Starting center Joakim Noah is expected back from his flu-like illness for Friday’s Garden game vs. Charlotte, the first half of a two-day, home-and-home with the Hornets. Whether the Knicks need him is open for debate.
The Knicks have won four of five games to reach the .500 mark at 7-7. Noah was out sick for two of those wins and benched in the second half of another. Coincidence or not, with Noah sidelined by flu-like symptoms, the Knicks have won their past two games against Atlanta and Portland – arguably their two best triumphs of the year.
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek hasn’t decided whether Noah will start Friday, but that’s more because of the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year being weakened by the flu than a big-picture decision. Kyle O’Quinn has started the last two outings.
It should be noted even before Noah’s shoulder injury last season, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg brought Noah off the bench. He started twice in 29 games. There were conflicting reports on whose call it was.
In his return to practice on Thanksgiving, Noah, whom Phil Jackson signed to a whopping four-year, $72 million contract, didn’t look up to snuff yet.
“When you have that sickness, you don’t know if it was the flu, but he was dehydrated, he looks a little sluggish,’’ Hornacek said on a conference call. “Usually that happens the first day. [Friday], after having finally a day of not feeling sick and getting rest, he’ll be ready to go.’’
Noah was not made available to the media Thursday.
“We’ll have to see how he feels [Friday] morning,’’ Hornacek said. “If he looks like he’s ready to go we may start him. Or we may go the way we’ve been going. We’ll decide that [Friday]. … It could be a few minutes here and there to start the game and the second half — if we decide to start him. If he doesn’t look like he has much energy then, we’ll sub quicker.’’
While Noah has posted big rebounding games, he at times has disappeared on offense – to the extreme of being scoreless in three outings. He’s averaging 4.3 points, ranked 10th on the club’s scoring list. To his credit, the Hell’s Kitchen product has been hard on himself, admitting to being “a step slow’’ on defense and “up and down’’ with his performances. He battled injuries in training camp after last season was cut short in January due to shoulder surgery.
“There’s still room to grow,” Hornacek said.
Though he has no mid-range jump shot, the Knicks coach wants to increase Noah’s involvement on side pick-and-rolls that he thrived in when he played in Chicago.
“We know if we can get him a lot of times on the pick-and -roll on the side, he’s got a crossover dribble, one long stride to the basket and he finishes,’’ Hornacek said. “Early on in his career he’d do that and dunk it on you. He’s getting pretty close to that now. You’ve seen some of the explosive moves he’s made.’’
With Noah’s return, the Knicks rotation will become further muddled with either O’Quinn or agile rookie center Willy Hernangomez of Spain taking a backseat.
“It’s hard to play all three of those guys. We tried to go with Willy early and the second half depends on how he played in the first half,” Hornacek said. “If I feel he was having a good night, we’ll stay with him. If he’s just been OK, I’ll give Kyle a chance. That’s tough when you got three guys who can all play. It’s not easy for them.”
The elephant in the room is whether Noah’s contract will haunt Jackson for all four years, considering Noah already is struggling to find a niche other than rebounding (8.9 per game).
The amnesty clause no longer exists and isn’t expected in the new CBA. Noah is 31, and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in September he’s no longer “a front-line center.’’
NBA TV’s Greg Anthony warned about overreacting to Noah’s sluggish start.
“I wouldn’t go there,’’ Anthony told The Post. “When you have a unique understanding of the game like he does, he still has a lot of good years left. I’m not yet concerned about him.’’
The Knicks coach will have to look deeper at the issue if their winning ways cease upon Noah’s return.
“We’re happy we’re .500, the way we started,’’ Hornacek said. “We knew the beginning of the year we played a lot of teams that were playoff-type teams and with Derrick’s situation [Rose’s civil sexual assault trial] and Jo’s ankle [and hamstring] … do we wish we were 10-4? Yeah, sure. But we’re moving in the right direction.’’