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Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each player on the Bulls roster and see where they fit in for the future.

Joakim Noah

Position: Center | Age: 27 | 2011-12 salary: $10 million

Season recap: Noah's season was full of ups and downs. At the beginning of the year, he struggled to find his form playing alongside Carlos Boozer and admitted that the pressure of playing under his new $60 million contract was getting to him at times. He looked frustrated on the floor and seemed hesitant to knock down his "tornado" jump shot after dealing with injuries throughout last season. By February, Noah looked more comfortable on the floor and much more confident finding his own offense. He really hit his groove in the last two weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs before going down because of badly sprained ankle in Game 3 of the 76ers series. The good news for Noah and the Bulls was that after missing a combined 62 games over the past two seasons, he missed just two regular season games this year.

Season highlight: Noah's best all-around game came Feb. 22 against the Milwaukee Bucks when he had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. His play in the postseason was inspired, and he gave the Bulls everything he had, averaging almost 14 points and 10 rebounds a game before his ankle injury.

Season lowlight: Noah's struggles in the early part of the season were jarring, especially given how well he had played at the beginning of last season. But his lowlight came during Game 3 of their first-round series against the 76ers. Late in the third quarter, Noah raced down the floor on a fast break and ended up rolling his left foot on Sixers guard Andre Iguodala's foot. Noah returned to the game, but the image of him limping up and down the floor before being taken out is something that will stick with Bulls fans all summer. He didn’t see the floor again despite trying to warm up and play before Game 6.

Notes: Tom Thibodeau noted something during the season that any Bulls fan has known for years: The Bulls' players take plenty of cues from Noah. When he plays with energy, the rest of the team usually does as well. When he doesn't, his teammates look flat, especially early in games. "He's got to be ready from the start," Thibodeau said after an April 8 loss to the New York Knicks. "He's got to bring energy. When you're an energy player, you've got to bring it every game. He's shown that when he plays with great energy he's terrific and when he's playing with great energy, we're playing with great energy. But it wasn't only him, it was our entire team."

Quotable: "I think the unfortunate part of this year is that we don't know … we didn't measure up against the teams that we wanted to measure up against. But I think that, I personally believe that this group could compete against anybody. We had tough breaks throughout the year and that's unfortunate but it's also part of the game. You learn from being injured, you learn from the hard times that will make the good times even better." -- Noah, last Friday after his exit interview with Bulls' executives.

What's next?: Noah is going to play for Team France in the Olympics this summer and will be headed over to Europe soon to begin training. It's an experience he has been looking forward to for years, but he understands he has to do his best to stay healthy. He made note of his continued ankle problems after his exit interview last week. "I've got to strengthen my ankles," he said. "Too many ankle injuries throughout the years. I've got to strengthen up my ankles." Noah will continue to work out with his trainer Alex Perris throughout the summer and understands he will have to take on an even bigger role on both ends of the court with Derrick Rose and possibly Luol Deng out at the beginning of next season.

FINAL GRADES -- Regular season: B- | Postseason: A

Dealing with the frustration of a first-round exit and the helplessness of being sidelined by injury again, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah enters the offseason hoping for brighter days with Team France in the Olympics.

"I'm gunning for it," Noah said recently. "I'm hoping that I'll be healthy and be able to play."

Noah sprained his left ankle in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quartefinals against the Philadelphia 76ers and missed the final two games as the Bulls became the fifth No. 1 seed to be knocked out by an eighth seed.

Noah missed 34 games last season, largely due to a torn ligament in his hand. He also sprained an ankle and missed three games in April, 2011. The ankle had to be re-examined by doctors before he was cleared to play for France last summer.

"I've got to strengthen my ankles," he said. "Too many ankle injuries throughout the years. I've got to strengthen up my ankles.

"I'm just frustrated because I really feel like I really worked hard on trying to keep my body right. I feel like the ankle injury was unfortunate. I think just going full speed onto somebody's ankle and landing on somebody's foot, that could have happened to anybody. It's frustrating, but nobody died. You learn from it and move on."

With Derrick Rose out with a torn ACL, the Bulls' frustration was based in the fact they weren't able to see what they could do with a healthy roster.

