Subscribe
Follow Us
One of the more interesting comments to come out of David Fizdale's opening press conference as the New York Knicks' coach was that about center Joakim Noah.
David Fizdale says Joakim Noah reached out to him after he was hired. He intimates that he's open to the possibility of Noah returning. Scott Perry reiterates that all options are on the table w/Noah, who has been away from NYK since February after an argument w/Jeff Hornacek
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 8, 2018
According to Ian Begley of ESPN, Fizdale and Noah have talked since the former Miami Heat assistant was hired as a coach, and he is open to Noah returning to the team.
General manager Scott Perry says all options are still on the table for Noah, which means a buyout could still happen at some point, but the fact that Noah is even open to a return is a positive sign in repairing that relationship.
Noah has been away from the team since January after he and former coach Jeff Hornacek got into a heated argument. There were talks about a buyout but with almost $40 million left on the contract Noah wasn't willing to give up much of his salary.
The Knicks weren't willing to pay him a full buyout to get him off the roster so he just stayed away from the team the last few months of the season.
Right after the season was over Perry had the same thoughts about Noah as now, even without knowing who the next coach was going to be.
“A mutual decision was made, by both us and Joakim, to be away for the rest of the season but as we move forward through the summer, there’s a number of options in terms of dealing with Joakim,” Perry said via The New York Post. “We won’t take any of those options off the table.”
It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the season gets closer, but for now it seems there is a chance at least that Noah could be on the opening day roster next year.
