Traina Thoughts: Joakim Noah Opens Up About Partying Too Much in New York City

Former Knicks center Joakim Noah says he couldn't handle all the partying in New York.

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1. Athletes normally like to be low key about their partying, but Joakim Noah isn't pulling any punches when it comes to analyzing his time in New York.

Noah played in just seven games for the Knicks last season because of injuries. Now in Memphis, Noah is realizing that the Big Apple was too much for him.

“I can look back at it and say I was ready for New York City, but I wasn’t," he told the Chris Vernon Show. "Not just the pressure. I remember after the first game I had 60 people in my house. I’m too lit to play in New York City. Memphis is perfect for me.”

Athletes partying is not new. It's expected. But Noah explained why he had trouble doing that in New York after playing in Chicago for nine seasons.

“We were lit in Chicago but I was young so you recover faster.”

Noah expanded on what he did with all his time last year after missing most of the season.

“Yeah, partying. Just yeah. I’m getting paid millions of dollars and have nothing to do and I’m 32 years old."

Maybe Noah hit on something here. Maybe it's the temptation to party that has caused the Knicks to be a complete and utter embarrassment for only the past 17-18 years.

2. The Internet had a field day with Stephen A. Smith's trainwreck performance on First Take on Thursday, which was covered in Traina Thoughts. There was some notable fallout.

Even Chargers players, including Hunter Henry, had fun at Stephen A.'s expense.

And Stephen A. tried to explain his performance, but only made things worse.

Sure, Smith was looking forward to seeing Virgil Green, who had 15 catches on the season going into last night's game and none in San Diego's previous two games. Sure.

However, the yakker does get a tiny bit of credit because eventually he had a laugh at his own expense.

3. "He's so tight, he squeaks when he walks." That line came from long-time Suns fan Greta Rogers, who tore into Suns owner Robert Sarver at a city council meeting Thursday night after Sarver threatened to move the Suns to Vegas or Seattle because he may not get funding to renovate their arena.

4. Dennis Rodman posted this video of himself scrolling through Instagram and getting all excited to see adult film star Kenda Lust. But here's the real quesion: Are there really flip phones that have Instagram on them or is this video really just an ad for something?

5. ESPN recently reviewed the food-safety inspection reports for all 111 North American pro sports venues. The Yankees finished dead last among MLB ballparks and now the team is all bent out of shape.

6. The latest SI Media Podcast is a Year in Review edition with John Ourand of Sports Business Journal and Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. We discussed the biggest sports media stories of 2018, revealed our breakout stars, talked about the best and worst trends and looked ahead to what to expect in 2019. You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: You guys love awkward interviews, so in honor of the recent Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson 30-for-30, here's a doozy from Iron Mike.

Traina Thoughts is the best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts right here.And make sure to listen to and subscribe to the SI Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina.

IN CLOSING: Giants -2 vs. the Titans is the best bet of the weekend.