Scola gives team gritty consistency every game

He leads the Rockets in floor burns. Also in energy, passion, rebounding and defense.

Luis Scola is easy to overlook because he’s surrounded by stars, because he does things that don’t always show up in the box score.

There he was again Tuesday night, throwing in 13 points, grabbing 18 boards and handing out two assists as the Rockets beat Chicago 107-100.

“He was so active,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said

“He rebounded consistently all night long. He has really had a solid year. You can’t give him enough credit, and it’s all effort.”

In a season when Adelman has been forced to change his lineup and rotation seemingly every other night, Scola has been amazingly consistent, doing the same things, performing with heart, giving the Rockets the ingredient all good teams must have.

“He has been our MVP of the first half,” Shane Battier said. “No ifs, ands or buts about it. He’s just so solid. I’d heard about him before he came here, that he was one of the best power forwards in the world. I’ve seen it.”

Some of the same things that can be said of Scola can be said of Battier. They bring the same effort every night and do things that don’t show up in the box score.

“Luis maybe doesn’t run the fastest or jump the highest,” Battier said. “He’s just a great basketball player. He has grown so much in confidence since his rookie season.”

“He does everything,” McGrady said. “He brings toughness and energy, rebounds and steals. He’s a great defensive player. Winning teams must have players like him.”

“I just try to help where I can,” Scola said. “Sometimes if a teammate sees another teammate running hard it’ll maybe make them play harder. If the way I play helps, that’s great.”

-Houston Chronicle

Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah rewarded with big minutes

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."

Commitment to the Team

Good stuff from Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro (shown left) talking about his high draft picks Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Both players were top 10 picks in the draft (Thomas 2 years ago, Noah last year) and have not quite reached their potential so far as NBA players. Here is what Coach Del Negro has to say about the situation:

Del Negro said of them: "They're young and have to find their way. When you're on the court, you have to value those minutes. The guys who are focused, know their role, commit to it and come with effort every day will play.

"I can handle mistakes. But I can't handle lack of effort. And I can't handle lack of commitment to the team. Those guys know that. They're working better. That's always a work in progress with a young team."

"Commitment is coming in with energy every day, with focus, trying to get better, lifting weights, being on time, paying attention in meetings, being ready to play, knowing what your role is, who you're guarding, what their strengths and weaknesses are, how you can affect the team in a positive way," he said. "Commitment is being a professional, working every day to get better individually. As that happens, the team gets better."

"It's not just one guy," Del Negro said. "As a team, we have to jell and there are always bumps. If guys commit to the team, they'll get a chance."