National Basketball Association

Hoiberg Says Taj Gibson Getting Minutes at Center

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The open competition for the Chicago Bulls starting spot at power forward just spilled over into the rest of the roster when head coach Fred Hoiberg said that they will try lineups with Taj Gibson at center.

It was only a matter of hours after Hoiberg announced the opening at power forward that K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune shared this bit of news on Twitter:

There’s a lot to unpack with this revelation.

Nothing is set in stone, but lineups with Gibson at center being announced just a few days into camp mean that either they truly want to develop a small ball weapon or Nikola Mirotic is looking really good at power forward.

The conventional wisdom on Gibson points to a trade of the talented veteran at some point during this season. Gibson has played through unfilled promises of a starting job in the past and his contract is coming to end with the Bulls. Like much of the rest of the Thibodeau gang, Taj is presumed to be on the way out.

Still, if it even happens, there is a long way to go between now and any potential trade. Obviously, Robin Lopez will be the starting center. Whatever Chicago unearths with Gibson at center, it won’t be in the prime time minutes.

If Chicago can get out and run, pushing the ball up the court while attacking the basket in transition, having a versatile big man like Gibson could really turn into a game-changer.

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We don’t know much more about these lineups right now and can only speculate, as we have, about their possible meaning. In the end, Gibson appears to be destined for a reserve role, again. If he is going to be the reserve four, the best way to push up his trade value would be to showcase him as a center in small lineups. Displaying that versatility significantly increases his trade value because big men who can defend one through five without having to sacrifice athleticism as they lumber up and down the court every night are the new market inefficiency.

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