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The Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah was named to the NBA's All-Defensive first team, tying the New York Knicks' Tyson Chandler at center, the league announced on Monday.

Noah is the first Bull to make the first team since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in 1998. Also named to the first team were Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, who led with 53 votes, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul and forwards LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bulls forward Luol Deng, who was voted to the second team last season, didn't make the cut this year, garnering 11 votes, including one first-team vote.

The Bulls had the NBA's third-best scoring defense during the regular season, allowing 92.9 points per game, trailing the Indiana Pacers (90.7) and Memphis Grizzlies (89.3).

The voting was conducted by NBA head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for players from their own team.

Yes, it's "early" for an MVP race. But it's also very late already for a lot of playoff teams.

Each round of the playoffs is a "season" unto itself, with every team in a do-or-die series. Already we've seen virtual must-win games for the 56-win Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks, and we'll get two more tonight on ESPN, with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers trying to stay in their series with the Knicks and Spurs. In that context, every game is amplified tenfold, and every play has the potential to swing the season. Valuable, indeed.

So we're ranking the top 10 players of the postseason every week from now through the NBA Finals, not based on their overall performances solely, but from a perspective of value in obtaining the only thing that matters in the playoffs: Wins.

At the same time, we should mention that some players do enough to impact series even in losses, sometimes by elevating the level of play from their teammates, which puts the team in better position to win the next game. Other times players force the opponent to make wholesale changes in strategy, opening up a new plan of attack for their own team.

Ultimately, though, it's about winning four games in seven. So who is ahead of the pack as we complete the first week of the playoffs?

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose was officially ruled out of Game 3 of their playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, but coach Tom Thibodeau still refuses to shut the door on a possible return this season.

"We've said this all along," Thibodeau said. "If he's ready to come back, he's coming back. And that's no matter when it is. So if it's a week from now, great. If it's not, then that's fine too. We just got to keep moving forward."

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will miss his second straight game Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He did not travel with the team.

"(He's) just day-to-day," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. "Day-to-day. We'll see where he is when we get back."

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CHICAGO -- Times are tough in Tom Thibodeau’s basketball fiefdom.

Taj Gibson is out, Rip Hamilton is out, Luol Deng has a busted-up jaw and Nate Robinson's shot-selection chip is forever on the fritz.

As for Derrick Rose's return, well, Godot has a clearer arrival date than Derrick Rose.

Forward Lou Amundson just signed a 10-day contract and that qualifies for good news right now.

After two years living it up atop the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are angling for playoff position with the plebians and the schedule is only getting tougher.

But through all the turmoil, Thibodeau has one guy he can count on, Joakim Noah.

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CHICAGO -- Joakim Noah never forgets.

That's why it should come as no surprise that Noah dominated the Philadelphia 76ers in the Chicago Bulls' 93-82 victory Thursday with 23 points, 21 rebounds and 11 blocks for his third career triple-double.

Noah remembers the way the Philadelphia crowd cheered when he rolled his ankle badly in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. After he delivered perhaps his best game as a pro, there is joy for Noah in Philadelphia's pain.

"That was probably one of my biggest motivations," Noah said. "Just rehabbing my ankle. And I really felt before the playoffs started last year, I really felt like we were in a position to win the championship. Derrick [Rose] went down and it was very hard on the team, and then [my] getting injured, and then the fans, the way they reacted, I used that as motivation."

The Bulls swept the Sixers in their season series 3-0 after losing to them in the playoffs last season, and Noah was a big contributor. He averaged 18.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game in the Bulls' three wins over the Sixers.

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BOSTON -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah has been critical of some of Kevin Garnett's tactics over the years, but he still respects the Boston Celtics forward.

"I think he's a hell of a competitor," said Noah, whose Bulls play the Celtics on Wednesday night. "I really respect him."

Noah's comments come on the heels of a 100-99 Bulls victory over the Celtics on Jan. 18 when Noah was critical of the way Garnett handled himself. While praising Garnett's competitiveness, Noah acknowledged that he feels Garnett crosses the line sometimes.

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BOSTON -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah said he is "definitely" playing against the Boston Celtics Wednesday, but his status for Sunday night's All-Star Game is uncertain because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

"I'm feeling awesome," he said before Wednesday morning's shootaround. "I feel great. I wouldn't miss (the Celtics) for anything."

As for his status for his first All-Star Game, Noah is non-committal, saying he is just trying to focus on the Celtics game. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said the decision to play Noah for Sunday's game in Houston would be decided by a group including Noah, the Bulls' medical staff and Thibodeau.

