Chicago Bulls rumors: Taj Gibson not thrilled with bench role
By Josh Hill
The Chicago Bulls are looking to be contenders in the Eastern Conference this year and that means a tighter run ship than we’ve seen in years past. That’s not to say that Tom Thibodeau hasn’t run a tight ship in Chicago, it just means that no one can play favorites and some people may have to take roles that are beneath them for the greater good of the team.
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One of those players is Taj Gibson, as the Bulls forward signed a huge extension with the team a few years ago and is easing his way into the starting lineup. He was meant to succeed Carlos Boozer in the starting lineup once Boozer was amnestied — something that happened this summer — but as soon as that happened the Bulls brought two players who have seemingly pushed Gibson out of the starting lineup.
Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic both play Gibson’s position and both will make it hard for Gibson to get minutes all to his lonesome. Needless to say, he’s not all that thrilled with this idea.
Per Aggrey Sam of Comcast SportsNet Chicago:
"Privately, (Taj) Gibson isn’t too thrilled with the prospect of continuing to be a reserve, according to multiple people familiar with the situation, but the upbeat, team-first player values winning and chemistry too much to make it an issue or distraction. Furthermore, being an underdog his entire basketball career, it could serve as motivation and help him thrive, building upon last year’s bounce-back campaign and improvement as a scorer, which came after a disappointing, injury-riddled season immediately following a long-term contract extension with the Bulls on Halloween 2012."
Gibson is a hustler and he’s someone that Tom Thibodeau loves to use. That’s going to go a long way in making sure Gibson sees valuable minutes this season but it by no means guarantees him anything. Chicago may end up trying to trade Gibson if he becomes a problem, but a little bit of winning and the prospect of making himself more valuable on the market may motivate Gibson to turn in a solid season — even if it’s from the bench.
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