Joakim Noah indicates he’s probably signing with the Knicks (photo)
By John Buhler
Joakim Noah is going to play for the New York Knicks in the 2016-17 NBA season and he is proudly wearing a Knicks hat over his iconic hair on his Instagram.
Former Chicago Bulls defensive stalwart center Joakim Noah made it abundantly clear that he was not going to re-sign with Chicago in 2016 NBA free agency. Though he did deal with injuries in 2015-16, Noah didn’t like that new Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg had him coming off the bench at some points last winter.
Noah is reportedly going to sign a four-year deal with the New York Knicks in free agency worth around $70 million to start at the five for what might be a very interesting Knicks team in 2016-17 with Derrick Rose at point guard, Carmelo Anthony at small forward, and Kristaps Porzingis at power forward.
Noah took to his Instagram account on Friday afternoon and is seen proudly displaying a hat of his new favorite team in the Knicks. All signs point to Noah and Knicks team president Phil Jackson reaching an agreement before the July 7th moratorium.
By signing with the Knicks, Noah will have likely a better shot at not only making the Eastern Conference Playoffs in 2017, but to possibly advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, maybe even 2017 Eastern Conference Finals if both Rose and Noah look rejuvenated playing in Madison Square Garden for the Knicks.
Where it stands now, New York should have a playoff team at the very least with those four in their starting five. Jackson will have to add some key pieces to add depth to a weak bench to make it all possible.
It sounds a bit absurd given how the Knicks have historically conducted themselves in NBA free agency, but they are doing everything in their power to remain relevant this offseason. Probably a boom-or-bust team, but hey, at least New York is now interesting.
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