"I think it's just important for everybody to regroup mentally and to make another run at it," Noah said. "Because you know what, Derrick is going to come back, and it's adversity but it's just another challenge for us like (coach Tom Thibodeau) always says. We are very privileged people, doing what we love to do. Let's just go out there this summer and come back hungrier than ever and make a run.

"I think the unfortunate part of this year is that we don't know, we didn't measure up against the teams that we wanted to measure up against. But I think that, I personally believe that this group could compete against anybody. We had tough breaks throughout the year and that's unfortunate but it's also part of the game. You learn from being injured, you learn from the hard times that will make the good times even better."

For once I just wanted him to speak the truth. Speak to what was really going on in his mind, speak to how he was really feeling in that moment. But to ask Tom Thibodeau -- or any coach not named Rex Ryan -- to do that, especially after having their season end would be like asking someone to make a hybrid car look like something you'd want to drive or be seen in.

Thibs, being the class act that he's always been, after the Bulls loss to the Sixers said all of the right things. PC to a fault. What I wanted him to say and what I wished he'd have said? Totally different than what came out of his mouth.

My wish is that he'd have said this:

"First off, we should be playing a Game 7. It's just that simple. You all know it, you all saw it. There's no way in hell I should be sitting up here talking to you about the end of our season tonight, we should be talking about what my game plan is for Saturday. Instead, here we are.

"Bottom-line, Philadelphia should have never gotten the ball back after Omer (Asik) missed those free throws. That foul was either an intentional or a flagrant. The guy wrapped both of his arms around Omer's neck. In every other NBA game, that's a call the ref has no choice but to make. It's in the rule book. It's an automatic call. Two free throws and possession. Game over. You all saw it! Anyway ... I'm not going to say anything further about it because I don't feel like getting fined, and I don't want to get a phone call from Stern's office telling me I'm right, but I should not have said anything about it. This is the NBA, I've been around this League long enough to know that I shouldn't expect anything different.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The skies were blue, sun shining, temperature perfect and the day miserable in Chicago, Friday. At least for Chicago Bulls fans who, though not exactly optimistic about the team's playoff chances after Derrick Rose tore his ACL two weeks ago, were left with an aching void after the Bulls were eliminated in the first round by eighth-seed Philadelphia.

The only thing left now, other than the typically frustrating rhythms of Cubs and Sox baseball and football in shorts, is to dwell on the what if's and what-will-be's.

Here are 10 burning Bulls thoughts sure to bug us all summer:

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PHILADELPHIA -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, who had sat out the past two games with a sprained ankle, was available to play against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 on Thursday night of their Eastern Conference first-round series but never entered the game.

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PHILADELPHIA -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, who has sat out the past two games with a sprained ankle, will be a game-time decision, and forward Taj Gibson says he will play against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 on Thursday night.

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It wasn’t pretty, but the Bulls managed to extend their series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a victory on Tuesday. But there are still two wins to be had if the Bulls want to become the ninth team in history to win a series after trailing 3-1.

Will the Bulls make it all the way back and move into the second round? Our 3-on-3 panel debates that and more.

Fact or Fiction: The Bulls will win their series against the 76ers.

Jon Greenberg: Fact. Twenty-four hours ago, I would have disagreed, but like Neo in “The Matrix,” I can see clearly now. The Bulls didn’t really play three bad games, more like four bad quarters. And like Tom Thibodeau said, Tuesday’s ugly win shows Chicago still has more than enough to win with, defensively at least. On this point, I don’t get why Thibodeau went away from Ronnie Brewer in Game 3. Brewer’s length on the perimeter is vital in defending the Sixers’ guards and small forwards, and you saw the result of him getting nearly 30 minutes Tuesday. Brewer played all but 17 seconds in the second quarter, during which Philadelphia scored 10 points on 4-for-23 shooting.

Nick Friedell: Fiction. For as much momentum as the Bulls got in Game 5, it's hard to believe they'll be able to go into a hostile environment and hold Philly to 32 percent shooting again. It's also going to be tough for the Bulls to generate enough offense to topple a Sixers team that knows they must close out the series in Philadelphia. The Bulls players haven't given up all hope, but the absence of Rose down the stretch will prove to be too much.

