Settle down, Knicks fans and Knicks haters.
Why are you like this? Knicks fans are the worst. It's always life and death with us. People were ready to burn Phil Jackson at the stake over a rumor. A. Ru. Mor. I woke up with Knicks Twitter on fire. Look, $18 million is a little too much for Joakim Noah and we all hope that figure comes down but seriously—relax! We're living in a world where D-League veteran Kent Bazemore is asking for $16 million of them thangs.
A reminder: The 2017 Knicks are not going to be relying on Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. Last time I checked the roster there's this giant 20-year-old with the versatility of a Swiss Army knife on there. And future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony. And while the Noah deal is still speculation at this point, hopefully we can work out something along the lines of a two-year deal worth $30 million with a team option because of his recent injury history.
Besides, these high free agent numbers aren't going anywhere because NBA business is boomin', baby. Listen to my guy Bobby Marks:
I would rather have a crash test dummy in Noah than a cancer like Dwight Howard, I know that much. So let Phil Jackson cook. The Knicks are rebuilding and trying to be competitive on the fly, and honestly overpaying for a piece that fits is a good problem to have. With Rose and hopefully Joakim, we have two veterans with playoff experience and no shortage of heart. Both have something to prove. New York has around $30 million in cap space, a star in Melo, a rising one in Porzingis, and a former one in Rose. Throw in Noah while bringing back Langston Galloway, Lance Thomas, and Derrick Williams and that's a nice little seven-man rotation.
Which is not to say Joakim's shoulder situation isn't scary. He's 31 and has been injury prone his entire career, having only played in 70-plus games three times in his nine seasons. Still, I would take him on my team every day of the week, twice on Sundays. He's a competitor who has a knack for getting under opposing players' skin. I can't wait for him to get into LeBron's face at the Garden. It's going to be delicious.
Oh, you want a prediction for the 2016-2017 starting lineup?
PG: D-Rose
SG: Kent Blazemore (for $8-$10 mil a year) or Courtney Lee (for peanuts)
SF: Melo
PF: Porzingawd
C: Joakim
Wow—did you just get chills, too? The Atlantic Division is ours for the taking. How ill would a Cavs/Knicks Eastern Conference Finals be? We should bring back Jamal Crawford too for some sixth man action off the bench. Maybe add Luol Deng to the mix as well and we'll be in business. Don't worry about how the math works with those two.
Call me crazy but I'm going to give Phil a little more credit than most are willing to. I know we're desperate for a starting center. Still don't think we're "give Joakim Noah $18 million" desperate. I'm going to miss Robin Lopez because he beats mascots up, can pass, and goes hard. Noah is an upgrade though, and him coming home to play at MSG with Rose wearing No. 25 is something I'm willing to pay to see.
Haven't y'all figured out Phil Jackson's media manipulation game by now? They said he was going to make Kurt Rambis the head coach because of the triangle offense and instead he hired Jeff Hornacek. He said the Knicks didn't need a point guard because the triangle deemphasizes the position and then tried to trade for Jeff Teague last year and copped Rose this offseason. Watch his moves, don't listen to what he says or what the media says.
I'm going to let Amar'e tell it:
And if Phil really does give Noah $18 million with only five guys under contract?
