NEWSLETTER
While Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls teams never did win an NBA title, it’s still always fun to look back on them. Especially given the state of mediocrity the current Bulls are in. Taj Gibson was not only a huge part of what made those teams successful, but I think if you asked Thibs, he’d tell you Taj was his favorite player.
That theory has some evidence to back it up, too. Everywhere Thibs has gone since his exit from Chicago, Gibson has followed. When he took the Timberwolves job, Gibson went to Minnesota and played 152 games in two seasons. Then it was off to New York, where Taj played in four of the last five seasons.
This year when Taj Gibson joined the Knicks on a 10-day contract as a 38-year-old, he was sitting at home unsigned. Gibson recently appeared on the Club 520 Podcast – featuring fellow Thibs favorite Jeff Teague – and told the story about how the whole thing went down.
It might be the most Thibs story ever.
“First off, I’d seen the player get hurt, and I’m like, ‘I know this fool isn’t going to call me. All right, I’ll go to sleep.’ I wake up, it’s 2-3 a.m. They like, ‘yo, you in shape? … Can you be ready tomorrow?’ It’s moving quick,” Gibson said.”
Here’s the full clip:
Taj Gibson: The Ultimate Thibs Guy
So many fun nuggets from that. I think my favorite part is in the latter half when Taj mentions how Thibs planned to ease him in … only for him to be on the court full go immediately.
Did he have much left in the tank to give? No, not really. Gibson averaged just 1.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in his 20-game stint with the Knicks this season. But he knew Thibs’ system, and most importantly to the hard-nosed head coach, he knew how to play defense the way Thibs wanted.
In all likelihood, we’ve seen the last of Taj Gibson’s NBA career, and the way he played made him such a fun Bull to root for.But who knows, if the Knicks get some bad injury luck next season who’s to say Thibs won’t hit Taj with another “You Up?” call for one more rodeo?
If you’re interested in the full episode with Taj, you can check it out here.
