Vinny Del Negro followed his message with minutes.
One game after benching Joakim Noah for the entire second half, Del Negro played the second-year center 13 minutes 37 seconds consecutively bridging the first and second quarters and 32 minutes overall.Noah finished with eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Asked what he needed to see more consistently from Noah, Del Negro answered directly.
"Energy, focus, rebounding, control the paint for me better, run the court, do all the things he's definitely capable of doing," Del Negro said. "He has to bring energy. He wants to get better. He has to keep working. When the opportunity is there, go and make it hard for me to take you out."
Noah admitted his inconsistent minutes, brought on somewhat by his own poor conditioning, have made this season difficult.
"I have to keep working," Noah said.
Any team observer has noticed Noah's improvement in this area. Consistently before games and after practices, Noah gets in extra sprints.
"He's been putting in extra effort," Del Negro said. "It helps him and also helps the team. He's working. As he continues to work, he brings energy and length up front that we need."
