Joakim Noah recently made his season debut for the New York Knicks, but the team is sending him to the G-League for more minutes.
The Knicks announced they have assigned Noah, along with Damyean Dotson, to the Westchester Knicks of the G-League. The affiliate club plays Wednesday morning before the NBA side hosts the Miami Heat at night.
While it’s a humorous development from afar, this is a sensible choice for New York.
Jokes will be made because Noah signed a $72 million deal with the Knicks. And there is absolutely no defense of that contract. When a franchise adds a player for that much money, as long as he’s healthy, it expects him to play in the NBA.
Noah has totaled three minutes in one appearance this season.
However, the situation is what it is. Noah needs real game action in order for Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek to consider a regular spot in the rotation. New York was playing well when Noah returned from a suspension eight contests ago, but a three-game losing streak may lead Hornacek to consider using the veteran.
Whether that’s the proper course of action is debatable, but Noah likely won’t be effective until he logs considerable minutes somewhere. At least on Wednesday, that somewhere will be White Plains, New York.