NBA Notebook: Noah has surgery, out 4-6 months


 

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah had surgery on Tuesday to repair his dislocated left shoulder, the team announced.Coach Fred Hoiberg called the procedure a success. Noah is expected to make a complete recovery in four to six months. The Bulls also announced that forward Mike Dunleavy (back) and guard Kirk Hinrich (left quad contusion) will miss Wednesday night’s game against Golden State. The 30-year-old Noah injured the shoulder during the second quarter of the Bulls’ 83-77 loss to the Dallas Mavericks last Friday night when he became tangled with Dallas’ JaVale McGee under the basket. He had recently returned to the court after missing nine games with an injury to the same shoulder. —Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been cleared for full-contact practice by team orthopedist Dr. Marcus Cook. “MKG” suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Oct. 3, 2015, in a preseason game at Orlando and underwent successful surgery Oct. 6. Kidd-Gilchrist has participated in non-contact practice for the past two weeks. There is no timetable for Kidd-Gilchrist’s return to the active roster. He averaged career bests in points (10.9), rebounds (7.6) and minutes (28.9) in 55 games (52 starts) during the 2014-15 season. His 7.6 rebounds per game ranked first among all small forwards in the NBA. —LeBron James called the 132-98 loss to Golden State a butt kicking. He also urged Cleveland teammates to leave the loss Monday on the court while being aware of how much work remains for the Cavaliers to reach a championship level. The Cavaliers trailed by 30 points in the second quarter and the lead for the Warriors jumped to 43 on a Steph Curry 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. “It’s just not the end of the world,” said James, who posted a career-worst plus-minus of minus-34. “It’s still a basketball game. I don’t take it that far.”