Joakim Noah and Al Horford, A Florida Reunion in Boston?
By Jeremy Karll
Can the Celtics attract both Joakim Noah and Al Horford?
The Boston Celtics front court could look completely different next season. Amir Johnson has a $12 million team option, Jonas Jerebko a $5 million option and Jared Sullinger is set to hit the free agent market as well. That leaves Boston with Kelly Olynyk and Jordan Mickey as their only big men on the roster heading into the off-season.
Even if the Celtics draft Dragan Bender, they would still have three bench players down low heading into next season. Dragan Bender will need time to develop into a starter and Jordan Mickey has only seen 56 NBA minutes. Both could end up being starting caliber players, however, it won’t be at the start of next season.
Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls made headlines this past week. Noah has been with the Bulls since they drafted him in 2007 and he has always been very good in the community and a fan favorite. However, this past week the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Noah has told his teammates goodbye and that he doesn’t trust the front office.
There were later reports that said Noah never said anything like that and he’d still be open to re-signing with the Bulls. That doesn’t mean Chicago – who is going through a crisis right now – is going to bring Noah back. There is a feeling that they’re going to blow their team up and try to start fresh.
That would leave Noah on the free agency market for the first time in his career.
Noah’s stock is as low as it will ever be, and that’s why the Celtics should jump on the chance of signing him. Since he finished fourth in MVP voting and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14, it has gone downhill for the Florida product.
The Bulls stopped running their offense through him and he went back to his role of doing the dirty work. He didn’t fit well with Pau Gasol as their games didn’t mesh and he put together one of his worst seasons of his career and looked awkward on offense – not knowing when to pass or shoot. That led to him getting benched this past season as he only started two of 29 games under new head coach Fred Hoiberg before having season-ending shoulder surgery.
With people now wondering if he’ll recover from these past two seasons, he won’t command anywhere near a max contract. That will make Noah one of the biggest steals this off-season.
Noah is a player you hate to play against but love to have on your team. He’s a nuisance to play against but he’s arguably the hardest working player in the league and a great defender, rebounder and teammate.
The best attribute that Noah would bring is his passing. There isn’t a better passing big man in the NBA. It was on full display during the 2013-14 season when he averaged 5.4 assists per game. It would add a new dynamic to the Celtics’ offense to run plays through their center, or having their center lead some of the fastbreaks – which he did in Chicago.
The Celtics obviously have the money to bring in the high-energy center, but their biggest chip would be if they brought in his friend Al Horford as well.
The Celtics have been tied to Al Horford since the trade deadline. Horford has already told media he loves Atlanta but that doesn’t mean he’s going to stay. The bigger problem is Boston will be joined by many other teams trying to get his services.
Noah and Horford played at Florida together and won two championships. They still stay in touch and remain very close. It’s a rumor that they may try to have a reunion this off-season, but it’s nothing more than a rumor.
Signing both Horford and Noah would instantly give the Celtics one of the best front courts in the league. Noah and Horford compliment each other very well on both sides of the ball. On defense, they both are athletic and can step out and guard the pick-and-roll but can also be a factor down low.
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Offensively, Horford is able to step out to take threes and also post-up. Noah isn’t as effective with his back to the basket but he has a very smooth mid-range game, can take his defender off the dribble and is a great offensive rebounder. The Celtics could also run multiple plays through either as they’re both very good passers for big men.
Horford is better with the ball in his hands but Noah can affect the game in other ways. He always fights for positioning down low, is great at setting screens and is always focused on grabbing rebounds. Adding a scorer down low who can also rebound, along with a big man who does the dirty work as well as anyone would be huge for Boston.
The biggest concern is that both are natural centers in the NBA. The were able to co-exist in college so it’s a little more reassuring that it will work now. Noah is a very team-oriented player so if the Celtics needed him to come off the bench he would to help the team.
Next: Are Jordan Mickey and Terry Rozier on the Block?
Signing one of them could lead to the other coming as well. It’d be great for the development of Jordan Mickey and would make the Celtics one of the top teams in the East. Right now it’s only a dream, but if Noah decides to leave Chicago it could become a very real possibility.