Noah bone scan no cause for alarm

Joakim Noah went to get a bone scan while the Bulls held a long, but casual, practice at the Berto Center on Thursday.

Maybe it sounds alarming and it might have looked like trouble when Noah returned to the Berto Center wearing a walking boot on his left foot.

But not long after, he was out on the court and spent about a half hour shooting jumpers and working on post moves with player development coach Dave Severns.

Noah’s foot is still hurting and he played just seven minutes in Wednesday’s win over Indiana. But if he received bad news at the doctor, it’s probably safe to say he would not have headed right onto the practice court as soon as he returned. So his status appears to be unchanged and he’ll continue playing low minutes.

In other news, Luol Deng sat out Thursday’s practice with a sore knee, which he injured while scoring 31 points against the Pacers. He passed the time by riding an exercise bike.
There was some slight swelling, but Deng expects to play Friday against Portland.

Overall, it was one of those positive chemistry days at practice. Lots of laughing and joking around. The guards conducted a raucous shooting contest. The management team of Gar Forman and John Paxson were both hanging around the court.

At one point after practice, coach Vinny Del Negro walked toward the court carrying a small birthday cake, then retreated to the locker room. It might have been for Noah, who turned 25 on Thursday.