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Schmeelk: Will Joakim Noah Help The Knicks Win This Season?

By John Schmeelk
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This should be a silly question with an easy answer given the fact that the Knicks gave Joakim Noah a four-year, $72 million contract this offseason, but, unfortunately, it isn't.

Will he be a consistent contributor this season?

By Noah's own admission, he has not played well so far. His effort, energy, and activity, things that in the past have been his greatest strengths, have been hit or miss over the team's first 17 games.

He was supposed to help the Knicks be an improved team defensively and on the boards, but the team ranks 27th and 30th in the league in those respective categories.

MORE: Knicks Get 30 From Rose, But Fall To Oklahoma City 112-103

It is hard to argue that Noah has been anywhere near the defender and rebounder that Robin Lopez was. And as a scorer, there's no question he has been a downgrade as well. Noah has passed well and been active on the offensive glass, but those things have not made up for his deficiencies elsewhere.

In fairness to Noah, he still has the best net rating of players playing normal minutes, with the team being outscored by only one point per 100 possessions with him on the floor. Unfortunately, those numbers are skewed by positive performances early in the season against the Bulls and Grizzlies. Over the last eight games, he has only had a positive plus/minus twice.

The Knicks, however, have won five of their last eight and have played their best basketball of the season. It has all happened in spite of Noah, who played in only six of those games. Noah's net rating during that span is better than only Kyle O'Quinn, as the Knicks have been outscored by 9.5 points per 100 possessions when he has been on the floor (O'Quinn is at minus-10.6). The only other regular rotation player in the negative column is Carmelo Anthony at minus-.3.

Noah has played just 115 minutes over his last six games, but it's fair to say an illness that forced him to miss two recent games may have impacted his overall performance. The fact remains the team has played its best basketball with him on the bench. During the eight-game sample, the Knicks proved to be an excellent defensive team when he wasn't on the floor, allowing just 104 points per 100 possessions. If you extrapolate that, the Knicks would be right in the middle of the league defensively.

Offensively over that same stretch, the story is similar. The Knicks were nearly 10 points better per 100 possessions when Noah was on the bench. Making matters worse, Noah played the large majority of his minutes with Anthony, Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis, a group that should be very effective offensively. The team also played at a significantly slower pace during that eight-game stretch when Noah was on the floor.

As a result, head coach Jeff Hornacek limited Noah's minutes. Noah didn't once play more than 26 minutes, and logged less than 20 four times. Hornacek tried to play him late against the Thunder on Monday night to deal with the rugged inside duo of Enes Kanter and Steven Adams, but he was no match for either. Oklahoma City's duo dominated the fourth quarter and sent the Knicks home from the Garden with a loss.

Noah's presence has also kept Porzingis away from center, his best offensive position and long-term landing spot.

It's hard to find where the team is better when Noah plays. All of this may change if Noah finds his legs and looks like his old self more consistently, but with each passing day that seems unlikely. Injuries seem to have stolen much of his athleticism and activity.

Coming into the season, the Knicks needed to become better defensively if they wanted to win significantly. But so far, the team has been far worse defensively when Noah has played. Offensively, he has been so inept as a scorer that teams have often times left him wide open in order to help on players like Anthony, Rose and Porzingis. It might be the reason why the Knicks starting five has a net rating of minus-5 this season.

For transparency's sake, over the course of the whole season, the Knicks have been better with Noah on the floor, but that has flipped dramatically over the last 10 games. The first handful of games of the season the team performed extremely well offensively with Noah. Recent play suggests that was an aberration unlikely to continue.

The trouble is that Noah's primary backup, O'Quinn, has been even worse for much of the season. That fact makes it even more important for Noah to recapture his old form. The Knicks need a defense-oriented big man that can rebound consistently and play next to Porzingis. Lopez was that player last season, and at least right now, they are still looking for his replacement.

For all things Knicks, follow John on Twitter at @Schmeelk

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