Written by Dave Pustilnik
| 11 March 2010
Broussard and Bucher of espn.com argue which injury has been more impactful on their respective teams...Joakim Noah or Kenyon Martin. Look at the downfall of the Bulls since Noah went down...obviously it's Joakim Noah. I don't think any argument can be made for Kenyon Martin, especially when Nene is still going strong in their frontcourt. The Bulls, on the other hand...have Chris Richard. Are you kidding me Broussard? Here's an excerpt.
"QUESTION: Which injured player is most integral to his team's success?
RIC BUCHER: A lot of playoff runs have been impacted by injury to a significant player, but I'm going with the Bulls' Joakim Noah as the most damaging one. Chicago simply doesn't have enough talent, especially on the front line, to compensate for his absence. The Bulls will still snare a postseason berth, but they have no chance of scaring anyone without that bowtie-wearing Frenchman.
CHRIS BROUSSARD: I like Noah a lot, so I'm in no way trying to belittle his loss. But Denver's loss of Kenyon Martin is far more impactful -- it has championship implications. With a K-Mart who's fully healthy and not rusty, the Nuggets are legit contenders. Without him at the top of his game, they could lose home-court advantage in the first round and struggle to get to the Western Conference finals. Noah's injury has limited impact because with or without him, the Bulls would definitely lose to Cleveland, Orlando or Atlanta in the first round. Boston would probably beat them as well, whether Noah is there or not."
They go on for a while...and it's worth a read, so if you're an ESPN Insider member, check it out here. Based on how far the Bulls have fallen, and how not so far the Nuggets have fallen, I think it's pretty clear. And no Chris, Hakim Warrick and Brad Miller cannot combine to fill the shoes of Joakim Noah. Clearly, this guy hasn't really watched Joakim Noah play this season...go back and watch the game tape, Chris.
