Taj Gibson will embrace reserve role, 6th Man snub 'fuel for my fire'

As Chicago Bulls training camp opened this week, Taj Gibson found himself working with the second unit in practice.

Whether Gibson will ultimately start at power forward this year or come off the bench behind one of two new acquisitions, Pau Gasol or Nikola Mirotic, is one of the biggest questions facing the Bulls. And it appears, for now, that Gasol will draw the start alongside center Joakim Noah.

"To win big, sacrifices must be made," Noah said Wednesday. "I think Taj is a proven winner and someone who will sacrifice for this team. We really appreciate Taj."

There had been rumors this summer that Gibson wouldn't be happy coming off the bench again, and it's easy to understand why (as explained in the story below). Instead, Gibson is embracing his role as one of the league's most important bench players, toeing the company line and saying all the right things.

"Whoever's in front of me, I'm going to learn from it, take it in stride, never complain, do my job," Gibson said. "Whenever my number is called, just perform."

While most players prefer to start, coming off the bench will allow Gibson seek revenge for the league's Sixth Man of the Year award he and his teammates thought the USC product deserved to win last season. Instead, he placed second behind Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers.

"It was great to be amongst the names of guys like J.R. Smith, Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom," Gibson said. "I was kind of disappointed I didn't win it, but that's more fuel for my fire to push forward."

He had a strong case, ranking sixth among players who were primarily reserves in Basketball Reference's Win Shares metric, 11th in bench scoring, fifth in reserve rebounding and second in blocks by a bench player. He's also one of the league's best frontcourt defenders, ranking 22nd among all players, reserve or starter, in Defensive Real Plus Minus.

Much to the chagrin of their Eastern Conference rivals, the Bulls have an embarrassment of frontcourt riches, and the luxury of bringing a player like Gibson off the bench.