Knowing his four-year, $72 million contract is untradable, Joakim Noah is viewed by management as the backup center for next season, according to a source.
Whether that backup status is realized this season is a fluid situation. Despite rookie center Willy Hernangomez’s striking progress the past few weeks, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek still is coming up with excuses to keep Noah in the starting lineup as the Knicks hosted the Cavaliers on Saturday night.
Hornacek still sees enough good things from Noah, intangibles such as setting good screens. Noah rarely looks at the basket anymore and hasn’t taken a mid-range jump shot in what seems like ages.