Noah: Big contract hurt my play

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) The Bulls are off to their best start since the Michael Jordan days and sit as the top seed in the East (18-5). For center Joakim Noah, he got off to a slow start and he feels his contract extension is part of the reason. Noah says he thought about the contract and that got in the way. Via Chicago Tribune: “Yeah, no question, I thought about that,” Noah said. “Sometimes you feel like because you’re given so much money you’re expected to do things. That’s not the right mentality to have as a player. “I’ve always been a player who reacts well to criticism and doubters,” Noah said. “I feel my teammates were always behind me. But I knew as well as anyone how poorly I was playing. And not only wasn’t I playing well, but I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I wasn’t playing loose out there. I was playing tight. “In the beginning of the year, I was overthinking a lot. I was going through a lot of things personally....