"Barring any unforeseen setbacks (he'll play)," Thibodeau said. "But he'll make a good decision. He's managing it fine right now and we'll see where he is before he gets to the game, but I think he'll be fine."

Thibodeau and Noah want to make a final decision on whether he plays in the All-Star Game after seeing how Noah performs on Wednesday.

"Jo will do what's right," Thibodeau said. "Obviously if he can play he should play. But we'll just take it day by day."

After missing three games, Noah has played the past three, averaging 7.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in 31.7 minutes a game.

Bulls forward Luol Deng hopes Noah will play in the game and is excited to get the chance to be with him on such a large stage.

"I'm looking forward to it," Deng said. "I'm not going to lie. I think I was excited last year, I'm excited this year. I think as you go on you represent the team and the city more than yourself, and I think Jo will realize that. It's a great honor to have and something you're going to look back later on and be excited about as an individual accomplishment but as of right now it's more of the jersey that you have one when you're playing."

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah has acknowledged that he is willing to miss next weekend's NBA All-Star Game if his injured right foot doesn't improve.

Noah said Sunday that as much as he wants to play in the All-Star Game, he must put his team first.

"To me, (the All-Star Game is) pretty important," Noah said after Sunday's practice at the Berto Center. "I mean, it's not that important, but it's something I want to do. I also have to do what's right for the team. There's obviously a bigger picture than the All-Star game. We'll see."

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DENVER -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah said he will play Thursday against the Denver Nuggets after missing the past three games because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was escorted off the bench during the second quarter of Monday night's game against the Indiana Pacers because of an issue the league office had with his wardrobe.

Noah, who missed his third consecutive game because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, was sitting on the bench wearing a grey sweater, a black blazer and jeans before being asked to change. After the Bulls' 111-101 defeat, Noah said wasn't quite sure what the league was upset about regarding his wardrobe.

"I don't even know really," Noah said. "They told me I wasn't dressed appropriately so I changed."

During the game Noah was taking taunts from fans in stride including one fan who barked out, "Hey Noah, nice skinny jeans!" Noah responded by giving the fan a thumbs up.

Noah admitted that it was the first time in a while he was dressed in that kind of attire.

"That's not really my style," he said. "But I want to be out there with my guys."

He headed into the locker room to join Derrick Rose, who has not yet watched a game from the bench, as he recovers from ACL surgery.

Noah then returned to the bench at the start of the second half wearing a blue-striped shirt. He also switched out of his black suit blazer and borrowed Randy Brown's blue blazer. Apparently the sweater was the problem under the league’s fashion code of conduct.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The most memorable moment in Luol Deng's first All-Star Game came during introductions.

Last season in Orlando, a beaming Deng was dressed in patriotic contraband. Instead of the league-mandated warm-up jacket, he wore a black T-shirt with the colorful decal of Africa that he pushed out for all to see.

As far as I know, he became the first All-Star to pop a continent.

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The All-Star teams are now set. ... But are they right? Our team of five weighs in on the snubs and surprises of this year's 12-man squads.

Read 5-on-5 here.

CHICAGO -- Tom Thibodeau will never take any credit for the fact that Joakim Noah and Luol Deng were named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team Thursday night ... but he should.

Without Thibodeau leading the way and pushing them as hard as he can, neither would be enjoying the success they have earned over the past few seasons.

People can argue all day whether Thibodeau's methods are good for the Bulls' long-term growth as a team -- his domineering presence definitely rubs people the wrong way sometimes -- but what is inarguable is the effect he has had on the two Bulls players who were named to the All-Star team.

Noah and Deng, along with Derrick Rose, have prospered more than any other Bulls on the roster since Thibodeau's arrival. And one could argue Noah and Deng have taken an even bigger step under Thibodeau than Rose has, as far as personal growth goes.

Yes, Rose became an MVP under Thibodeau's watch, and that is an unbelievable honor. But he earned a rookie of the year award and was named to his first All-Star Game under Vinny Del Negro. Rose's talent was always in plain view. He was so gifted early on that it didn't matter who was barking out orders from the sidelines. Rose had the ability to take over games whenever he wanted; Noah and Deng weren't blessed with quite as much ability.

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Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett already have been voted Eastern Conference starters by the fans. Which players should join them in Houston for the big game? Our crew hands in their reserve ballots. Read 5-on-5 »

ALSO SEE: Tom Haberstroh names his All-Star reserves for the Eastern Conference. Per Diem »