By KC Johnson (Chicago Tribune)Never mind that Carlos Boozer paused before an interview to marvel at Joakim Noah dribbling and taking left-handed hook shots — even though Noah has been doing so for weeks.
Noah's progression, which included having the pin from his right thumb removed Tuesday, has the Bulls obviously excited.
"He's in good spirits, working out," coach Tom Thibodeau said of Noah. "He's on schedule, maybe a little bit ahead of schedule. Now he has to strengthen the hand."
Noah had surgery Dec. 16, at which point the Bulls estimated he would miss eight to 12 weeks. This Thursday marks six weeks since surgery.
"The next step will be getting him on the court to do non-contact stuff," Thibodeau said. "He's probably a week or two away from that. Once he can get through the non-contact part of practice, then the next step will be contact in practice. When he gets through that, then he plays. He's still two steps away."
Thibodeau said Noah "most likely" would accompany the team on its five-game trip that starts Feb. 2 against the Clippers.
Follow Club Bulls on Twitter
