Joakim Noah's time with the New York Knicks organization has not been what former team president Phil Jackson envisioned when the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year signed with his hometown team. In fact, it has been the complete opposite. Noah has faced injuries, a reduced role, a 20-game suspension for using banned substances, and now faces issues with head coach Jeff Hornacek.
According to Yahoo! Sports' Shams Charania, Noah was sent home last week after a ‘heated verbal exchange' with Hornacek during a team practice. The Knicks were in the middle of a long road trip and that was probably the last thing they needed after a loss to the Golden State Warriors. Charania reports:
“Noah and Hornacek had a fiery exchange at practice the day after the 6-foot-11 center played only five minutes in the Knicks’ road loss to Golden State last Tuesday. It stopped short of turning physical, league sources said, but the organization and Noah agreed for him to leave the team as the Knicks finished the two games remaining on their seven-game road trip.”
There is still no word on whether Noah will ever play another game in a Knicks uniform after the team returns to the Big Apple.
New York is now actively pursuing deals to find Noah a new home. The 11-year veteran firmly believes he still is a solid rotation piece on the right team given the opportunity, despite all his injuries and issues in the past. He still has three years and $56 million left on his contract, so finding a team willing to absorb it should be a hard task.
Apparently, the last thing the Knicks want is buying out Noah's contract, as that would use a lot of their cap space for coming seasons.
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