ESPN First Take Full Show - If Joakim Noah Goes To Knicks, Is Chicago Or New York Better Off?
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Within an hour of the NBAs free-agency period kicking off Friday at midnight, the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly nearing jaw-dropping agreements with Joakim Noah and Timofey Mozgov, respectively.
The Verticals Shams Charania began the madness by reporting the Knicks were discussing the framework of a four-year, $70-plus million deal with Noah. USA Todays Sam Amick added that while the agreement isnt final, the two sides were close to a four-year, $72 million contract with the fourth year guaranteed. Charanias colleague, Adrian Wojnarowski, then proceeded to break the most stunning news of the night: The Lakers handed Mozgov a four-year, $64 million deal.
Both players were resounding fantasy disappointments in 2015-16, as injuries wreaked havoc on each. Noah dislocated his left shoulder in mid-January, ending his season prematurely, while Mozgov never quite seemed to recover from offseason surgery on his right knee. ESPNs Brian Windhorst reported Mozgov shouldnt have started the season when he did, as the surgery was not a success but he felt pressured to play really well because he saw a massive paycheck coming his way, per ESPN Clevelands Tony Cartagena.
If either player can remain healthy, they could wind up being late-round steals in fantasy drafts this year. Lets take a brief look at how each fits with his new team.
Noah with the KnicksAfter sending Robin Lopez to the Chicago Bulls in the trade that netted them Derrick Rose, the Knicks were in desperate need of a new starting center. Noahs interest in New York was just about the worst-kept secret in the days leading up to free agency, with ESPN.coms Marc Stein and Ian Begley reporting the Knicks had emerged as the strong favorite to sign him. Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post accurately reported the average annual value of the deal on June 29, a full 24-plus hours before New York could make any offer.
If Noah can remain healthy this season, he could be in for a bounce-back fantasy campaign. Prior to his shoulder injury, he averaged a career-worst 4.3 points on 38.3 percent shooting to go with 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game, as new Chicago head coach Fred Hoiberg moved him to the bench for all but two of the 29 contests in which he appeared. One can only assume the Knicks didnt just plunk down $18 million annually for a reserve center, so Noah should be headed back into a starting role upon his arrival in New York.
The 31-year-old has never been much of a scoring force, with his career-best mark of 12.6 points coming in 2013-14, but hes long provided elite rebounding and shot-blocking figures to his fantasy owners. His career per-36-minute averages of 11.5 boards and 1.7 rejections speak to the type of defensive value he can offerto fantasy squads. Hes also a career 71.1 percent shooter from the free-throw line, so he wont cripple you a la Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan or Andre Drummond in that category.
At the moment, the Knicks are largely devoid of big men, save for Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle OQuinn, so Noah should be looking at 30-plus minutes per game for as long as his body holds up. However, w***y Hernangomez, a 2015 second-round pick who the team acquired in a draft-night trade last year, reportedly plans to come to New York on a multiyear deal this summer, according to Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski.
If the Knicks add another big man in free agency, Noah could suddenly find himself facing legitimate competition for playing time, particularly if new head coach Jeff Hornacek decides to trot out Carmelo Anthony at the 4 on occasion.
Noah entered last season on the borderline of a late seventh- or early eighth-round pick, according to FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings, which wasabout three rounds too high. This year, however, Noah could be worth a gamble with a late-round pick, as the Knicks have enough scorers in Anthony, Porzingis and Rose to allow Noah to do what he does best: rebound and block shots like a bat out of h**l.
(Icon Sportswire)
Mozgov with the LakersWith Roy Hibbert becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Lakers entered the offseason in need of a new starting center. Conventional wisdom dictated that would wind up being Hassan Whiteside, as Stein and ESPN.com colleague Ramona Shelburne reported on June 27 that the Lakers planed to aggressively pursue him once free agency began.
Instead, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Whiteside didnt even give them the time of day, only agreeing to meetings with the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and his incumbent Miami Heat. That sent the Lakers scrambling to Mozgov, who only averaged 6.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 17.4 minutes per game this past season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After beginning the 2015-16 campaign as Clevelands starter, Mozgov fell out of favor as the year progressed, moving to the bench following the Cavaliers 29-point thumping at the hands of Portland the day after Christmas. He was all but invisible come playoff time, playing only 76 minutes during the Cavaliers run to the championship while averaging 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.2 blocks per game.
Much like with Noah, Mozgovs fantasy outlook in 2016-17 comes down to health and Los Angeles other free-agent signings in the days and weeks to come. At the moment, hes the lone center on the roster, although the Lakers arent opposed to bringing second-round pick Ivica Zubac over this summer, as general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters following the draft. If Zubac stays stashed for a year and L.A. cant lure a more promising backup center than Tarik Black or Robert Sacre, the big Russian could be in line for a significant role next season.
While Mozgovs contract may be a raging tire fire, fantasy owners need only worry about his per-game production (save for those in real-salary leagues).
Prior to his knee injury, its worth noting he averaged 10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 25.0 minutes a night during his stint with the Cavaliers in the 2014-15 season. Those arent eye-popping numbers by any means, but those in need of a third-string center late in drafts could at least weigh plunging a pick into Mozgov.
All statistics viaBasketball-Reference.com.
Fantasy impact of Joakim Noah, Timofey Mozgov agreementsSource: http://www.todaysfastbreak.com/fantasy-basketball/fantasy-impact-joakim-noah-timofey-mozgov-agreements/
