Noah's new five-year deal a long time in the making

Joakim Noah's life was interesting before he got to the Bulls, but the past three years have been a truly amazing journey.

Drafted with the No. 9 pick in 2007, Noah couldn't believe his luck when he arrived in Chicago, joining a playoff-caliber team with a veteran mentor in Ben Wallace.

A few months later, Noah seemed as low as can be. The team was losing, he wasn't playing well, then he was suspended by a vote of his own teammates after a verbal altercation with assistant coach Ron Adams. A few days later he argued with Wallace in the locker room after a rough loss in Orlando.

All of those events seemed a distant memory on Monday when a smiling Noah spoke to reporters at the Berto Center after signing a contract extension worth an estimated $60 million over five years.

"I'm very happy that I'm going to be able to be here for a while," Noah said. "I feel like the Bulls definitely did me right. I understand with a lot of money comes a lot of responsibility. I'm excited for the challenge."

The answer to how Noah turned things around after a rough rookie season is not complicated. He just worked hard and kept getting better, to the point where he averaged 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds in his third season.

That sounds like a simple plan, but there is a long list of Bulls players, starting in 1999, who failed to accomplish what Noah did.

So far this summer, only one other player from the class of 2007 has signed a contract extension (Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant). With a new round of labor negotiations and a possible lockout coming next summer, some NBA teams might choose to wait to see what happens before committing to long-term deals.

It's possible Noah took less money than he could have gotten if he waited to become a free agent. Then again, who knows what the next bargaining agreement will bring?

"It's always very weird when negotiations are going on," Noah said. "When people put numbers like that in front of you, it's very hard to say no. You have to keep things in perspective a little bit. Some people are telling me like, 'No, don't take it.' But at the end of the day I think I made the right decision.

"I'm really happy with the deal and I really wanted to get it out of the way and focus on the season. People always tell you, 'Don't worry about it,' but as you can imagine it's easier said than done."

Noah has truly been blessed. He spent his early years in France, the son of French tennis star Yannick Noah and Swedish sculptor Cecilia Rodhe. After moving to New York as a teenager to focus on basketball, Joakim became an unexpected star at Florida while winning two NCAA championships.

He can be brash at times, like when he insulted the city of Cleveland during the playoffs, but he has impressed everyone associated with the Bulls with his character and work ethic.

"All summer he was in every day, working out twice a day," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "September pre-practice he was here leading and doing all the things you want a leader to do. I think it's important for your best players to help drive the team. I think we have that on this team."

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