Knicks' Joakim Noah: Will start serving suspension Wednesday

The NBA's independent doctor cleared Noah (knee) to play, so he'll begin serving his 20-game suspension Wednesday against the Heat, Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis:

This was the expected outcome after the Knicks' doctors allowed Noah to take part in practice Tuesday after he had been sidelined for the past month while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Noah's suspension will cover the final eight games of the 2016-17 season and the first 12 games of 2017-18, which likely means he won't play in a regular-season contest until mid-to-late November. The 32-year-old was a major disappointment prior to suffering the injury and being handed the suspension for failing a drug test, as he averaged 5.0 points, 8.8 rebounds an 2.2 assists in 22.1 minutes per game over his 46 appearances. He may not be guaranteed a starting role once his suspension is up next season.