Westerlund: The Sacrifices Of Taj Gibson
By Cody Westerlund-
CHICAGO (CBS) – Somewhere in this trying-yet-hope-filled season that will likely serve as the fulcrum for how he's remembered in Chicago, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau had to find a most loyal "warrior," one willing to do it his way.
With Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and even Kirk Hinrich beginning the season with minutes restrictions set forth by upper management and the training staff, with health come spring prioritized over cohesion formed in winter practices, Thibodeau had to find someone to be a rock in adversity.
On Saturday, we were reminded of who has been one.
After sparking a fourth-quarter rally in an eventual 112-107 win against the Suns at the United Center with perhaps his best 10 minutes of basketball all season, Bulls forward Taj Gibson admitted he's been playing with a stage 2 ligament tear in his left hand for more than a month. Gibson traced the injury back to a Jan. 19 loss in Cleveland, after which Thibodeau asked him to play through the pain because Chicago – beset by injuries all season and with Noah still slowed – needed him.
"He always says that to me every day – 'You're from Brooklyn, you're tough,'" Gibson said. "I just feed off what he preaches to me. I just try to be a no-excuse kind of guy and do my job.
"They didn't know what we could do. They put like a big cast on my hand, and I don't wish it on anybody. I didn't tell anybody until now. It's almost healed up. But like I said, never a give a team any excuse. Never give a team … a trigger point on you to slow your game down. That's why I always stayed quiet. Whatever happens, whatever criticism I take, that's what I'm going to take."
Gibson's revelation came during a forthright postgame interview session in which talking appeared to unload a burden. In addition to the left hand injury, he's also dealt with nagging ankle pain that doctors have told him won't go away until the season's over.
In the 11 games after the left hand injury and before the All-Star break, Gibson averaged 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds on 43 percent shooting, saying it was "extremely painful" to get hit on the hand in the post. He wasn't at his best, but the Bulls went 7-4 in that stretch.
On top of all that, Gibson had to constantly hear his name in the rumor mill prior to the deadline passing Thursday.
"There was a lot of speculation saying, 'He's frustrated,'" Gibson said. "I'm not that kind of guy. Whatever team I'm on, whatever teammates I got, I'm not that kind of guy. I'm team-first. Whatever the team needs, I'm going to put the team first. I've never been a guy focused on shots. I've never been a guy focused on minutes. I'm about winning and trying to win a championship."
For some time now, Noah has held the belief that no player in the NBA has sacrificed more than Gibson. He has plenty of evidence to back up that belief.
Gibson is a starting-caliber power forward in the NBA, but by way of team habit, the talent ahead of him, need and/or money spent, he's spent the past five seasons primarily coming off the bench. For that, he's sacrificed minutes, points, public acclaim and perhaps future earnings too.
In a testament to Gibson, he's never let it affect his play or the Bulls' locker room.
"Nothing's going to change," Gibson said of his bench role. "I'm going to go out there and do my job, whatever minutes I get. Just go out there and play hard and take your shots when they come."
After resting during the week-long All-Star break, Gibson is "feeling a lot better," he said. It has shown in the first two games back, during which he's combined for 27 points and 13 rebounds on 59 percent shooting. Gibson scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter Saturday to spur Chicago's rally.
If we've learned anything from this season, it's that Gibson will always be in Thibodeau's "circle," the term the coach uses in times of adversity to preach the importance of staying together.
"Taj probably doesn't get enough credit for what he does for our team," Thibodeau said. "He's our best low-post defender. Whatever you ask him to do, he does. He's not out there pounding his chest. Just goes out there and gets the job done. He's one of those guys, you know everyone talks about having a warrior mentality, well Taj does. He's got a lot of toughness."
If there will be enough others in Thibodeau's circle for the talented Bulls (35-21) to cover up their perhaps fatal weaknesses with cohesion, only time will tell.
Gibson's hopeful.
"There's a lot at stake right here," Gibson said. "It's big. It's bigger than me. Everybody on this team understands we have what it takes to win a championship. Not many players can honestly say they've been on a championship -caliber team almost every year, (like) since Thibs has been here. I appreciate it, and just got to keep pushing."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
