Imrem: Chicago Bulls' Noah a two-way credit to his sport

One of the most endearing attributes an athlete can have is a conscience.

Joakim Noah's is one of the most impressive in the history of Chicago sports.

How else can you explain his legacy here?

It's so disappointing that the last vision of Noah in a Chicago Bulls uniform might be of him running off the court in pain from a separated shoulder that will require surgery.

This might have been Noah's final season with the Bulls anyway. He will be a free agent this summer, and the expectation is that he won't be asked back.

Before Noah's second shoulder separation in a month, one national NBA expert predicted on the radio last week that he would receive a contract worth $17 million to $20 million annually on the open market.

That seems high, but hopefully Noah will get all the money in the world because, first, he'll play hard enough to earn it and, second, he'll likely do as much in the community as on the court.

A team doesn't have to worry about whether Joakim Noah will provide them with every ounce of blood, sweat and passion he has.

After a brief period of adjustment to what it takes to be a professional, Noah gave the Bulls everything he had during every game he played.

It hasn't been pretty. Noah never looks like a great player and technically he isn't. He has one of the NBA's most awkward jump shots and overall is challenged to score.

But Noah will rebound the heck out of the ball. He'll guard well enough to have won a Defensive Player of the Year award. He'll facilitate on offense. He'll pester the bejabbers out of the opposition. He'll be his team's heart and soul.

Noah can't do those things as well as in his prime, but if he gets away, the Bulls will have to prove that they are a better team without his contributions.

Still, none of that is what made Noah a civic treasure since the Bulls drafted him ninth overall in 2007.

Joakim Noah is valuable as much for his conscience outside the arena as in it.

Noah could have been named Chicago athlete of the year each of the past few years for his efforts in the community.

Too many athletes take the money and run away from social responsibility; Noah took the money and ran right into Chicago's troubled inner city.

It's easy for all of us, athletes and us alike, to go about our lives and ignore that people are routinely gunned down on the streets of the city.

Noah threw himself into youth anti-violence initiatives like he was diving into the third row after a loose ball.

Combine Noah's earnest efforts on the basketball court with his conscience off it and you have an athlete who is a two-way credit to his sport.

Unfortunately, not everyone has noticed because public service isn't publicized as much as public menace is.

Whenever Noah's career ends, it should be in fairy-tale fashion with the only NBA team he has played for to this point.

Maybe it'll still work out that way, but probably not.

You see, fairy tales are as rare as Joakim Noah's conscience is.

mimrem@dailyherald.com