Former Bulls center Joakim Noah says he was “too lit” to play in New York City

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What went wrong for former Bull and current Grizzlies center Joakim Noah with the Knicks?

Noah opened up about his Knicks-tenure in a recent interview on the Chris Vernon Show, admitting he was not ready for life in New York.

"I don’t think it was one thing, I think it was a lot of things," Noah said. "I’m not here to blame anybody, or it’s anybody’s fault. It just didn’t work out.

"I can look back on it and say I thought I was ready for New York City, but I wasn’t. It’s something that I gotta live with.

Noah, who signed with the Grizzlies earlier this month for the veteran's minimum, played in just 53 games across two seasons with the Knicks. His tenure was marked by knee and shoulder injuries after signing a four-year, $72 million contract in July 2016.

Injuries aside, Noah was also suspended 20 games for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy. However, he implied that partying was a factor in his struggles.

"I remember after the first game, I probably had 60 people in my house," he said. "I’m too lit, I’m too lit to play in New York City. Memphis is perfect for me."

The Knicks ultimately released Noah in October, though he had been away from the team since January after getting into an altercation at practice with former Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek.

Essentially kicked off the team at that point, Noah said that he had a decision to make about how he wanted to live his life.

"When I got kicked off the team, it was New York Fashion Week and I was getting paid a lot of money and I had no direction," he said. "I really had to make a decision of how I wanted to live my life, because if I kept going in the direction that I was going in and stayed in New York, then I probably wouldn’t be here right now."

"I’m getting paid millions of dollars and I have nothing to do and I’m 32 years old. I really had to lock in and set a routine for myself. [Because] partying and being an athlete, they don’t go hand-in-hand."

But what about Noah's tenure with the Bulls?

"We were lit in Chicago, but I was young, so you recover faster."

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