NOAH For MVP: Making The Case For Joakim Noah as Most Valuable Player

As the heart and soul of the Chicago Bulls defense, emotional leader, and as this up-and-down season has unfolded, the outspoken vocal leader of the Bulls, Joakim Noah has, in the minds of real basketball fans, made the case that he is the most valuable player for his team.

Joakim Noah has been leading his team to the upper half of the playoff seeding and putting up numbers for Chicago that put him in very select company.

While pseudo fans and bandwagon Miami Heat fans will continue to tweet about Lebron James as if they knew the first thing about basketball, Lebron can hardly be considered an MVP this season with the other players around him and his team only second in a weak Eastern Conference.

Durant is by far the frontrunner for his incredible efforts this season. Durant leads the NBA in scoring by 4 points a game. He is currently on a streak of 34 straight games of scoring 25 or more points. And he has his team vying for the best record in the NBA and strong Western Conference despite missing running mate Russell Westbrook for the beginning of the season.

And without taking anything away from Durant, the case can be made that Joakim Noah is as essential to the Chicago Bulls being in a position to take the 3rd seed from the Toronto Raptors in a season where leading scorer and former All-Star Luol Deng was traded for cap flexability.

The Deng trade seemed to signal that the Bulls were going into rebuilding mode, but Head Coach Tom Thibodeau and Joakim Noah were adamant that "tanking" was not in the identity of this team. Noah proceeded to lead Chicago, vocally and emotionally, on a run into the playoffs and into the 4th seed in the East despite losing Deng. During the Bulls' run, Noah had a series of incredible performances running the offense, and he put up three triple-doubles in four games.

Joakim Noah's impact on the game was finally recognized on a national stage as he played all the crunch time minutes for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, powering them to the win with his defensive energy.

Joakim Noah's effect on the game became public at the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, and may even include recruiting Carmelo Anthony to Chicago.

Since the All Star break, Noah has been averaging a gaudy 13.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game (up from 11.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game before the break). The only other centers to post such averages have been Vlade Divac and former league MVP, David Robinson.

As the very definition of a team player, Noah refuses to discuss the MVP talk, saying that Derrick Rose is the Chicago Bulls MVP. He doesn't even like the MVP chants that greet him in the United Center. However, if Joakim Noah continues to go Beast-mode on the league, he will most certainly climb up MVP list in the eyes of observant NBA MVP voters.

Do you think Joakim Noah deserves the MVP accolades? Where does he stand on your MVP list? Tell us in the comments below!

2014 NBA Draft: Best Case Scenario For the Chicago Bulls?

As it currently stands, the Chicago Bulls potentially have 3 First Round (SAC, CHA, their own) and 1 Second Round Pick (their own) in this year's loaded NBA Draft.

The best case scenario for the Bulls is for the Charlotte Bobcats pick to fall outside the top 11 picks and for the Sacramento Kings pick to fall outside the top 12 picks.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls must fall out of the playoff picture, and preferrably, lose their way into as many lottery balls as possible.

Ideally, the Chicago Bulls can end up with the opportunity to make 3 selections in the top 13, with their own pick potentially in the top 3 if the lottery balls fall the right way.

And here are the potential top prizes in the 2014 NBA Draft:

1.  Andrew Wiggins,  6' 8"  SF  Kansas

2.  Jabari Parker,  6' 8"  SF  Duke

3.  Joel Embiid,  7' 0"  C  Kansas

4.  Julius Randle,  6' 10"  PF  Kentucky

5.  Aaron Gordon,  6' 9"  PF  Arizona

Each one of the aforementioned players has the talent to be selected #1 overall in most years, so 2014's deep, deep rookie class has sparked an epidemic of accusations and rumors of tanking.

While a total rebuild of the Chicago Bulls' roster  is not necessary, the loss of Derrick Rose for the season may allow the Bulls to finally get their second star to pair with Rose in much the same way the San Antonio Spurs were able to draft Tim Duncan #1 overall after finishing the 1997 season with the 3rd worst record while David Robinson (a #1 overall selection himself in 1987) was injured.

The addition of Tim Duncan to a Spurs team with David Robinson coming back from injury was good for two NBA Championships for the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003.

While this may be the best-case scenario, this draft is so deep that the Bulls might do just fine selecting picking once or twice in the middle of the first round.

Also, with the prospect of Italian League MVP, Nikola Mirotic, joining the team next season, this is still an extremely exciting season to follow the Bulls as all the pieces fall into place.

What do you think is the best move for the Chicago Bulls? Tell us in the comments below!