Joakim Noah Out Four To Six Months

TUESDAY, 1:34pm: Noah underwent surgery this morning and will begin rehab Wednesday, coach Fred Hoiberg said, as Johnson relays (on Twitter).

SATURDAY, 7:25pm: Bulls center Joakim Noah will be out of action for four to six months after suffering a dislocated left shoulder in Friday’s game, the team announced today. He underwent an MRI exam this morning, and it was determined that he will need surgery. Details of the procedure have not been set, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

Noah is making $13.4MM this season in the final year of his contract. Before the injury, Chicago reportedly made him available for trade, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron detailed last month. He is averaging a career-low 4.3 points per game through 29 contests.

Chicago won’t be able to get any cap relief because of the injury, tweets former NBA executive Bobby Marks. The deadline for the disabled player exception expired Friday. The DPE would have only given the Bulls a $5.4MM exception, Marks notes, not an extra roster spot (Twiter link). Chicago already has 15 guaranteed contracts.

Noah suffered a similar injury on the shoulder December 21st and missed nine games. He was in his fourth game back when he re-injured it Friday.

In anticipation of the news on Noah, the Bulls recalled Cristiano Felicio from the D-League this morning, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. He has seen limited action in two games with the Bulls.

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