Carmelo Anthony Likes The Intensity Joakim Noah Brings

Carmelo Anthony is a fan of the intensity and leadership that his new teammate Joakim Noah will bring to the New York Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony was hoping that the New York Knicks could push their rebuild forward this offseason with some veteran acquisitions. Phil Jackson delivered, trading for Derrick Rose while signing Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings to greatly improve the talent on the roster.

While there are some question marks, health and durability among them, there is no doubt that the Knicks have more talent this season than in recent years. Another thing that was missing from teams recently was a level of intensity and pushing that comes from veteran players.

The Knicks have lacked that element since the 2012-13 season. That season they had the likes of Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, and Tyson Chandler.

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Everyone except Chandler and Martin were gone the next season, and the Knicks saw a decline in productivity on the court in terms of wins and losses.

They are hoping that things can turn around this season and get back to the postseason for the first time since they won 54 games and the Atlantic Division in 2012-13. Anthony believes that Noah can bring back that intensity that has been lacking.

"“He brings a different dynamic to the court,” Anthony said after Noah’s first practice with the New York Knicks. “Mentally, he pushes you; he forces you to compete at a high level every time on the basketball court. Everybody. Whether you’re the 14th, 15th man on the team, or myself, or Derrick [Rose] or anybody else."

It is that type of accountability the Knicks have been lacking; Derek Fisher wasn’t far enough away from his playing days to truly hold players accountable and Kurt Rambis wasn’t around long enough. Too often the atmosphere seemed lax for a team that achieved very little, a mindset that Anthony believes Noah will not allow this season.

"“Like, he pushes you to go out there and compete every play. If not, you’re going to hear about. I think that’s something we’ve been missing, this team needed, this organization needed and I like it. We like it.”"

Noah signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Knicks as a free agent this summer. He will fill the void left by Robin Lopez, who was traded to the Chicago Bulls in the Rose trade. While Noah has struggled on the court because of injuries in recent seasons, he brings more to the team than just stats.

We will have to wait and see if Noah can return to his previous level of play on both ends of the court. While that has deteriorated in recent seasons, some qualities have remained.

His leadership qualities are something the Knicks can greatly benefit from, as they could use another voice alongside Anthony. His intensity will also be welcomed, as it should be contagious for his teammates once they are around him constantly.

"“If you’re not on his team, you’re an enemy,” Anthony said. “I think that mentality, that’s going to kind of trickle down to everybody else. It’s a different mindset that you’ve got to have coming into the game, going into practice. Even in practice, if you’re not on his team, if you’re not on the blue or white team with him, you’re an enemy. That keeps the competitive edge for everybody out there on the court.”"

If Noah can remain healthy, the Knicks are getting a true difference maker in the middle. He and Kristaps Porzingis give the Knicks an extremely athletic and versatile frontcourt that should be able to play in any defensive scheme.

Offensively Noah has proven he can initiate an offense and be played through. That is an imperative skill in the triangle offense, something Jeff Hornacek will still be using some parts of this season.

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If Noah can stay on the court and not on the bench in suits, the Knicks will be very happy with their biggest free agent acquisition this summer.

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