BIG BUCKS FOR BIG MAN: Former All-Star center for the Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah, agrees to HUGE contract with Knicks

With a bathroom selfie and a lucrative agreement, Joakim Noah pledged his allegiance to the Knicks.

The 31-year-old huddled with Knicks brass for three hours Friday evening at a posh Disney resort in Orlando, agreeing to a four-year, $72 million deal.

Noah knew what was coming. Hours prior to his meeting, he posted a picture of himself on Instagram wearing a Knicks cap. He wrote, “Jah blessed,” under the shirtless selfie, which is a Rastafarian term for “God Bless.”

Phil Jackson, GM Steve Mills, Jeff Hornacek and top adviser Clarence Gaines took the trip to Noah’s posh hotel to iron out the details of his signing, arriving near Disney World for a 7:30 p.m. dinner.

Afterwards, Hornacek was optimistic.

“Good steak, good chicken, good fish, good dessert,” he said. “Good talk with him. He’s excited. Hopefully we’re very confident something will work out with him.”

Hornacek acknowledged the Knicks are in the market for an emotional leader at center, which certainly fits Noah’s profile as a shouting communicator.

“Derrick (Rose) is a relatively quiet guy. Carmelo (Anthony) is a bit of a leader. But when you’re looking at centers and guards, you want somebody who can be a leader from the back side of the line and the guy from the front side,” Hornacek said. “So sure, it’s great if your center is a talker. My teams in Phoenix, they didn’t talk very much. We kept saying you got to talk, you got to talk. It’s so much easier when you hear about these guys that are these great centers who just sit back there and direct his teammates. Like Kevin Garnett. He just told everybody where to go, where the other team is passing. So that’s a big quality to have as a center.”

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Hornacek also revealed that 2015 second-round pick Willy Hernangomez will join the Knicks next season after a year playing overseas. He projects the 22-year-old Spaniard as a backup center.

“He’s ready to come over here,” Hornacek said. “He’s a big body, he’s skilled, a low-post guy who will fit good in this system.

“Until you get in this league, I don’t know if everybody’s ready. Even the great ones that come in have an adjustment period. But he has played against some good competition (in Spain). So I think he’ll be able to pick things up pretty quickly.”

After agreeing to terms with Noah, the Knicks still need a starting shooting guard. Eric Gordon and Courtney Lee are the top options right now.
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