Apr 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
2009: James Johnson heads North, while Taj Gibson contributes
Similar to the 2014 NBA Draft, the Bulls had two first-round picks during the 2009 NBA Draft.
Swarm and Sting
One never really panned out in Chicago, and the other one was Taj Gibson.
The Bulls had the 16th and 26th overall picks in 2009 (thanks to a trade with Denver via Oklahoma City). At No. 16, the Bulls took current Raptors forward James Johnson.
Yeah, that didn’t work.
Johnson played in just 78 games for the Bulls over his first two NBA seasons, scoring no more than 3.9 points per game. He was later traded to Toronto in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 2011, which turned out to be current Pelicans guard Norris Cole.
Gibson on the other hand, became an intricate part of the Bulls’ current core. In 434 games for the Bulls over the last six seasons, Gibson has competed for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award on a couple of different occasions, while scoring over 10 points a game in the last two seasons.
Despite an ankle surgery recently, Gibson will be one of the key bench contributors under new head coach Fred Hoiberg this upcoming season (as long as the Bulls don’t trade him away first).
Next: 2010: Kevin Seraphin. Traded.