FEBRUARY 19: There are conflicting reports on the exact details of the altercation, with sources telling Marc Berman of The New York Post that Hornacek never pushed Noah. Berman reports that the two men did engage in a shouting match, adding that Noah had to be restrained.
FEBRUARY 17: Knicks center Joakim Noah got into a physical altercation with coach Jeff Hornacek that led to his leave of absence, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
Their long-running disagreement over playing time became heated at a practice following a January 23 game against the Warriors in which Noah logged just five minutes. They had to be separated after Hornacek shoved Noah, Bondy reports.
Noah is currently on a leave of absence, which Knicks officials describe as mutual. The team tried to trade him before the February 8 deadline, but there were no takers because of his hefty contract, which still has two more seasons and nearly $38MM remaining.
Trying to reach a buyout agreement is another option, but it’s one the Knicks have been opposed to. If Noah does become a free agent, the Timberwolves are an obvious potential destination with Noah’s former coach Tom Thibodeau running the team.
Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler, a teammate of Noah for five seasons in Chicago, spoke to the veteran center recently and said he just wants an opportunity to play.
“He wants to help win. He’s a great dude,” Butler said. “I talked to him a little bit, not a lot. All in all, I want him to be happy. Because you can’t go to work every day, being with the same people every day, if you’re not happy. That’s not good for anybody.”
Is there not an out clause for conduct detrimental to the team? Which could void the contract.
Not sure that would apply since it was reported that Hornacek is the one who pushed Noah. If it did, the Knicks would have gladly voided his contract by now.
Yea but 2nd guy always gets the technical
Didn’t he miss games for taking a banned substance? Can’t play w out the juice.
meant than for a few comments below, app is glitchy sometimes
Known for his locker room leadership, huh…
Seriously… The Knicks paid you every single dollar owed while you were on the disabled list. Shut up and ride the bench unto your needed or tell them your willing to give back millions in order to be released. I bet you he won’t dare give back millions to be released.
Usually I hate the “shut up, you’re making millions” argument because it’s usually used to silence athletes opinions on society, but I love that argument here since Noah is such a useless player with no skills at all left trying to get on the basketball court. Like shut up and make your $72 million or learn how to make a jump shot for once in your whole life.
Is there any way that they’re going to keep Hornacek going forward? At what point in time do you decide upon your long-term coach and on-court approach and start building for the future. Hornacek appears to be flailing.
GM Perry has made decisions for 3 teams in the past year– Orlando, Sacto and NY– and all are in position for the lottery. It is not clear NY is even supposed to be winning. Blame the coach?
Seems Perry has a ‘golden touch’ wherever he goes.
….aren’t we lucky !!!
Well he did start the fight. Tempe coach started the shoving match not Noah. It that Noah is some little angel. He’s NOT.
Nope, don’t blame the coach, but if he’s not part of the future when do you make the change.
Sam Hinkie was once sought after for this exact same skillset.
You have to find one and I can see waiting for a good one but I don’t think you can make an argument that Hornacek Is getting anything extra out of these players and I think you can make a lot of arguments that he makes it worse.
Refusing to let a player like Noah get any court time at all when all he wants is another team to see he can play and trade for him is beyond disrespectful and well into punitive. It’s also incredibly self destructive for both the manager and the team.
I’m sure the next free agent who gets excited to sign here and wants to bring a friend who will sign at a discount will look at this example and feel comfortable he’ll be treated right.
This is a bad joke.
If the coach physically pushed the player, then why is the coach not suspended? If a player puts his hands on a coach, then he would guaranteed to be suspended and possibly even have his contract voided completely, but the coach just gets away with it. Hornacek is not exactly a little man, like Popovich or something. He is a big man that was pounding the boards not that long ago.
You can’t believe everything u read. You don’t know, you weren’t there. For Noah to be told to stay away from the teams paints a different picture. Well at least in my eyes
Later on the Western trip, Noah left the club in Denver after a feud with coach Jeff Hornacek, who yanked him during garbage time during a blowout in Golden State on Jan. 23. The next day at practice, according to eyewitnesses, they engaged in a verbal shouting match with Noah being restrained. Hornacek never pushed Noah, according to multiple sources. In fact, indications are the Knicks mulled issuing Noah a suspension for his actions but decided against it. The separation has been called “mutual” by Knicks officials. 38 mins ago – via New York Post
That’s why I used the word IF.
So the previous ‘accounts’ seem to be ‘fake news’.
Anyone surprised ?
It did sound odd, smaller guy shoving the bigger, when he was mad already!