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Report: T-Wolves not interested in Noah despite 'Timberbulls' moniker

Dennis Wierzbicki / USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves are not interested in pursuing center Joakim Noah should he part ways with the New York Knicks, according to the New York Times' Marc Stein.

Minnesota has been dubbed the "Timberbulls" with head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau adding four key players from his time as bench boss of the Chicago Bulls over the past two years - Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, and Luol Deng. Passing on Noah would eliminate the possibility of throwing out an all ex-Bulls lineup next season.

The Bulls reached the playoffs in each of Thibodeau's five seasons in the Windy City, including an Eastern Conference finals appearance in 2011. The hard-nosed coach parted ways with the franchise in 2015 and has since struggled to replicate his prior successes in Minneapolis.

Noah was a two-time All-Star and 2014 Defensive Player of the Year under Thibodeau but has struggled with injuries and proven unable to regain his past form. In his two seasons with the Knicks, he's appeared in just 53 games, averaging 4.6 points despite signing a lofty four-year, $72-million deal in 2016.

The Knicks reportedly plan to waive Noah and use the stretch provision on the remaining $37.8 million of his contract before the start of training camp.

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