Joakim Noah, humbled by health issues, aiming to help Bulls 'win big'

Joakim Noah entered the 2014-15 season as the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He was an All-Star, teammate Jimmy Butler was showing breakout potential, and superstar Derrick Rose was back. Expectations were high for Noah and the Chicago Bulls.

But Noah was also still adjusting to surgically repaired knees. There was also palpable tension between the team's head coach and management, and while Butler broke out in a major way, Rose struggled to stay on the court and play up to his previous lofty standards.

It would be hard to say the 50-32 Bulls were a disappointment, but they didn't meet the bar they set for themselves with a second-round playoff exit.

Noah, in particular, struggled, having his worst season statistically since 2008-09, often looking like a shell of his former self. He was limited to 67 games due to minor eye, ankle, and knee maladies, and it was clear something was amiss physically, especially on the offensive end, where teams started ignoring him entirely by the playoffs.

"Last year was very humbling," Noah said of the health issues. "I feel hungrier than ever and ready to prove I can help this team win big."

Noah probably doesn't need to prove he can help the team win, but this is a franchise that hasn't made the NBA Finals since the days of Michael Jordan and has made it out of the second round just once since 1998. The Bulls will enter 2015-16 with high expectations again, and what level Noah plays at could go a long way to determining how good they'll be, particularly on the defensive end.

The 30-year-old averaged 7.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks last season, well below his averages over the previous five years (11.5, 10.8, 3.4, and 1.6, respectively).