Joakim Noah's short tenure with the New York Knicks was an utter disaster, and the former Defensive Player of the Year is opening up about why it didn't work out in The Big Apple.
Joakim Noah signed a lucrative four-year, $72 million free agent deal with the Knicks in the summer of 2016 after spending the first nine years of his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. The New York native was eager to turn the organization around, but it looks like Noah was too ambitious for his own good.
Now with the Memphis Grizzlies, Joakim Noah says he was “too lit” to play in New York and that Memphis is the perfect place for him.
Joakim Noah says on @ChrisVernonShow of his time w/ Knicks: "I thought I was ready for New York City but I wasn't. It's something I gotta live with."
"I'm too lit to play in New York City. Memphis is perfect for me… We were lit in Chicago but I was young so you recover faster."— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) December 13, 2018
In 46 games with the Knicks, Joakim Noah averaged just 4.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The two-time All-Star underwent surgery on his shoulder and knee, and was also suspended 20 games for taking a banned substance. It was just a dark time for Noah, who looks much more happier in Memphis.
Noah has played in five games with the Grizzlies and is averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 44.4 percent from the field in roughly 16.0 minutes per game. Noah will never be the player he once was with the Bulls, but it's good to see him back on the court playing the game he loves.
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