Whether or not Joakim Noah will stay with the Chicago Bulls is up for debate.
Noah, who has spent his entire nine-year career in Chicago since being drafted by the franchise with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, is rumored to be leaving the Bulls.
The 31-year-old will be a free agent this summer, and with the salary cap increasing to $92 million, many teams will be able to afford the services of the veteran center. One of those teams that are interested in Noah are none other than the New York Knicks:
LRT: If Noah's leaving Bulls, expect Knicks to make a strong pitch. Phil Jackson and Noah have a rapport. And Noah has NY roots.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) May 25, 2016
While the Knicks would have the cap space to sign Noah, the question is, should they even have interest?
Michael Pina of Fox Sports posted an article on why New York shouldn't even be interested in signing the two-time All-Star. Some of the reasons listed are Noah's declining production and the fact that the Knicks are already loaded in depth along the front court.
Here is an excerpt of Pina's reasoning for why the Knicks shouldn't bother with the nine-year veteran:
“The Knicks held opponents to 55.3 percent shooting within five feet of the rim during the regular season, which led the league. They're all set in the front court. Instead, they need a point guard, outside shooting and athletic, adaptable wings who'll let them to go small with Carmelo Anthony at the four and Porzingis at the five.
Noah is coming off the most dispiriting season of his career, but combine the rising salary cap with a weak free agent pool and it's easy to imagine a scenario where he commands surreal money. New York can always offer a one-year deal for an extremely high amount, but it'd eat up space it should really allocate toward those aforementioned roles.”
Furthermore, Noah might not even fit in new coach Jeff Hornacek's offensive system. Rather than utilizing the triangle offense, Hornacek will likely implement a fast-paced style that is heavily reliant on the three-point shot.
While Knicks president Phil Jackson may have a good relationship with Noah, it doesn't mean that it's a good fit for his team.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/noahs-agent-denies-that-joakim-wants-to-leave-chicago/”]NEXT: Noah's agent denies that Joakim wants to leave Chicago[/button]
Follow Us
Subscribe