Taj Gibson: How He Can Be The Answer To The Bulls Shooting Guard Question

The Chicago Bulls need a shooting guard! The Bulls need another scorer! Listen to a little talk radio in Chicago and that seems to be the predominant sentiment. Bleacher Report has no shortage of articles articulating why the Bulls need a scorer. The notion is what led many to be wishing to pull the trigger on the Deng and Noah for Anthony trade. Has anyone stopped to consider the validity of the premise though?

A look at the Bulls roster shows that they currently have four players averaging over 15 points, Rose, Deng, Noah and Gibson. Only two other teams in the league, the Spurs and the Pacers, have that many. Miami has only two players and no one is talking about their need for a third scorer. What reality seems to demonstrate is a team that the Bulls don't need another scorer. 

To a degree it's a surprise to see the development of Noah's offensive game, and even more so, with Gibson. Noah's "Tornado" shot has a funny look but it goes in. Gibson's development is more of a surprise, and it's not a fluke. He's developed some legitimate moves in the post, he's backing players down, and he's hitting a nice little stop and pop with regularity. If you're seeing the games, you know, it's not a fluke that his points are there—he's improved his offensive game. 

Of course it's still not the same thing as Carlos Boozer in the low post. However I've been considering an intriguing possibility when Boozer returns. What if Tibs moves Gibson to SF and then moves Luol Deng to shooting guard? Gibson's midrange jumper and ability to move with the ball would work well from a small forward, and Deng's improvement from the three and slashing ability would fit in well. In fact, according to Boozer, had James come top Chicago Deng would have moved to the shooting guard. Deng at the 2 would establish a lot of mismatches. 

Furthermore, you would have a team that is well established defensively. Both Deng and Gibson are very athletic for their height. A team with only one starter under 6' 9" would be hard to shoot over. Chicago has struggled defending from the perimeter so far this season, getting torched by a couple of teams by the three. The height could help with that. 

Finally, when Boozer returns, don't expect to see Noah's scoring drop as it might seem. Boozer tends to draw double teams inside; if he's not double teamed he'll score almost at will. He's one of the best post scorers in the NBA right now. However, he's also a pretty good passer inside. As he's drawing double teams, look for Noah to get a lot of open looks. Having Gibson with his ability to pop that 12 footer 60 percent of the time is going to guarantee there will always be a mismatch on the floor.

The unexpected rise of Taj Gibson's game could be another reason that Bulls fans are saying at the end of the season they never wanted the Bulls to make the trade. Joakim Noah may be on his way to the All Star game this year.  Gibson may be there in a couple more, but he's showing a lot of potential right now. For now though, his emergence might be the solution to the shooting guard question in Chicago.