NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers unlikely to land Joakim Noah
Chicago Bulls’ center Joakim Noah has been recruiting New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony to the Bulls.
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Noah, like the Bulls’ front office, believes that putting a scorer like Anthony with Noah, point guard Derrick Rose and one of the NBA’s best defenses, could put them over the top. That may be true, but in order to land Anthony or Minnesota Timberwolves’ power forward Kevin Love, the Bulls may have to sacrifice Noah and reportedly would be willing to do that if the right deal came along. If the Bulls plan on landing both Anthony and Love, there doesn’t look like there is any way they can keep Noah.
The Cleveland Cavaliers would like to make a big splash in the offseason (aside from the number one overall pick) and Noah would certainly qualify. However, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors doesn’t believe the Cavaliers have the assets to get a Noah deal done.
"Just about everyone in the league has interest in Noah, but I don’t think the Cavs have the assets to get it done. The Bulls would want a proven superstar for Noah, and since Kyrie Irving plays the same position as Derrick Rose, that would be a no-go."
Noah had his finest season as pro in the 2013-2014 season. He was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and earned real MVP consideration, finishing fourth behind Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, Miami Heat forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Clippers’ power forward Blake Griffin, in that order. Noah averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 73.7% from the charity stripe.