Bulls want to honor retiring Joakim Noah, but it’s a waiting game

Joakim Noah will have his day.

But when that day will come for the former Bulls standout is tough for the organization to predict.

There were numerous reports of Noah’s pending retirement months ago, but the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year made it official Monday, ending a 13-year career that made him a fan favorite in Chicago after the Bulls drafted him No. 9 overall in 2007.

He wants to retire as a Bull, so that means he likely will sign a one-day contract this summer so that his wish is granted. The team wants to recognize his career, but that’s also on hold because the Bulls want it done the right way — in front of fans.

The coronavirus makes that impossible anytime soon, so the Bulls praised Noah on Monday but put everything else on hold.

“Still don’t have it, but he’s been unbelievable for this organization,’’ executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said. “Still don’t have that date.’’

Noah played for three organizations after he left the Bulls in 2016, signing with his hometown Knicks, then playing for the Grizzlies and Clippers.

He was an All-Star twice, made All-NBA first team in 2014 and was a two-time All-Defensive first-teamer. Noah also won back-to-back NCAA championships for Bulls coach Billy Donovan at Florida.

There’s not a single thing that Noah accomplished in the NBA that surprised Donovan.

“I actually was very surprised that he fell to where he did [in the draft],’’ Donovan said. “He would’ve been probably a higher pick his sophomore year. I always said this, if you put four guys in the lane and threw the ball up against the backboard, and it was one-on-four, Joakim’s coming down with the rebound. I say the same thing about Al Horford. Those two guys are two of the most incredible competitors I’ve ever been around, and it’s a big part of why we were a part of two national championships.

“You can talk about he’s not a great jump [shooter], but you’re not going to get a harder-playing, more competitive, better teammate and more of a sacrifice guy than he is. He lays it on the line for his teammates every night.

“What those guys did at Florida, think about this, in elimination games in their college career, I think they’re 16-0.

‘‘They never lost an elimination game, so there’s something about those guys. Those guys have it. Joakim’s a guy that has it. I don’t know how to describe it all, but he’s an unbelievable winner.’’

Crossed over

Meeting with the media for the first time since the regular season tipped off, Karnisovas had nothing but great things to say about the play of guard Zach LaVine.

But when asked if the organization had plans to lock him in with a long-term deal and make him a cornerstone moving forward, he did his best bob-and-weave.

“He’s deserving right now of his accolades and made an All-Star Game, and we are really proud of him,’’ Karnisovas said. “We’re constantly in games because of his play, so he’s been establishing himself as a leader of this team, and we’ve improved dramatically because he is impacting winning. So that’s why besides his numbers of 29 [points per game], five [rebounds] and five [assists], which are amazing, he’s also impacting winning. So that’s why this team is fighting for a playoff spot.’’