New York’s latest training camp signee pushes the team’s total invite number over the limit, raising the question of how much time Joakim Noah has on the roster.
According to multiple reports the New York Knicks signed forward Jeff Coby to a training camp deal, as first reported by Sportando’s Nicola Lupo. Coby, a 6-foot-8 power forward, has spent the previous basketball season playing for CB Prat Juventud and Cambados Xuven after going undrafted in 2017. During his first year in Spain, Coby averaged 7.6 points and 6.2 rebounds (via RealGM).
The 24-year-old spent four years playing NCAA basketball at Columbia University where he didn’t earn a permanent, season-long starting position until his senior year. This past summer Coby participated in the FIBA Americup 2021 Caribbean Pre-Qualifiers as a member of Haiti’s national team. They went 0-4, but Coby averaged 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 25.6 minutes. In other words, someone had to pull down those bricks his team was throwing up.
With Coby, the Knicks have 21 players on the training camp roster, one more the 20 persons they are allowed. ESPN’s Ian Begley, among others, have speculated that this is a clear sign that Joakim Noah’s departure is imminent. Unless Steve Mills and Scott Perry plan to see some Mortal Kombat action between two signees in the training facility, this assumption may be correct. Coby joins Noah Vonleh, Kadeem Allen, and Tyrius Walker as a squadron of non-guaranteed training camp pickups.
