Joakim Noah was one of the first players to ink a contract over the summer, signing a deal to return home to the New York Knicks. His preseason talk was centered around how he’s so excited to return to where he grew up and play for his hometown team. Noah was elated to have a chance with the Knicks, albeit an expensive $72 million chance that will last four years.
But his season never really got off the ground. Noah has been an immense disappointment all season playing 46 games and averaging career-low numbers, continuing what he started last year. And much like last year, Noah is having another underwhelming season ended by an injury. Last year his shoulder was the issue and now his knee is the source of issues.
Adrian Wojnarowksi of the Vertical on Yahoo! Sports first reported the news of Noah’s season-ending procedure.
New York Knicks center Joakim Noah will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery Monday and miss the remainder of the season, league sources told The Vertical.
Noah has had several injuries derail his season, including shoulder, hamstring and knee issues. The surgery is expected to be a “clean up” of the left knee, league sources said.
The Knicks also confirmed the surgery and said Noah will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks.
Joakim Noah had a left knee arthroscopy this afternoon to remove a loose body. He will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 27, 2017
Noah last played in a February 4th Knicks loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in which he had four points and two rebounds in six minutes. In 46 starts for the Knicks, he averaged five points and 8.7 rebounds. Noah has averaged nine points and 9.4 rebounds for his career. He’s currently very far away from his stellar 2013-14 season when he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and also finish fourth in the NBA MVP standings.
