Knicks Pres. Steve Mills Throws Shade at Phil Jackson over Joakim Noah Signing

The 21st-century New York Knicks took the 20th-century Los Angeles Clippers' previous role as NBA laughingstock long ago. While today's Knicks have a glimmer of hope given the team's commitment to a serious and significant rebuild, the team is enduring another long season thanks to a 9-24 record.

The Knicks are in this situation because of a long series of questionable decisions made by numerous executives, including a four-year, $72 million contract given to former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah under the front-office leadership of then-team president Phil Jackson.

In a talk with reporters Friday, current president Steve Mills, who worked under Jackson, implied that he wasn't for the move:

Noah, who was a two-time NCAA national champion with Florida, had a tremendous tenure in Chicago. He made the All-Star team twice and won the 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Bulls went 62-20 in 2010-11 with Noah as the starting center and made the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Miami Heat.

However, Noah suffered multiple injuries in 2015-16 that forced him to miss more than half of the season prior to entering free agency. The Knicks still gave him that contract despite Noah being on the downside of his career. He played just 53 games over two seasons in New York, averaging 4.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The Knicks waived him October 13.

The move symbolizes a failed front-office tenure for Jackson in an otherwise excellent NBA career as player and coach. Fat contracts don't seem like the form for the new Knicks led by Mills and general manager Scott Perry, however, as the team looks to build the franchise from scratch.