Bulls’ Gibson heeds refs’ message

Taj Gibson had an interesting experience during the Bulls’ preseason victory over Indiana on Tuesday.

Early in the second quarter, Gibson was hit with 3 fouls in 1:05. None were obvious fouls and all 3 were drawn by Tyler Hansbrough.

Seasoned NBA preseason observers might suspect that referees tried to send some sort of message that night. Don’t complain about foul calls is one theory.

“That’s one thing I’ve got to learn to stop doing,” Gibson said. “I’ve got to learn to stop showing so much emotion on a foul. Just raise my hand, ask them what I did wrong and move on.

“That’s part of being a professional player, just being able to handle whatever comes your way and push through.”

Former Bulls players Kirk Hinrich, Tyson Chandler and Marcus Fizer had similar experiences.

Thibs worked with future star:Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau spent some time training high-school aged Kobe Bryant back in the mid-1990s when Thibodeau was a Philadelphia 76ers assistant and Bryant was a teenage star.Newest Bull Richard Hamilton was the same age and played slightly west of Philadelphia at Coatesville High School, but Thibodeau had no contact with him.#147;Kobe, it was different because he would come around the practice facility all the time,#148; Thibodeau said. #147;I knew of Rip, but I didn#146;t know him then.#147;(Bryant#146;s) dad, Joe, played for the Sixers. At the time his dad was a college coach in the area, too (at LaSalle).#148;Holiday road accepted:The Bulls offered no complaints this week about opening the season on the West Coast on Christmas Day.#147;It#146;s fun. It#146;s exciting,#148; Bulls guard Richard Hamilton said. #147;It#146;s real good to be back in a situation where people want to see you play and you#146;ve got a chance to have a special season.#148;Added coach Tom Thibodeau: #147;To me, it#146;s an honor and a privilege. We#146;re excited about playing and looking forward to the challenge.#148;