According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the NBA has suspended Knicks center Joakim Noah for 20 games after he violated the league's anti-doping policy.
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| Noah (pictured) has not seen NBA action since mid-February |
Noah, 32, had been in his first season with New York before undergoing surgery on his left knee in late-February. Before the procedure, he played in 46 games with New York, putting up 5.0 PPG and 8.7 REB in just over 22 minutes of action.
"Joakim was completely forthcoming and cooperative throughout the investigation and we believe that this isolated occurrence was a regrettable mistake," the NBA players' union said in a statement. "Joakim has offered his deepest apologizes for this infraction, and neither he nor the NBAPA will pursue an appeal."
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| Hernangomez (pictured) will see an expanded role in 2017-18 |
With three years and $55,590.00 million (excluding 2016-17) remaining on his deal, Noah represents a huge burden for the Knicks payroll. His suspension could alter the Knicks off-season plans, whether that be seeking out a veteran center or replacing him internally. This year, youngster Willy Hernangomez has done an excellent job for New York and Kyle O'Quinn has proven to be a nice bench piece. Additionally, head coach Jeff Hornacek has discussed the possibility of moving sophomore player Kristaps Porzingis to center next season.
The suspension firmly closes the door on Noah's return possibility in 2016-17. Through constant injuries and poor play, the veteran has done more bad than good and could see a major decline in minutes following this violation. Time will tell to see where he lies in the Knicks' future plans, but right now it looks like GM Phil Jackson struck out big time with the Noah signing.
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