The New York Knicks announced on Friday that Joakim Noah will be away from the team indefinitely, and at this point it would not be a surprise if it remained that way for the rest of the season.
Noah has not been with the Knicks since he had a dispute with head coach Jeff Hornacek on Jan. 25. According to a report from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the only way Noah would even consider playing for New York again is if Hornacek wasn’t the coach.
Here’s one possible way Joakim Noah comes back: te Knicks change coaches. Source says Noah and Hornacek “pretty much hate each other.”
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) February 2, 2018
Finding a trade partner before the Feb. 8 deadline will be virtually impossible, as Noah has been oft-injured and has $54 million remaining on his contract over the next three years. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Knicks are not willing to package any significant future draft assets or young players as a way to entice teams to take on Noah’s contract. A buyout is one possibility, but all indications have been that Noah has no interest in that.
Noah and Hornacek had to be separated during a recent practice in what sources told ESPN was a “pretty bad” disagreement. It’s obvious that the two simply are not going to coexist.
