Poke in the eye a minor setback compared to Noah's rookie season

Денг Гордон · Oct 3, 2008

This was something of a rough summer for Bulls center Joakim Noah.

He had some minor legal trouble during a visit to Gainesville, Fla., then suffered a sprained ankle while attending a camp run by longtime NBA assistant coach Tim Grgurich in Las Vegas.

"I actually got off the plane, went straight to the camp and first play, I landed on somebody's foot," Noah said.

Now he's sidelined during the first week of training camp after being accidentally poked in the left eye by Thabo Sefolosha, one of his best friends on the team. Noah and Sefolosha usually converse in French, so no doubt there was some interesting language floating around the Berto Center on Wednesday night.

Those incidents were quickly forgotten, however, and Noah appreciates the chance to start new with a revamped coaching staff. The Bulls billed first-time head coach Vinny Del Negro as a strong communicator and so far Noah is impressed.

"It's unbelievable, in this first month here I've probably spent more time with him than I did with Skiles in the first six months," Noah said. "He took me out to dinner. One time, I was at a restaurant and he was there and he actually paid for my tab. I thought that was pretty cool for a coach that just got here to do that."

Noah actually got to know Del Negro before the 2007 draft when he visited Phoenix for a workout. Del Negro was in the Suns' scouting department at the time.

"He's definitely a players coach," Noah said. "I remember one time I thought I got fouled in practice and I got kind of emotional. He told me to calm down. He said, 'Who cares if you got fouled? Just get back on defense.' It made sense, so I just got back on defense.

"Something he emphasizes a lot is knowing your role on the team. Sometimes as a player, it's important for a coach to explain that to you, what he wants you to do and not be confused out there. He's definitely someone who lets you know what he wants you to do."

"He wants to get better," Del Negro said. "He's putting in the time and it's just a matter of time before he makes an impact. You want to root for guys like that."
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http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=240215&src=150

Денг Гордон · Oct 3, 2008

Absorbing Thabo Sefolosha's thumb in his left eye at Thursday night's practice wasn't the ideal way for Noah to begin his second training camp. But with the injury estimated to sideline him no more than five days, Noah, in keeping with his optimistic attitude and return to joviality, is spinning matters positively.

"I feel like last year I went through adversity," he said. "We all went through adversity, whether it was suspensions or not. Losing hurts. Last year I experienced a lot, and it will help me with my career. If you can deal with the good, you have to be able to deal with the bad as well."

That bad included Noah getting arrested in May for possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis and an open-container violation, as well as severely spraining his ankle at a Las Vegas big man's camp in August.

Once again, Noah, who was fined and placed on probation for his arrest, sees a glass that's half-full.

"Everything happens for a reason, and I got a lot of lifting in, so I feel stronger," he said. "I get my conditioning back pretty quick. I'm feeling good right now, and I'm looking forward to getting back out there once my eye heals."

Anyone who witnessed Noah's summer-league play in Orlando might question his claim about conditioning. Noah often looked winded or incurred quick foul trouble because of poor positional defense, continuing a trend former coach Scott Skiles used to discuss about Noah's tendency to play better in his second reserve stint because the first featured all nervous energy.

It's why new coach Vinny Del Negro didn't hesitate when asked for his impressions of Noah's summer-league performance.

"I wasn't happy with him," Del Negro said. "He knows that. We've talked about it. But I love his energy. He's had a very productive summer and got in better condition. He wants to get better.

"You root for guys like that. He's put in the time, and it's just a matter of time before he makes an impact."

Del Negro has noticed Noah's habit of getting winded early in his first stretch of playing time as well.

"Some of that is the adrenaline rush of being a young player and not being able to control your emotions," Del Negro said. "As you become more mature, I think he'll be able to relax and pick his spots where he can be effective. Those things just take time. It's not a magic potion. Everybody is built differently and has a different personality."
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-081003-joakim-noah-chicago-bulls,0,7147206.story

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Poke in the eye a minor setback compared to Noah's rookie season

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