Last offseason, the New York Knicks signed Joakim Noah to a four-year 72-million-dollar contract, and it turns out after only one season into the signing of Noah, the contract has proven to be a bad signing has added to the Knicks’ reputation as the laughing stock of the NBA.
Noah, a New York native from Hell’s Kitchen was an All-Star and defensive player of the year for the Chicago Bulls, but has been inconsistent in terms of being able to play on the court due to a long injury history before signing. In his nine seasons before signing with the Knicks, Noah only played in over 70 games three times and has missed 15 games or more in seven seasons.
At the age of the 31 in his first season with the Knicks, he had another injury plagued season as he only played 46 games and averaged five points, two assists, and eight rebounds with his season ending due to knee surgery. While rehabbing from the injury, Noah would tear his right rotator cuff, which led to another surgery that will sideline him for about six months. Lastly, towards the end of the regular season, the league announced that Noah would serve a suspension for violating the league’s Anti-Drug Policy. So, when Noah is fully healthy, he will miss 12 more games to serve the suspension.
Now, the Knicks organization and its fan will have a player in Noah for three more years that is an injury prone player, has little offensive skill, past his prime, and will continue to age.