Chicago Bulls duo Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah will reportedly have their respective minutes limits lifted in the playoffs as both near a full recovery from injury.
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Rose recently returned from knee surgery and has featured in the last two games for the Bulls in a back-to-back against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.
While the point guard was held to just 20 minutes of action on each occasion, he continues to improve his conditioning and find his rhythm with game time ahead of the playoffs and that will be a major boost for coach Tom Thibodeau.
Meanwhile, Noah has also been on a restriction this season and has been limited to 32 minutes per game after undergoing knee surgery of his own last summer and suffering from issues through the campaign with soreness.
However, the Bulls center appears to be moving back to the level of performances he produced last season and has been itching to feature more for the team, particularly in fourth quarters of games.
It is reported that both men will get their wish in the playoffs, as their restrictions will be lifted and they will be available for as long as Thibodeau feels necessary in games.
“Not only can Rose play in fourth quarters, he also will play more than 20 minutes, likely as early as Saturday. And that 32-minute limit Joakim Noah has been on all season? That will be lifted for the postseason,” KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported.
The limit has caused issues within the organisation as Thibodeau has run out of minutes for Noah previously which has forced him to sit late in fourth quarters in close games.
Naturally, that has led to frustration for both men as the front office have insisted that they will continue with the plan until the playoffs start on Saturday.
Nevertheless, it will matter little if the star pair get the all-clear to play as much as they are physically capable of, and the Bulls will be hoping that they can lead them to a deep playoff run.
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