Joakim Noah expected to play for France in FIBA EuroBasket – NBA Update
The injured Chicago Bulls centre Joakim Noah has been recovering well from an ankle injury which he sustained during an NBA game in March. According to various reports, Noah will be able to represent the French National team at
the FIBA Eurobasket, an event that is scheduled to be held in Lithuania from August 31.
According to the French Basketball Federation, he is expected to regroup with his teammates by the end of this week and start regular training. He was earlier sent back to Chicago by the French medical team, which deemed him unfit.
In the past, there have been instances of international teams risking partially injured NBA players and the decision by France to send Joakim Noah back to Chicago for his ankle rehab had received great appreciation by the league and the players themselves.
After spending a few weeks in Los Angeles, with Chicago Bulls’ physiotherapist and French teams’ osteopath, Noah has made smooth recovery. Both doctors are said to be satisfied with Noah’s progress and the treatment seems to have
produced a positive outcome.
The French Federation has now left the matter in the hands of the Chicago Bulls physiotherapist, who is expected to give the official thumbs up for Noah’s return.
"After seeing the conclusions from the two specialists, the (Bulls) franchise doctor should give his accord for Joakim Noah to return to the France team, without having to go to Chicago," the French federation stated on its website
on Monday.
Commenting on Noah’s current situation, the French team director Patrick Beesley expressed signs of confidence regarding Noah’s return.
"There's been good progress, and Joakim seems to have recovered well from the little problem he had," said Patrick. "I am optimistic that he will be in Pau by the end of the week."
Noah, who twisted his ankle while playing for the Chicago Bulls in March, was already suffering from a thumb injury as well. However, that did not affect his performances as he averaged around 11.7 points per game and 10.4 rebounds
per game in the 48 games he played for the Bulls. In doing so, he helped the Bulls achieve an NBA best record of 62 wins in the regular season.
However, he failed against the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the Eastern Conference finals and his slump was one of the main reasons, Chicago failed to move past the mighty Miami Heat.
With the European Championship right around the corner, the French team is undergoing training in Pau this week. They are scheduled to go head to head with their European counterparts Latvia, on August 31.
For the while, France in scheduled to participate in friendly match with Spain on Monday.
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