(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Joakim Noah has left the New York Knicks for “personal reasons” and will miss at least the next two games.

Attention please: Joakim Noah has left the building. New York Knicks center Joakim Noah left the team in Denver on Thursday for what the team is calling “personal reasons,” according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Noah played four and a half minutes of garbage time in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors and was upset about it, declining to comment after the game. He won’t be with the Knicks in Phoenix on Friday when they finish their six-game road trip.

“[It’s] for these two games and we’ll see,’’ Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We’re not going to comment on that stuff. Personal reasons, he won’t be with us for a couple of games. He works hard to keep himself in shape. He’s professional that way. It’s always tough when you want to play.’’

Noah is in the second year of a four-year, $72 million contract he signed in the summer of 2016. The contract is considered to be untradeable. He has played in just seven games this season as he has become the Knicks’ fourth-string center behind Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn, and Willy Hernangomez. He is averaging 1.7 points, two rebounds, and 0.3 blocks this season.

The Knicks have recalled shooting guard Damyean Dotson from the Westchester Knicks of the G-League to replace Noah on the active roster. Dotson being recalled isn’t a surprise since he has impressed Hornacek.

“He’s the type of kid who wants to play,” Hornacek said of Dotson, per Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. “After all this having to go back and forth between inactive, we felt it would be good for him to have a stretch of (G-League) games. He’s done well, enjoyed playing and is happy to come to us.”

Noah has stated publicly that the Knicks were looking to sever ties with him. Noah should cut ties with the Knicks since it’s clear that he doesn’t have a place on the team.

 
I graduated from Marist College with a Bachelors in Sports Communications in 2011. I am a huge sports fan. I also write articles for TheCelebrityCafe.com.