Reports are popping up all over that that Knicks are expected to sign erstwhile Bulls Center, Joakim Noah when NBA free agency starts 24 hours from now. While he's not KD, and it's unclear whether or not that meeting will happen, he is a good get for the Knicks. Noah's coming off of surgery, and said to be 100%, and a full throttle Noah is a passionate and unselfish ball player who can fit in any system that's predicated on ball movement or even just sound fundamentals. On a given night he can produce 10-12 points, the same number of rebounds, 5 or 6 assists!!!!!! and block a shot or two. He'll also be an ideal mentor for Willy Hernangomez, and bodyguard for KP. He embodies a lot of what we liked about RoLo, and if he can stay healthy may help even more because he's such an aware passer. Wonderful player and I'd be in favor of this signing.
18 Comments:
I LOVE the potential signing but not at the reported 18M per. He is an injury risk, rather sign a short term 12-14M deal, then when he shows his metal, sign longer term. Hopefully Crawford takes a low cost deal as our SG and we have some money left over for a depth PG.
I guess Durant said he had no interest.
Apart from that, I agree with lion
My guess is that none of their top targets wanted their money, so they thought Noah was the best remaining option, and they are paying him because they feared losing him if they didn't.
On the positive side, he runs the floor much better than Lopez; he is a much better defender away from the basket than Lopez, and is a much better passer. The downside he is older and less durable.
If it's three years at $18m per, I don't like it given his health issues and age.
I'm hoping it is a 2 year deal, with a team option for a 3rd. Wishful thinking. It's probably a 4 year deal. Now, at his age, he probably will maintain his level of play over that time-frame. Except for the injury factor.
The larger problem is where is the path to being a bona fide championship contender. The moves largely signal that contending for the playoffs and winning a round is enough.
They aren't getting a lottery pick unless their health issues explode, so where is the next big star coming from. Obviously, Durant doesn't want to play here. So what FA will?
And if they sign yet another injury issue guy in Gordon, I will truly be pissed.
I could also care less about bringing back Thomas or Galloway. They're limited and fungible. Basically replacement level.
Lawyer, I agree. I stated in a previous thread my theory that Prime NY teams(exclude Mets, Isles, Nets) don't so much fret over winning a championship as that means years of accumulating young players while being really bad. They'd rather be mediocre, as that gets you one of the final seeds and playoff revenue most years and saves the front office guys their jobs.
Gotta root for Durant to leave OK City as that likely means Westbrook leaves next year too, we'll have cap space to sign him. The Knicks are in the quick fix free agent rebuild......again!
Ok a few thoughts here:
1. 18mil in this new capspace is the equivalent to 13mil deal last year. If you think that's overpaying, you're going to be in for a rude awakening when you see some of the other deals going to be getting dished out this offseason.
2. 18mil is just a reported figure; Last year initial reports said Afflalo was signing for 3/36 and he ended up with 2/16. Until it is official, I would take it as a grain of salt.
3. Besides last year, Noah has been unbelievable. He's also the last DPOY not named Kawhi Leonard and he's also the only person in the east to finish top 5 in MVP voting not named Lebron over the past 5 years.
4. Noah is a true leader and a great role model. Putting him in this group with KP will give him an ideal role model to learn from. The last time we had any true leaders was when we won 50+ as the oldest team in the league with Kidd/sheed/Thomas.
5. We have enough scoring in KP/ROSE/MELO so gettign Noah who is an elite defensive player and a great passer is going to be great.
6. Adding Noah to the mix gives them a good chance to compete. With the way media works these days, FA are signing with teams to WIN, not for markets. In order to get another star to add with KP, it won't be through the draft. We need to create an environment that show's were winning and this is a good step.
Overall, this would be a great signing and I'm not too concerned over the money because the cap is going to rise AGAIN next year into the 110+ range. Last year people complained that Lopez was overpaid and now he's all of a sudden a bargain.
LETS GO KNICKS
The remains how do they become a championship contender year after year. I don't see that path yet. And I'm not sure how an over 30 somewhat damaged Noah contributes to that. Although as I said above his upside is higher than Lopez's
If you don't think New York does rebuilding then you think New York doesn't win championships it's really that simple:
And comparing New York and LA in terms of basketball. Is to be reality averse
http://trc.taboola.com/nydailynews-nydailynews/log/3/available
I'm not aware of any New York team that won a championship on the fly. The only reason the Yankees are relevant is because of a long-lasting effect of a rebuild. That duration wasn't foreseeable but that doesn't diminish the importance of the process.
QO given to LG. Doesn't really matter he is flotsam and jetsam.
Lawyer, what built the Yankees in the 90's was George Steinbrenner getting banned and Gene Michael dedicating to a buildup of the farm. We are kinda stuck in that rut now recently, signing free agents to keep us competitive enough to save jobs.
4 years?
They would be taking on lot of risk with Gordon, and obvious Melo isn't going anywhere with this mindset in roster construction.
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/report-knicks-discussing-deal-with-oft-injured-eric-gordon/
Report: Knicks discussing deal with oft-injured Eric Gordon
This free agency is the classic case of too many dollars chasing too few goods.
Agree with this:
Lee makes so much more sense for NYK than Gordon. Could actually have a good defense if you have one instead of the other. -- @HerringWSJ
via http://cbssportsapp.com
http://twitter.com/HerringWSJ/status/748958386256015360/photo/1
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