Rockets HC McHale on Noah: 'He should be defensive player of the year'

Joakim Noah may not want Chicago Bulls fans serenading him with chants of "M-V-P," but maybe he'll be more amenable to Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

He has one major supporter already in Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, who said Thursday that Noah should get the nod as the league's top defender:

He's played very well. He should be defensive player of the year. He's done a great job with these guys. They've been winning a lot just on his energy and effort, his kind of determination and toughness. Those are all qualities everybody appreciates.

There are two pretty big factors that make McHale's opinion legitimate: the coach, himself, was a top defensive big man in his day, and he's coached two former winners of the award in Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. Dude knows defense.

Howard, too, was complimentary of Noah:

I've playing against Joakim since adidas camp back when he was 15, 16 years old. I've seen a difference in his game. The one thing that has remained the same is his intensity level on the floor. He's always going after every play, trying to get all the loose balls, stuff like that.
...
I'm happy to see him grow. He's doing a great job here in Chicago.

While Noah may not be the prohibitive favorite for the honor, he's worked his way into the conversation with the Roy Hibberts and Andre Iguodalas of the league. Noah is one of just four players in the NBA averaging at least seven defensive rebounds, one steal and one block, and he's the anchor of the Bulls' second-ranked defense.