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Knicks Rumors: Joakim Noah Likely To Have Shoulder Surgery

By Kenneth Teape

Jan 7, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks center Joakim Noah (13) shoots the ball during warmups before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks center Joakim Noah (13) shoots the ball during warmups before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Knicks rumors: Suspended center Joakim Noah is expected to undergo surgery on his rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

New York Knicks rumors have begun focusing on the team’s offseason plans. The NBA Draft is the first order of business for the Knicks in the offseason, and their plans could be changing with the most recent news.

Center Joakim Noah is expected to undergo surgery on his shoulder. League sources said it will be rotator cuff surgery, which requires a lengthy rehab of multiple months. ESPN New York’s Ian Begley shared the info on Tuesday night. This is the same shoulder that Noah underwent surgery on just over a year ago in January 2016 when he was with the Chicago Bulls.

Noah had dealt with the shoulder ailment at times during the regular season. As of Tuesday, Begley reported that Noah was still weighing his options. The longer that Noah waits, the more danger he is in to miss time next season.

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Noah is already serving a 20-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. Noah was able to begin serving that suspension to finish out the 2016-17 regular season as independent doctors cleared him after he underwent knee surgery in February.

The rehab from rotator cuff surgery would be at least four months. An accurate timetable for recovery cannot be made until surgery is done, as it could keep Noah sidelined as long as six months.

This is just the latest ailment Noah has dealt with since joining the Knicks. He underwent the knee surgery in late February, and also battled hamstring injuries at times.

Noah made it through only 46 games in the first season of his four-year, $72 million deal he signed with the Knicks this past offseason. That is what the Knicks were expecting to happen in the final two years of the deal, not the first.

The signing of Noah, combined with the trade for Derrick Rose, are the latest blemishes on Phil Jackson‘s track record. This signing looks even more brutal now than it did in the summer as Noah battled multiple injuries and a suspension this season.

While you never want a starter out of the lineup, the center spot is probably where the Knicks have the most depth to overcome a loss.

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Willy Hernangomez looks like he can be a starter in the NBA, and the Knicks also have Kyle O’Quinn and Marshall Plumlee on the depth chart. Kristaps Porzingis can also slide over to play center, so the Knicks should be okay without Noah in the lineup for however long he is unable to play.

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