Are Chicago Bulls Misusing Taj Gibson with Another Bench Role?

Taj Gibson has said it time and time again. It doesn't matter whether he's coming off the bench or starting; he’s just happy to do his best and contribute to the Chicago Bulls’ winning ways in any capacity.

Lately, though, it’s hard to imagine Gibson isn’t feeling slighted by being pushed into a sixth-man role again. Despite being one of the best rim-defenders in the league, Gibson has fallen down the depth chart behind a big man past his prime—for the second straight season. Last year it was Carlos Boozer, this year it’s Pau Gasol.

Through Chicago’s preseason, Gibson looked to have a chip on his shoulder. Boasting substantial extra muscle, he over-operated when he got the ball in the paint, making one too many moves on the block and becoming something of a ball-stopper.

As put by Blog a Bull’s Kevin Ferrigan: “Taj appeared to have developed tunnel vision on offense when he caught the ball near the block.” This could be a sign of mere exhibition-game experimentation. But it could also be a look at Gibson’s bruised ego: Is he trying too hard to prove something?

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How long will Taj Gibson be OK with being a good soldier? http://t.co/f7tuyzErEx

— Jonathan Tjarks (@JonathanTjarks) October 27, 2014"

If he is, he’s not going to do it as an isolation, back-down scorer. As far as he’s come in that department, it’s simply not his game. Gibson is a defense-first force whose points usually come from off-the-ball actions, draining jumpers on the pick-and-pop and finishing at the rim off deft passes or offensive rebounds. That’s how he’s become one of the most delicious dunkers in the NBA.

It’s not coach Tom Thibodeau’s fault if his power forward is reacting to his continued benching with an unwelcome change in style, though. 

Well, not exactly. While Thibodeau can’t be expected to fully control the feelings of his players, he also needs to be held to a certain standard of emotional intelligence. Rather than relying on time-tested principles about veteran presence and championship pedigrees—the dual causes of Gasol’s spot as a starter—the Bulls coach needs to start making more subtle decisions.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

This is a tough one, though. Gasol, in recent days, has said he expects to close games for the Bulls. “That’s not a good sign when you’re put in that position because the coach doesn’t rely on you to deliver in those minutes,” Gasol recently said to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times when asked about whether he’d be used as a finisher. “So, basically, he doesn’t trust you. He trusts someone else to do the job. So it’s not a good sign for you.”

If Pau is, indeed, a finisher, where does that leave Gibson? A large part of his willingness to hold a reserve role in 2013-14 was preserved by the fact that Boozer played close to zero fourth-quarter minutes down the stretch of the season. It was clear to everyone that, despite not starting, Gibson was absolutely one of the most important players on his team. It’s hard to imagine how Thibodeau could maintain that impression with Gibson playing only in the middle chunks of games.

And so herein lies the greatest chemistry challenge of the Bulls’ anticipated 2014-15 season. After health concerns—with the knees of Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose atop that list—Thibodeau’s greatest hurdle is in keeping both Gasol and Gibson happy and productive. Pushing his players hard (past the point of reasonable expectations of productivity, in fact) has never been a problem for the Bulls coach. But now his hardest test will be an act of personality management.

Ultimately, winning will likely lead the way through this new balancing act. Whether it's Gibson's defense or Gasol's offense, one of the two big men will forge a consistent imprint on their team's style by doing their thing in crucial moments. If 2014-15 is anything like last year, that means Taj will inevitably prove himself indispensable again, and his closer's minutes are safe.

Until Gasol looks like a Hall of Famer again, Thibodeau ought to do almost everything he can to make the lithe Gibson feel satisfied.