Noah longer hurt, but banned
JOAKIM NOAH is officially healthy enough not to play.
Noah’s 20-game PED ban started Wednesday night after the NBA agreed the Knicks center is healthy enough to get back on the court.
“Our independent medical expert has concluded that Joakim Noah is physically able to play,” the NBA announced in a statement, “and his suspension will begin with Wednesday’s game.”
Noah, 32, was hit with the ban last week after he was busted with a testosterone booster in his system. The struggling center had taken an over-the-counter supplement that contained a banned substance in an effort to speed up his recovery from hamstring and knee injuries.
“I tried to take a supplement to help me with everything that I was going through,” Noah told reporters on Tuesday. “I’ve gone through a lot of injuries and I tried to take something to help me and it backfired. So I know it didn’t come from a bad place. I was working with the league on this for a while. I think the punishment of 20 games is severe. But it is what it is and I gotta bounce back.”
The ban would only start once he was medically cleared to return to action.
“He can go through practices, travel with us, (he) just has to be out of the building two hours before (the) game,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said.
Wednesday’s ruling by the NBA means that Noah will miss the last eight games of this season — including Wednesday against the Miami Heat — and the first 12 games of next season.
Noah underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Feb. 27.