot this season: Roy Hibbert of Indiana and Dwight Howard from Houston.
Comparing the three centers shows that Noah has a stiff challenge in front of him if he hopes to walk away with the $500K. Hibbert is averaging 11.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Howard is at 18.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Noah comes in at 12.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Based solely on the numbers, it would seem to be a race between Howard and Noah. Howard is leading in scoring and rebounding, while Noah has the lead in assists and is the front runner for defensive player of the year honors.
There are intangibles that go into Noah’s game that make him a popular choice this season. The All NBA 1st Team is voted on by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The way that Noah has willed the Bulls to victory after victory down the stretch, from basically a “point-center” position, will heavily influence the voters. I suspect that it will be enough to allow Joakim Noah to be named 1st Team All NBA, and walk away with his $500k bonus. Not a bad day at the office for the blue collar Noah.
[Image via TJNBA.com]
