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Joakim Noah Reflects On Phil Jackson And His Underwhelming Season

Joakim Noah arguably has the worst contract in the league right now.

Last summer, Noah singed the Knicks’ 4-year, $72 million offer sheet, even though people around the league knew about his injury problems. The former defensive player of the league has also been on the decline, long before signing the contract.

All of this led to Noah only playing 46 games, while averaging an underwhelming 5.0 points, and 8.7 rebounds per game. He became the mirror image for the Knicks’ downfall, alongside former president of basketball operations, Phil Jackson.

Being a guest at the “Truth Barrel’’ podcast, Noah talked about his time as a Knick, and about Jackson. He thinks that Jackosn isn’t the one to blame:

“It’s tough, man, because I got a lot of love and respect for Phil. He gave me an opportunity to play back home. Somebody I read all his books as a kid. I was just a big fan and still am. I have a lot of respect for him. It didn’t work out. That sucks. It’s something I have to live with. He believed in me, and I kind of let him down. That’s frustrating. He got a lot of blame that it was his fault. But we didn’t lose all those games because of Phil Jackson.

I went through a lot of adversity. You go through injuries. I lost my confidence this year. It’s about bouncing back and showing who I am through these tough times. It can really show what you’re made of.”

(Transcript via New York Post)