Joakim Noah Added Even More Bad News As He Now Reportedly Needs Shoulder Surgery

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Here is the entire list of ways that Joakim Noah‘s first year as a New York Knick has been a success:

  1. He got paid a lot of money.
  2. He exercised and worked hard, which is always a good thing.
  3. Since he lives in New York he probably got dinner at some good restaurants.

That’s, uh, kind of it.

After signing a four-year, $72 million deal to join the Knicks this past offseason, Noah’s first year in New York has left a lot to be desired. He played in 46 games, averaging 5.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in 22.1 minutes a night, while his inaugural season in the Big Apple came to an end due to knee surgery. He also violated the league’s anti-drug policy, which led to a suspension.

On Tuesday, Noah got even more bad news. Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that Noah will be sidelined for four-to-six months due to shoulder surgery.

As his $72 million free-agent contract becomes a bigger source of embarrassment for the organization, New York Knicks center Joakim Noah will undergo surgery for a left torn rotator cuff, league sources told The Vertical.

Noah will need four to six months to rehabilitate the shoulder, sources said, an injury that comes in the aftermath of a 20-game NBA suspension for a banned supplement.

Noah, 32, has had trouble for years with his shoulder, and it necessitated surgery. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in January, and the league allowed the Knicks to start his suspension over the final eight games of the regular season.

Noah will be suspended for the first 12 games that doctors deem him healthy to be activated next season.

At his best, Noah is a crafty offensive player who has the ability to anchor a defense. His play this year and bum knee made it hard to ever imagine him getting back to that point, though, and now that he needs shoulder surgery, that’ll be even more difficult.

(Via The Vertical)

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