Bulls Expect Taj Gibson's Ankle To Be '100 Percent' Come October
(CBS) The Bulls expect forward Taj Gibson's surgically repaired left ankle to be "100 percent" in October, general manager Gar Forman said Thursday night.
On June 16, Gibson had arthroscopic surgery on the ankle that contributed to him missing 20 games last season and that has plagued him throughout his career. The team initially gave a timetable of four months to rehab and return to full basketball activities, which Forman confirmed Thursday.
The regular season starts in late October after a month of training camp.
"The prognosis is good," Forman said. "Anytime there's surgery, there's seriousness to it, but from what the doctors have told us, though it's a three-to-four-month rehab process, once he comes back, the ankle's going to be like new again, which is going to be a real positive. Because it was obvious the ankle bothered him some this past year. Really, Taj felt, we felt, his agent felt that it was something that needed to be done, and we anticipate he'll be 100 percent come October."
Even if Gibson's ankle recovery goes as planned, he could be slowed early in the season, as he'll have to work on his conditioning and get into top playing shape.
Gibson averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds this past season while shooting 50 percent.
Gibson's surgery comes against the backdrop of the Bulls struggling to stay healthy in recent seasons. In addition to Derrick Rose's well-documented knee injuries, big man Joakim Noah had left knee surgery in May 2014 that was initially thought to be a minor health issue. Noah then battled the effects of lingering knee pain all this past season and was a shade of his first-team all-NBA self of 2013-'14.
