What Will Come of Joakim Noah?
The four-year, $72 million man was benched and the New York Knicks flourished thanks to that action.
What will happen to Joakim Noah if Hornacek continues to roll with the smaller, more realistic lineup?
Rewind the clock one year. Noah turned “unhappy” when Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg benched him in favor of rolling with a quicker starting lineup.
Via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times:
A source said on Tuesday morning that Noah remains unhappy with his current standing in the organization, and “still hasn’t moved past losing his starting job’’ late in training camp. The source went onto say that Noah “hasn’t been a distraction by any means, but isn’t the biggest [coach Fred] Hoiberg fan these days.’’
It’s extremely unlikely that Noah would create issues in New York, especially if winning comes. But the fact that he does, indeed, have a history of unhappiness after a benching, must be firmly planted in the back of all minds.
Noah can be a valuable, energetic force off the bench for the Knicks. It makes perfect sense on many levels.
