Many would argue that the Bulls playing D. Rose to a pulp was very defensible...

......but can anyone defend what happened to J. Noah?

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If you saw Game 3 Sixers / Bulls and have some common sense, you may have been thinking the following as The Noah Event:unfolded:

1) Ankle joints are strong but this looks like a nasty bend involving a seven-foot tall barreling-train of a man. Remember, FORCE = MASS (times) ACCELERATION (i.e.., F=MA) = Dude isn't playing the rest of this game.

2) AT THE VERY LEAST, this is a lateral ankle ligament sprain and even if there is no sprain the soft-tissue is likely going to be extra-irritated and swollen in a few minutes, regardless! = Dude isn't playing the rest of this game.

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Anyone COMPETENT in sports medicine and ankle joints may have also been thinking:

3) Extremely unnatural-inversion on that foot vs. that ankle. OMG, This could be a WORST CASE SCENARIO* of Talar Dome / Cuboid Fracture plus Lateral Ankle Ligament Tear plus Lateral Ankle Fracture as characterized under the Lauge-Hansen Classification System (e.g., http://orthoanimations.com/ankle/index.html ) = Dude isn't playing the rest of this game.

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"Dude isn't playing the rest of the game" screams loudly in most conceivable scenarios that my poor little brain can think of. Why was Noah out there playing? "Because Noah wanted to play" is an admirable testament to Noah's character but an ultimately unwise decision to leave up to the player. If anyone has a reasonable "excuse" for the Noah Event, please share.

For the moment though, let's ask ourselves what Bulls' fans may be thinking:

1) Is there something wrong with the training crew?

2) Where was the Supreme and Holy Medical Override from the Doc(s)?

3) Is the on-site Medical Staff composed of a basic general practitioner or is there a genuinely-competent** practitioner present at all times?

4) Where's the "Err on the Side of Caution"?

5) WHO THE H CLEARED NOAH TO PLAY?

This ultimately falls on Teeb-Ah-Deux***, of course. It is becoming super-clear that he has a huge blindspot (or an insane denial coefficient) when it comes to the human body vs. wear and tear. Additionally, you do have to protect players from themselves when the time comes.

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EPIC CONCLUSION: At least one head needs to roll inside the Bulls' organization.

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* Based only on the replay, one can easily argue that The Noah Event appeared MRI or CT-worthy @ local hospital. Mere manipulation examinations and / or X-Ray Radiographs may not have been sufficient for a proper diagnosis.

** Genuinely-competent ON-SITE medical staff in the context of basketball morbidities may be described as : 1) An Orthopedist with a good feel for sports medicine in general and 2) a sidekick Podiatrist or Orthopedist with extra-superhuman experience in foot and ankle.

*** Proper French pronounciation of the surname as best as I can write it out. =)