It’s how you play. It makes perfect. Allen Iverson can’t believe this story is being written about…PRACTICE! Why is practice the theme of this exposition you’re reading?
Well, in the context of the ever-evolving Chicago Bulls, new players, selected by a new front office, taking direction from a mostly new coaching staff, are scheduled to assemble in formal, organized NBA practice with incumbent Bulls players starting Sep 28, 2026. Within all this roster evolution is the presence of one-time Bulls bench mob cult hero, former Bulls forward Taj Gibson.
As of Sep 14, 2026, Gibson is now Chicago Bulls assistant coach Taj Gibson, and there is the prospect on the horizon that Bulls practices may receive a desperately needed injection of the energy and attitude that Gibson encountered as a Bulls player under former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau’s watch.
In a Bulls locker room governed by the domineering presences of Thibodeau, Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and later Jimmy Butler, Gibson learned early in his NBA career that Bulls team practice was a daily appointment in being challenged to improve for the good of the entire team.
Iron sharpening among brothers
Jimmy Butler’s indoctrination into the culture of Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls locker room opened his eyes and cemented his NBA career trajectory. In an entertaining and candid commercial starring both Gibson and Noah of early 2010’s vintage, Gibson lays bare the ethos of his Bulls practices by indicting all of Noah’s laundry list of trash-talk tactics against his own teammate.
Bulls practices were intense battles for Gibson that clearly involved trash talk and even included a broken jaw for Derrick Rose. The dynamic that shaped the Bulls rosters during Taj Gibson’s player tenure with the Bulls was the collection of player personalities on the roster, amalgamated with the fiery coaching sensibilities of Tom Thibodeau.
The challenge ahead for coach Gibson
Taj Gibson will need to find a generational bridge to meld the energy of his playing days with the player characteristics of today’s NBA. Gibson seems to be up for that challenge and is intent on fostering a challenging, competitive attitude among his 2026-27 Bulls roster.
The Bulls in the previous six seasons before the start of 2026 Bulls training camp have generally looked soft and melted down on the court way too many times. The hope for Bulls fans is that the return of Taj Gibson will become a catalyst for returning resilience to Bulls basketball.
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