NBA Playoffs 2011: Is Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah an Overrated Defender?

In just a couple of hours, the Chicago Bulls will take on the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat won Game 3, 96-85, behind Chris Bosh and his 34 points. Bulls center Joakim Noah was guarding Bosh the entire game, and simply looked outmatched. As a result, some fans are whispering about the former lottery pick being an overrated defender.

Based on Noah's abysmal performance in Game 3, I don't blame people for speaking ill of him. In 29 minutes, he only scored one point and had just five rebounds. Keep in mind, he is averaging 9.1 points and 10.1 rebounds for the playoffs, not to mention 2.1 blocks.

First, it should be known that for his brief four-season career, Noah has never been much of an offensive threat. He carries a career scoring average of 8.5 points with 8.4 rebounds. The former Florida Gator didn't even become the double-double machine he is now until the 2009 season. In 2010, he averaged a career high 11.7 points to go with 10.4 rebounds (down from 2009's average of 11) in just 48 games.

Yet, in this playoff series against Miami, Noah appears to be struggling. He is averaging just 6.3 points compared to nine rebounds per game, and is shooting an abysmal 24 percent from the field. During the regular season, his field goal percentage was a very respectable 52.

I'm going to be blunt now. Given how Noah is 6'11" and 232 pounds—compared to Bosh, who is about the same size but 6'11" and 235 pounds—this matchup should be much more even than it has been all series. Given how Noah plays for a defensive coach, he should be controlling the inside game rather than letting Bosh take him to school night after night.

Now, let's take a look at Noah's college stats. In three years at Florida, playing for the legendary Billy Donovan, Noah averaged 9.9 points and six rebounds per game. Those numbers aren't too far off from his NBA career stats which I mentioned earlier.

Apparently, the Bulls thought Noah was worth the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft. That's a lottery pick, usually reserved for one of the best college players. Yes, Noah was talented in college, but was he worth a lottery pick?

Just to give the readers an idea, I'm going to name two players taken after Noah who I believe to be more talented than he: Rodney Stuckey and Nick Young. I know those two aren't big men, but they were clearly more deserving of a lottery pick than Noah.

So, that being said, is Joakim Noah an overrated defender? The answer is yes. His stats may look impressive on paper, but there is no reason that he should be having this much trouble against a player who plays next to no defense whatsoever.

Thus, given the circumstances under which he entered the NBA, Noah is more than just an overrated defender. Rather, he might also soon be a draft bust.