Who Are the Chicago Bulls’ 10 Most Valuable Assets?
By Jake Barajas
6. Taj Gibson
- Age: 31 (June 24)
- Contract: one year, $9 million
I never liked when a guy was described as “a winning basketball player”, but Taj Gibson is a winning basketball player.
In The Book of Basketball, Bill Simmons talked about “The Secret.” Simmons described an encounter with the great Isiah Thomas who told him the secret of basketball. Thomas said, “The secret of basketball is that it’s not about basketball.”
In short order, what he means is that winning is about team chemistry and being a good teammate. Taj Gibson embodies The Secret. Case in point, he was recently voted Best Teammate for the Bulls by the NBA Players Association.
Gibson has battled through countless injuries and perpetual trade rumors. Not once has he complained. Even as things were falling apart last season, he stood up an vouched for his rookie head coach when nobody else would.
Stacey King always puts it best when describing Gibson as a “hard-hat, lunch pail” guy. He does all of the dirty work and willingly fills whichever role the Bulls need him to fill, because all the guy wants to do is win.
Yet again, Taj Gibson’s name will certainly be thrown around in trade talks this season. And teams should be calling the Bulls about him. If a team traded for him, they can be assured that they’re getting a guy who plays solid defense and can knock down the mid-range jumper. Perhaps most importantly, a team trading for Gibson is getting one of the best teammates in the NBA and a guy who understands The Secret.
Next: No. 5