Knicks center Joakim Noah could have had a different view, but he wasn’t going to decline a chance to play basketball — even if it was the G League.
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek revealed Noah was gung-ho about the decision to send him down to the Westchester Knicks for an 11 a.m. matinee Wednesday against the Maine Red Claws to shake off the rust.
Players with more than three years of NBA service can turn down a franchise’s request to play in the developmental league. Hornacek said he’s floated the scenario to a lot of his veterans who aren’t getting playing time to sharpen their tools in the minor leagues.
Three years removed from winning the NBA’s defensive player of the year award, Noah became the G League’s first $72 million player. He logged 23 minutes, scoring nine points with five rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot.
Noah was inactive for the Knicks game against Miami later Wednesday as Enes Kanter made his return.
“We put it out there out there at the beginning of the season if they needed to play in a G League game and wanted some minutes,’’ Hornacek said. “We’re at this point of the year we’re not going to be practicing a lot. It’s hard to have those hard practices for those guys. For guys who don’t get a lot of time, we put it out there for guys.’’
Hornacek said the topic came up when Noah talked with new front-office executive Craig Robinson last week.
“He was talking to Craig Robinson four days ago and Jo said, ‘I don’t mind, I’ll get some time and contact.’ I was happy Jo did that. He’s kind of set the tone you can go there and give yourself an experience playing with those guys.”Hornacek said he hopes Noah will get some more G League games in since the Knicks have a glut at center and Noah’s long-term future remains a mystery.
“We’ll see how things go,’’ Hornacek said. “He’s veteran guy so it’s up to him. Young guys, you can tell them.”
Monday became a landmark evening for Noah, dressing for the first time this season for the big-league Knicks. He played three minutes in his first NBA appearance since early February. He only dressed versus Portland because Enes Kanter was out with back spasms.
With Kanter returning, Noah was inactive again Wednesday night, ruining his shot at playing a doubleheader. Noah’s trip to the G League — no matter the spin — was a stinging reminder of how far his career has been derailed in just his second season with the Knicks.
Noah was outscored by the Knicks’ pair of two-way players, who are both centers. Luke Kornet and Isaiah Hicks scored 20 points and 18 points, respectively. It’s clear how deep the Knicks are at a position some teams believe is in the dinosaur stage.As such, the playing future of Noah is in doubt. Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn have made a strong center tandem while Willy Hernangomez, a building block, has been left with scraps. Hornacek has alluded to the possibility of Hernangomez getting G League time, too.
Increasing his trade value by inserting Noah may or may not work because of the size of his contract — there are two more seasons beyond this one left on his four-year, $72 million deal. Noah missed the season’s first 12 games because of a drug suspension, a carryover from last season’s infraction. A buyout after the season appears inevitable — it’s a matter of when and if the Knicks will use that stretch provision to do so.
With Kanter out, Noah had a chance to play over the weekend on the Atlanta-Houston trip, but he didn’t make it because of the flu. Another bad break for the newly minted G-leaguer.