Noah gets his reward, but what about Deng?

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is happy for Joakim Noah, who was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team announced Monday.

But there’s no defense for leaving Luol Deng off the All-Defensive first team, Thibodeau said.

“In my eyes, Luol deserves to be first team,’’ said Thibodeau, surprised that even Derrick Rose, who narrowly missed joining Noah on the second team, got more votes from the league’s 30 coaches than Deng.

“Joakim has played well, and Derrick has certainly improved a lot. But to me, Luol’s an all-league defender.’’

One of Deng’s strengths is that while he generally guards small ­forwards, Thibodeau has not hesitated to put him on power forwards and shooting guards — and occasionally even on point guards.

“I don’t mind it,’’ Deng said. “I’ve played the longest at the four [power forward] that I’ve ever played. It’s the most I’ve guarded the two guards. Sometimes [I’ve guarded] the one a little bit, but it’s the three most of the time.’’

Thibodeau has never underappreciated Deng. “I always thought he was a complete player,’’ Thibodeau said. “What I didn’t understand is how great a leader he is. And he can handle big minutes.

“We ask him to do everything, whether it’s guarding a tough premier cover, score, rebound, play-make. He moves extremely well without the ball. He complements Derrick and Carlos [Boozer] really well.’’