No Cavalier attitude from Noah on LeBron
JOAKIM Noah has directed just about every profanity in the book at LeBron James, but in the end all those names, as well as the Chicago Bulls teams Noah anchored, would never hurt LeBron.
The same goes for Noah’s more famous teammates, Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony, who have also matched up against James in the playoffs and have always been on the losing end. So perhaps it is fitting that Noah, Anthony and Rose, who have been chasing LeBron from Cleveland to Miami and back to Cleveland again without any luck, have come together at this moment in time with the same goal in mind.
“That’s definitely the goal,” Noah said on Wednesday. “It’s definitely not an easy task but that has to be the mindset. We all know what it is. Right now it goes through him. It goes through that guy. For us to get to where we want to get to, we have to beat that guy.”
Noah missed the previous two days due to the birth of his daughter and went through his first practice on Wednesday at West Point. The Knicks signed Noah in July to a $72 million contract believing he can recapture the form that resulted in him finishing fourth in MVP voting three seasons ago.
A shoulder injury limited Noah to 29 games last season. In fact, he’s missed a total of 68 games the last two years. Many league executives feel the Knicks took too big of a risk for a player who, because of his shoulder and leg injuries, no longer has the lateral movement to make an impact defensively. Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said the team decided not to resign Noah because he’s no longer “a front line player.”
“He’s entitled to his opinion,’’ Noah said. “I feel I have no regrets about my time in Chicago. I gave it everything I had. To me that’s all that matters. I did everything I could for that organization. I thought it was a little bit of a low blow, but at the end of the day I have nothing but respect for that organization. I’m just excited for this new chapter of my career.”
If the Knicks’ starting five, particularly Anthony, Rose and Noah, can stay relatively healthy the team should challenge for a playoff spot. Whether they have enough to topple the Cavs is another story. James has made the NBA Finals six straight years; four in Miami, two in Cleveland. The defending champs enter the season as the favorites to return to the finals. And as fate would have it, the Cavs will receive their championship rings on opening night with Carmelo, Noah and Rose in the building. “I’m going to tell you where I was when I heard it,” Anthony said of the schedule. “I was in Chicago at a USA Basketball appearance when the schedule broke. I had a big smile on my face. I think the NBA tried to set us up on that one. We’ll be ready for that. It’s a major test for us. It’s only one game, Opening Night, but it will be a good night for us.”
The Knicks have played the role of spoiler in Cleveland as recently as two years ago. In LeBron’s first game back with the Cavs, the Knicks pulled off the upset in the nationally televised game. They went on to win just 16 more games the rest of the season while the Cavs reached the Finals.
The Oct. 25 opener will be an emotional night for the city of Cleveland, which won its first major sports title in 52 years. Noah, who once famously said “Cleveland really sucks,” wasn’t taking the bait when asked for his thoughts on Cleveland experiencing its first championship in more than half a century. “First day of training camp that’s really what you’re going to ask me?” Noah said. “I don’t know. I don’t spend too much time over there. I’m happy for them, I guess.”
Once the game starts, however, Noah will do plenty of talking, mixed in with a couple of primal screams. He might even share a few words with LeBron as well. They have a history. “You don’t have to worry about that with Joakim,” Anthony said. “He’s going to bring it. If you’re not on his team you’re his enemy. That mentality is going to trickle down to everyone else.”