Gibson finds positives in Chicago Bulls' week of drama
When Taj Gibson is ready to retire from basketball, maybe White House press secretary or corporate fire extinguisher would be a good role for him.
After a tumultuous few days in Bulls Nation, Gibson stepped in front of reporters at the Advocate Center and put it all in perspective, starting with the claim he has seen much worse during his eight years in the NBA. When asked to rate this week's Bulls drama on a scale of 1-10, Gibson suggested it was a four or five. He also described a worse experience when former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was on the job.
"Man, I've been in some chaotic yelling matches with Thibs and everybody is just going crazy and I'm just sitting there with my eyes open, like, 'Don't call my name please,' " Gibson said with a smile. "I was shocked how we came out of it. It made us a better team."
Overall, Gibson delivered a fairly convincing positive message. He believes the Bulls will come out of this episode stronger, and Friday's bad loss to Miami was the result of spending the morning hashing things out in the meeting room instead of focusing on the game plan.
One of the first tangible results of the team meeting, according to Gibson, was Dwyane Wade joining his teammates on the practice floor instead of resting for Sunday's home game against Philadelphia.
"Yeah, he practiced. That's one of the things in the meeting," Gibson said. "Young guys just want a little bit more from him. He brung it today. He pushed the young guys. And that's a sign that that meeting did a little something."
Coach Fred Hoiberg said later it wasn't unusual to have Wade, 35, on the practice floor.
"Wade has been practicing. He's been practicing pretty much every day that we've had off," Hoiberg said. "He's been a good influence out there for the young guys."
The drama began after Wednesday's loss to Atlanta, when the Bulls blew a 10-point lead in the final three minutes. Wade and Butler criticized teammates, claiming they don't care enough whether the team wins or loses. Then Rajon Rondo posted a response criticizing Wade and Butler on his Instagram.
All three players were fined. Butler and Wade were removed from the starting lineup in Friday's 100-88 loss to Miami. Most Bulls didn't play well, but Butler was really bad, scoring 3 points on 1-of-13 shooting.
The Bulls still have to prove it on the court, but Gibson insisted emotional player meetings can be good for a team and explained why.
"I think they make a big difference because … sometimes people don't really mean what they say," Gibson said. "The next day, after reading it in the papers or reading it from the media or the TVs, you kind of look at yourself and you kind of come in like, 'I didn't really mean it in that kind of way.' And then people will be able to speak freely to what they really mean and other guys get to chime in.
"(The meeting) was intense. Guys got it out. Guys and coaches were able to really speak what they want from guys. Guys challenged each other and it was good to hear from all members of the team, especially our young guys, what they need, what they want. I think it was a positive."
Gibson said John Paxson, vice president of basketball operations, addressed the team. Paxson, of course, was an early member of Michael Jordan's supporting cast and played on the first three Bulls championship teams from 1991-93.
"His message was real humbling and just from a player's perspective. It wasn't from like a GM or your boss kind of perspective," Gibson said. "It was like a player-player perspective of how he played and how it was and how to rectify it. It was a good talk from him."
When the subject shifted to Hoiberg and whether or not he has control of the locker room, Gibson supported his coach and was sympathetic to his plight of having to replace a successful coach in Thibodeau.
"Yeah, I think he's got control of the locker room," Gibson said. "He just gives guys a lot of freedom, you know what I'm saying? When he first came here, people said our team needed a much easier kind of guy. We had Thibs, like a drill sergeant. He told you you can play even when you're extremely hurt."
Gibson said Hoiberg's message to the team included a promise to hold players more accountable and an acknowledgment he needs to do some things better.
"Fred is coming from college. This is his second year being around a whole different bunch of guys that have been in the NBA a long time," Gibson said. "Fred is just trying to deal with all these different perspectives, and then trying to put guys in the right positions. At times, it's rough. You've got guys that's constantly complaining, guys want to play. It's tough being an NBA coach. People don't understand that."
Nothing about the Bulls has been easy lately. But they were also three minutes away from completing a three-game win streak had they held on against Atlanta.
After hosting Philadelphia, they'll depart for the six-game ice show road trip, which includes stops in Oklahoma City, Houston and Golden State. The healing process will be measured on the scoreboard.
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com
Twitter @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center, 6 p.m. Sunday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: This is the last home game for the Bulls before embarking on the six-game ice show road trip through the Western Conference. They'll get a break in this one because 76ers top scorer and likely NBA rookie of the year Joel Embiid (20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds) will not play. Philadelphia's long rebuilding process is starting to pay off. The Sixers have gone 10-4 since Dec. 30, but are just 4-10 on the season when Embiid doesn't play. PF Ersan Ilyasova is the team's second-leading scorer at 15.1 points, followed by second-year C Jahlil Okafor at 11.2 ppg. The Bulls have won 11 straight against the Sixers, including a 105-89 win at Philadelphia on Nov. 25, another game Embiid sat out.
Next: Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday, 8:30 p.m.
- Mike McGraw