Bulls' Gibson takes on another fill-in role

Some players are tough to keep out of the lineup. Bulls forward Taj Gibson can't seem to avoid it.

Last year as a rookie, he became the starter when Tyrus Thomas broke his arm in early November. At the start of this season, he filled in while Carlos Boozer recovered from a broken hand.

Now center Joakim Noah will miss 8-10 weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb. So unless coach Tom Thibodeau changes his mind, Gibson will make his 85th career start out of 106 career games on Saturday when the Bulls host the Los Angeles Clippers.

On Friday at the Berto Center, Gibson tried to come up with an explanation for why spots in the lineup keep opening for him.

"Basically, God is preparing our team for the ups and downs we're going to have," said the former No. 26 draft pick from USC. "It has created confidence in me and confidence in guys coming off the bench. Guys are really going to take in a lot and learn from this because I know we're going to make a strong push in the playoffs."

The Bulls are trying to stay positive as they move forward without Noah, their most valuable defensive player. They went 9-6 while Boozer sat out and are still riding a seven-game win streak.

"We have more than enough to win with," Thibodeau said. "We've already gone through it once. It's not going to change our style of play at all. Different guys will be in the game earlier. That's really the only difference."

Added Derrick Rose: "Of course somebody like (Noah) you're going to miss. But there are no excuses. We've still got to go out there and play those games."

Thibodeau wouldn't commit to starting Gibson at center against the Clippers but acknowledged it's the most likely scenario.

The coach also suggested the starters could change based on matchups. That doesn't seem very likely since the Bulls won't play a big center until seeing Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut on Dec. 28, followed by a couple of games against New Jersey's Brook Lopez. Even then, Gibson seems to be a more likely option than rookie Omer Asik or veteran Kurt Thomas.

"I like the versatility of our team and I like the depth," Thibodeau said. "I'm confident, just like I was when Carlos went out, that the guys who will be stepping in are more than capable of getting the job done.

"Depending on who we're playing, we're going to look at different combinations. I think Taj's minutes will be increased and Luol (Deng) will get more minutes at the four (power forward). Omer and Kurt, I'm pleased with what they've done so far. So I feel good about our team."

With Noah dominating the news, there wasn't much buzz at the Berto Center regarding the return of ex-Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, who caught on right away with the Clippers.

Del Negro led the Bulls to a pair of 41-41 seasons and two first-round playoff losses, but no one was surprised when he was let go last spring. Del Negro had no coaching experience when he was hired.

Asked how he'll greet Del Negro on Saturday, Rose didn't have an answer ready.

"I really haven't been thinking about that," Rose said. "I really haven't been thinking about anything but this team. I don't even know (the Clippers') record."

Heading into Friday's game at Detroit, the Clippers were 5-21 overall, 0-11 on the road. The Clippers have won eight of their last 10 games at the United Center, however.

"He's a good guy, a good coach," Gibson said of Del Negro. "But at the end of the day, it's going to be business. I'm playing with Thibodeau now and we're trying to keep this win streak going."