Joakim Noah and Knicks general manager pose for photos at a news conference on July 8, 2016, in Greenburgh, New York. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Ryan Chatelain

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You’ve got to hand it to Joakim Noah. He has a way with words.

Whether or not Knicks fans believe Noah is the right center to help usher their team deep into the playoffs might be up for debate. But even those faithful who might have been critical of the Noah signing had to feel at least a little kick of adrenaline when they heard or read the New York native’s comments at his introductory news conference Friday.

“I’ve been a Knicks fan my whole life, so this jersey means everything to me,” Noah told MSG Network. “And I’m ready to be an animal for this city.”

No one will ever confuse the pride of playing for the Knicks with the pride associated with wearing Yankees pinstripes, but it’s nice to be reminded the former still exists.

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It’s no secret that so far this millennium has not gone according to plan for the Knickerbockers. On their best days, they’ve been only tolerable. Most of the time, however, they’ve been as embarrassing as a zit on school picture day.

The tradition of the Knicks seems to get a little more watered down with each passing year. The franchise has won just two titles in its 70-year history, and you have to be at least in your 50s to remember the last one.

But there are still plenty of fans who love the Knicks with all their being. And there’s something really cool and special about seeing someone who feels just as passionately as they do about the Knicks have the opportunity to suit up in orange and blue.

And that’s something this team really needed.

Phil Jackson, a member of the Knicks’ last championship team in 1973, said all the right things when he was hired as team president in 2014 — that it felt great to come back to where his career started and that there’s no better place to win than in New York.

But until Jackson stops bolting for the West Coast or his Montana lake house every chance he gets, even when there’s important business to attend to here, it won’t feel like he truly embraces New York City.

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Carmelo Anthony announced he was re-signing with the Knicks in 2014 in a message on his website titled “My City, My Heart.” In it, he wrote, “I want to stay and build here with this city and my team” and, “In the end, I am a New York Knick at heart.” But his comments seemed somewhat disingenuous because they came on the heels of LeBron James penning his own lengthy love letter to his home region when he announced his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anthony came across as someone following the latest fashion trend.

And Anthony’s loyalty to the Knicks doesn’t seem all that strong after he hinted several times last season he might be open to playing elsewhere if he didn’t approve of how the front office tackled free agency this summer.

In five years with the Knicks, Anthony’s love for the team has never shone as brightly as Noah’s did in his first week.

When Noah talks about the Knicks and his hometown, he comes across as genuine, proud and motivated to do right by the Big Apple.

“I want the people of New York to be proud of their team,” Noah told the New York Post. “And to me, that’s just as important as anything. Building an identity, and making sure that the people are like, ‘You know what, this is our squad.’”

And Noah isn’t the only new Knick who is truly excited to be here. Brandon Jennings, signed to back up Derrick Rose at point guard, has been vocal about how badly he wanted to be drafted by the Knicks in 2009 — New York passed on him at No. 8, and he went to Milwaukee two picks later. It seems that desire never dissipated.

Despite being from Compton, California, Jennings appears to have a true appreciation for the franchise and the city’s basketball roots.

“It’s the mecca of basketball, New York,” Jennings told MSG. “How can you not be excited to play in the Garden every night? It’s always sold out. The energy’s crazy. I just can’t wait.”

But obviously Jennings’ admiration for the Knicks doesn’t reach Joakim Noah level. Whose does? Noah’s infectious enthusiasm for his new team, in fact, might have already played a role in landing free agent shooting guard Courtney Lee.

“He reached out, and he’s so passionate on the phone. He’s hungry. He’s eager,” Lee told MSG. “He was just so animated, and he was just telling me we could do something special.”

Maybe the Knicks will fulfill Noah’s prediction of accomplishing something special. Maybe they won’t.

But you get the feeling if the 31-year-old former NBA Defensive Player of the Year’s body can just hold up, he’ll bust his tail for his hometown, he’ll help instill a renewed sense of pride in a franchise that could use it, and perhaps he just might influence the next generation of talented New York hoopsters to dream about someday, too, suiting up for the Knicks.



Follow Ryan on Twitter at @RyanChatelain