Taj Gibson had just completed his rookie season in Chicago, already a starter almost every game when the team switched coaches and brought in Tom Thibodeau as a first-time head coach. And for all but a handful of games, Thibodeau pushed Gibson to a bench role, a role that he would hold much of his career after that.
But instead of some hard feelings, Gibson has followed Thibodeau from the Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves and then this offseason, passed up other offers to reunite with him again.
The two, along with Derrick Rose, have seemed meant for each other, joining forces in every stop on Thibodeau’s career path.