Scoop Jackson: Fact. The fact that the Bulls finally seemed to overcome the losses of Rose and Noah is big. Now they are back to being themselves, which might not be a good thing for the Sixers. The Bulls knowthey can beat the Sixers and know that they are the better team, but taking two unexpected back-to-back losses of two of the three best/most important players on the team takes time to recover from. The emotional and mental toll alone will cost the greatest of teams at least two games in seven-game series. Now it seems that the Bulls, with the Game 5 win, have not just their legs and their confidence back, but they have their minds back.

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Fact or Fiction: All of the pressure is now on the 76ers.

Jon Greenberg: Fiction. The Bulls aren’t exactly an upstart team happy to stretch a series to six games. Yes, they’ve been to the abyss and back, but if the Sixers go on a second-half run Thursday, the familiar doubts will creep back in the Bulls’ heads. This is a proud team, and while they love and respect Derrick Rose (not to mention Joakim Noah, who could try to play Thursday on a bum ankle), these guys want to prove they’re not just a supporting cast. Losing a first-round series to a flawed team like Philadelphia would sting, and now that it’s a series again, Chicago’s players have to feel some pressure to take it back to the United Center for a Game 7.

Nick Friedell: Fact. As Kyle Korver said after Game 5, the Sixers were able to play free and easy because they knew they had plenty of chances to close the series out. Now this young team has a chance to close it out on their home floor. The Bulls have already been left for dead by most pundits so they won't be feeling much pressure at all. The Sixers must show they have matured to the point they can end a series when all the chips are down.

Scoop Jackson: Fact. The one thing an eighth-seed can least afford to do is let a one-seed get a win when they have them on the ropes. The Sixers had the Bulls like Canelo had Sugar Shane last Saturday. But now that Thibs has T.D. Jake’d the Bulls back to life the tables have turned. Now the narrative of the series (at least Game 6) is about the Sixers not losing instead of the pressure of the Bulls winning. But let’s be honest, to say all of the pressure is on the Sixers would be misleading and a little bit of a lie. The Bulls, even with injuries to Rose, Noah and now Taj Gibson combined with C.J. Watson not seeming comfortable running the team, still have pressure on them to win at least one more game. Yes, they will forever be allowed the excuse of injures if they do lose this series, but if they don’t push this series to Game 7, the excuse lose credibility.

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Fact or Fiction: Doug Collins has been playing mind games with the Bulls this series.

Jon Greenberg: Fiction. Collins’ weird announcement of Bulls’ Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson’s heart condition was classic Collins -- too much emotion. Collins has long been known as the basketball version of Dick Vermeil. Michael Jordan supposedly once told complaining All-Star teams that at least their coach doesn’t cry in front of them. Collins has a lifelong bond with the Bulls, and while I’m sure he’d love nothing more than to beat them -- that is the point, after all -- I don’t believe he’s psyching them out with any clever machinations. Unless, of course, he hypnotized Thibodeau into playing Rose late in Game 1, or he telekinetically ripped asunder Rose’s ACL. Then, yes, he’s definitely Dark Phoenix.

Nick Friedell: Fact. The lineup switch to put Evan Turner in as a starter has paid dividends for the veteran coach. He has been able to shuffle around his lineup and really take advantage of Rose's absence. The fact that Collins made the public aware of Paxson's heart issue may have seemed like a nice gesture to most, but there were some within the Bulls' organization who were upset that Collins decided to disclose that publicly. Either way, Collins has pulled the right strings throughout the series and now has a chance to get his eighth-seeded team into the second round.

Scoop Jackson: Fiction: I heard this as a point of conversation on sports talk radio and thought it was the most asinine thing I’d damn-near ever heard. And reading it and having to respond to it now, I feel the same way. Look, I know Doug Collins and most of the people in this business in this city who have been doing this for a significant amount of time know him too. They know that’s not even close to the type of coach or person he is. Anyone who believes that about Collins should be ashamed of thinking that he would use his compassion and empathy for the Bulls’ unfortunate series of events -- specifically his personal feelings of sadness watching Rose go down in front of his team’s bench and wanting to go out there to help him -- as a way to motivate his team or use it as a psychological ploy against the Bulls. All coaches in professional sports play mind games. They have to, it’s part of the path to greatness. But to put out there that Collins is using this time and opposing players’ pain to gain an advantage is kinda pathetic.

Jon Greenberg is a columnist for ESPNChicago.com, Nick Friedell covers the Bulls for ESPNChicago.com and Scoop Jackson is a columnist for ESPN.com.

