Boozer Breaks Hand, Noah Breaks Bank

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 4, 2010 5:30PM

We haven't even had a chance to see the Bulls' highest profile free agent signing on the cour, and already the team is having to juggle their line-up because of injury. With opening night just a month away, they''ll be without Carlos Boozer for the next eight weeks.

Boozer broke his right hand at home while enjoying an off day. Said Boozer, explaining the accident to the media on Sunday, "I was in my house and came around the corner, the doorbell was ringing and tripped over a bag. I put my arm down to try to brace myself. I broke my fifth metacarpal, the pinky one." Boozer's hand will require surgery this week and then two months to heal. That puts Boozer's Bulls debut in early December, right after the annual "circus trip" concludes.

Good thing, then, that the Bulls avoided the recent temptation to trade Joakim Noah to Denver as part of a deal for Carmelo Anthony. Has they pulled the trigger, the Bulls could be looking to start the season with a front line of Taj Gibson and Omar Asik. Any rumors of Noah going to the Nuggets were put to rest on Sunday night, when sources reported that the Bulls and their center had agreed to a five-year contract extension, expected to be around $60 million. An official announcement is expected sometime this week.