New York Knicks: Joakim Noah Misses Cut For SI's Top 100

Sports Illustrated has released its annual list of the Top 100 players in the NBA. New York Knicks center Joakim Noah did not make the cut.

The New York Knicks have firmly invested in Joakim Noah as a franchise cornerstone. Phil Jackson signed Noah to a four-year deal worth roughly $72 million, which averages out to $18 million per season.

Though Noah is one of the most respected players in the NBA, Sports Illustrated excluded the 31-year-old from its recently released Top 100 Players list.

Noah is coming off of an injury-plagued season that kept him on the sidelines for more games than he played. Even when he was healthy, he looked nothing like the player who won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14.

Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated explained why Noah missed the Top 100 just two years after being named to the All-NBA First Team.

The Noah that took the court for the Bulls last season bore little resemblance to the player who garnered MVP attention and the Defensive Player of the Year award as recently as 2014. Shifted to the bench by coach Fred Hoiberg, Noah (4.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.8 APG) never found a groove, posting career lows in scoring and Player Efficiency Rating as his game seemingly fell to pieces.

That’s quite the drop-off.

The Knicks are hoping that Noah has enough left in the tank to be an impact player in 2015-16 and a leader in future seasons. He’s only 31 years of age, which implies he still has two prime seasons left in the tank.

If Noah can give the Knicks two years of high-level play, then the investment would have to be looked at as a wise gamble.

Though Noah’s scoring and efficiency have slipped, he’s still a valuable player. His defensive intensity and leadership are everlasting, and his rebounding and versatility as a facilitator remain top-flight.

For all that’s been made of his decline, Noah still averaged 12.1 rebounds, 4.1 offensive rebounds, and 5.7 assists per 36 minutes between 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The Sports Illustrated snub is merely motivation for Noah to silence his critics in 2016-17.