CHICAGO -- With the Chicago Bulls on the brink of a season-ending collapse, Luol Deng stepped up and showed he has more than enough ligaments to shoot with.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Tom Thibodeau Coaching Robot’s mantra, “We’ve got more than enough to win with,” you probably didn’t laugh at that joke. If you’re sick of hearing Thibodeau say those words after the soul-crushing loss of Derrick Rose and a mind-numbing three-game losing streak, you probably winced at it.

But ThibsBot doesn't lie. Or if he does, he believes it. The losing streak is over and despite another late Ankle Moment, the half-dead Bulls are still alive in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers after a non-artful 77-69 win at the United Center on Tuesday night.

Just when everyone had finished their obituaries.

Deng, hampered for more than half of the season with a torn ligament in his left hand, has battled through pain to try and erase any lingering, if not misguided, notion that he’s a soft player. But it wasn't just about Deng's reputation. He wanted to play, rather than get surgery, because Deng knew this was going to be a special season. And it almost was. Now the O'Brien Trophy is out of reach, but the Bulls want to keep playing out of stubborn pride. Forget the beach, give them Philly and then Boston or Atlanta.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah shot free throws without a brace on his sprained left ankle at shootaround and is a game-time decision for Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is "most likely out" of Game 5 on Tuesday night because of a sprained left ankle, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.

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PHILADELPHIA -- After a season full of fighting through every obstacle in their path, a cold, hard truth hit Tom Thibodeau and his team square in the face Sunday afternoon. They no longer have more than enough to win with.

That's the message that came across loud and clear during the Bulls' 89-82 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. All the bravado and positive energy in the world can't erase the fact that the Bulls don't have enough playmakers on the floor to scratch out a close victory.

Thibodeau wanted his team to believe it could win without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah on the floor, but their absence appears to be too big to overcome.

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PHILADELPHIA -- If the Philadelphia 76ers can manage to win one of the final three games of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Chicago Bulls, they’ll advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

It’s not totally uncharted territory, but it has been fairly rare in recent years.

The underdog eighth-seeded Sixers took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the No. 1-seeded Bulls following an 89-82 victory in Game 4 Sunday afternoon at the sold out Wells Fargo Center.

Philadelphia is well aware that a series victory would come against a depleted Bulls team playing without Derrick Rose (ACL) and Joakim Noah, who missed Game 4 with a sprained left ankle.

For a franchise that hasn’t advanced to the second round since the 2002-03 season, any series win is satisfying.

But there’s still one huge game remaining. They’d surely like to get that elusive win Tuesday night at the United Center.

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Bulls center Joakim Noah will not play in Sunday's Game 4 of Chicago's Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sprained left ankle, according to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.

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PHILADELPHIA -- Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has never wavered in the confidence he's shown towards his team. His coaching mantra is, "We have more than enough to win with."

He said it again on Saturday afternoon just seconds after all but admitting that Joakim Noah wasn't going to play in Game 4. Thibodeau's philosophy is that no matter who steps on the floor, the Bulls can win. It goes beyond talent for the veteran coach. He believes that if he puts his team in the right position and the players follow his direction, they will find their way.

But at some point, no matter how well a team executes an offense or runs plays, talent must win out. Clutch players have to make tough shots in big situations and the Bulls found out the hard way during the fourth quarter in Game 3 that without Derrick Rose, and to a much lesser extent Noah, the Bulls have a team full of guys who are still learning how to come through with the game on the line.

The Bulls shot just 6-for-25 in the final 12 minutes and looked inept at times down the stretch. It wasn't so much that a 14-point lead evaporated, it was how it happened so quickly. The Bulls ran down the floor on certain sets and appeared to have no idea what they wanted to do. Whether it was John Lucas III dribbling around with no particular purpose or Kyle Korver missing the open looks that he did get, the Bulls had no rhythm to their game. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer, two key offensive weapons the Bulls needed to step up in place of Rose, finished the quarter a combined 1-for-7, with Deng's only shot coming in the final seconds.

As Thibodeau watched the tape on Saturday, it's hard to believe he didn't get sick to his stomach.

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PHILADELPHIA -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is 'most likely out' of Sunday's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals after badly spraining his ankle during Game 3 on Friday, according to Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.

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