New York Knicks center Joakim Noah will begin serving his 20-game suspension tonight against the Miami Heat.
New York Knicks center Joakim Noah was suspended over the weekend for 20 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. Noah was unable to begin serving that suspension until he was cleared to return to the court.
The Knicks medical team cleared Noah earlier in the week, and he has been practicing. To begin serving the suspension, Noah had to be cleared by an independent doctor. The NBA’s independent medical expert has concluded that Noah is healthy enough and cleared him.
Noah will begin serving his suspension tonight when the Knicks face off with the Miami Heat. He will miss the remaining eight games of this season and miss the first 12 games of the 2017-18 season.
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The positive test was triggered by selective androgen receptor modulator LGD-4033, a substance on the NBA’s banned list. The substance was in an over-the-counter supplement that Noah took that was not provided to him by the Knicks. He was hoping to find a way to speed up the recovery from his injuries.
Noah gave an apology to his team and the fans following practice on Tuesday. Noah and the league have worked together to figure things out, and he will not appeal the suspension. He did not want to reveal much information about the process but did share that he was transparent with the league and their investigation.
"“I tried to take the right measures when I was taking supplements, and it wasn’t enough,” Noah said. “I don’t really want to get into the details and all that. It was a long process. I think the people in the league were very cooperative. … With these supplements, you’ve got to be careful, because sometimes they have other things in them that they don’t say. It’s a tough lesson to learn.”"
This is the latest setback for Noah with the Knicks. He signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the team in the offseason and has not come close to living up to those expectations. He made it through only 46 games, averaging 22.1 minutes per game. He provided 5.0 points, 8.8 rebounds 2.2 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals in those games.
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With Noah sidelined the Knicks have been using Willy Hernangomez and Kristaps Porzingis as the starting center. They also have Kyle O’Quinn and Marshall Plumlee on the bench. They should be fine over the next 20 games that Noah will be sidelined.