Joakim Noah is finally getting some burn with the Knicks ... but not New York's NBA franchise, but rather its G-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.
The veteran center made his debut with Westchester on Wednesday, racking up nine points, five boards, and four assists in 23 minutes. That's already more floor time than he's seen all season in the NBA, having played just three minutes in a single appearance since returning from his 12-game suspension.
It may look bad on the Knicks, who lavished Noah with a four-year, $72-million deal last summer, but coach Jeff Hornacek hopes the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year getting reps there will help change how people perceive the G-League. While it's long been known as a place where players can develop and audition for the pros, NBA teams have been sending players there to get reps as part of injury rehab or after falling out of the rotation.
Related - Noah ready to work after suspension: 'It's been very humbling'
"I think the whole league is trying to get away from the fact that … the G-League is for training purposes," Hornacek said Friday, as The New York Post's Howie Kussoy. "It's looking to develop guys, younger players, but it's just like baseball in the minor leagues.
"You see major league pitchers pitching a Single-A game just to get tuned up. That's how we want to approach our G-League team. We want to use it to develop young guys, but give older guys who maybe aren't getting reps an opportunity to go play some games. ... We think that's a good thing."
Hornacek suggested Noah will continue to get the bulk of his minutes in the G-League, as he's at the bottom of the depth chart below Enes Kanter, Kyle O'Quinn, and Willy Hernangomez.
