In Joakim Noah's final season with the Chicago Bulls, he only averaged 4.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists as the team's sixth man. While his productivity was declining, the New York Knicks still signed him to a four-year, $72 million deal last summer.
During Noah's first season in his hometown, he underwent a left knee arthroscopy and was suspended 20 games without pay for violating the league's anti-drug policy. Since the disastrous 2016-17 NBA season, the former Defensive Player of the Year spoke for the first time on Truth Barrel podcast as transcribed by Marc Berman of New York Post:
In his first comments since the season ended, Noah also admitted he “lost my confidence’’ and “wasn’t moving right.” He said his drug suspension “hurt a lot of people,’’ and he has “to live with it the rest of my career.’’
Former President Phil Jackson signed Noah to the long-term deal and the 32-year-old believes he let him down:
“It’s tough, man, because I got a lot of love and respect for Phil,’’ Noah said. “He gave me an opportunity to play back home. Somebody I read all his books as a kid. I was just a big fan and still am. I have a lot of respect for him. It didn’t work out. That sucks. It’s something I have to live with. He believed in me, and I kind of let him down. That’s frustrating. He got a lot of blame that it was his fault. But we didn’t lose all those games because of Phil Jackson.’’
For Noah, there is uncertainty regarding his role heading into the new season. While he is the highest-paid center on the team, Kristaps Porzingis, Willy
Hernangomez, and Kyle O'Quinn are all capable of playing the position for head coach Jeff Hornacek.
As for the Knicks, they have a new front office in place but will need to decide on Carmelo Anthony's future in New York. With a no-trade clause, the 10-time All-Star has reportedly been eyeing the Houston Rockets in hopes of joining Chris Paul and James Harden.
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