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Taj Gibson: 'Proud of Thibs, through all the bulls**t! Never pointed fingers, just worked and worked!'
And one of Thibodeau's favorite former players, Taj Gibson, showed that he has his former head coach's back by firing a defiant message in support of the recently fired Knicks coach. “Charge it to the game!!! Proud of Thibs, through all the bulls**t!! Never pointed fingers, just worked and worked!!! [Too] many bad takes!!! But hey, it's the 😎 business!!! Accountability!!!” Gibson wrote as the caption on his Instagram story of a picture of him and Thibodeau.
What about these other vets that might be considering Charlotte as an option for them to play for? If they have this preconceived notion about the organization or the city, what would you tell some of those other vets that might be looking to come here? Taj Gibson: They need to rethink that. This is a gold mine. It's special. Fans come every night — I watch this place get packed consistently, on a consistent basis. If we won more? Oh man, forget about it. They always showed up. They were always encouraging — every game, even the last game of the season. It was special. We couldn’t put a lot… it was a special game. Just… it's a special place to play. And then the management — everybody’s hands-on. It's real tight-knit, real family. Every road trip, we would eat together — family dinners. Special. Real special.
Are you interested in ring chasing at all at the end of your career? Taj Gibson: If that's a possibility — of course. But I have such a strong relationship with my agent, Mark Bartelstein, and we're just smiling. We're just enjoying the ride every day. We wake up, get a chance to have a professional NBA team call your phone and tell you to come be yourself. Man, it's one of the best jobs in the world. It's not even a job — it's really just a career, a lifestyle, that I'm just blessed enough to have.
Taj Gibson believes free agents should more strongly consider Charlotte
NBA Central: Taj Gibson thinks more free agents should want to come to Charlotte “This is a gold mine. This is special.”
Charlotte Hornets PR: INJURY UPDATE: Nick Smith (L Ankle) is now listed as questionable. Miles Bridges & Taj Gibson have been added to injury report and are both questionable (Illness).
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Taj Gibson, who plays a similar role as Temple for the Hornets, said border crossing has never been an issue over his 16 NBA seasons. “It’s always been smooth,” Gibson told the Star Friday. “With any team I was on, we never had any problem. The people at customs have been so nice, especially when we’re coming into Toronto or when leaving. They always made sure they try to get us through customs fast and get us on the plane safe, and walking through the airport, it’s always quiet and always nice.”
Rod Boone: Josh Green (Illness) has been downgraded to out tonight vs. Minnesota. The bug that got Jusuf Nurkic, Taj Gibson and Miles Bridges has now got Green, too.
The chant began as a disorganized rumble. As the Chicago Bulls led by 14 points in the waning minutes of Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, clusters of fans scattered throughout the United Center started to strike on the same idea. “We want Taj. We want Taj. We want Taj.” Taj Gibson had waited patiently on the Hornets bench for the entire game. It was to be expected. His starting days are long gone. The forward averages fewer than 12 minutes per game in his 16th NBA season. It had been a long time and a long way since the days when he ignited playoff dreams on this same court.
But that meant nothing to nostalgia. The rumble grew to a roar, undeniable as the final minute ticked off the clock. Hornets coach Charles Lee turned back toward his bench, his eyebrows raised in a question. Gibson answered by standing to his feet, and fans responded with a surge of applause. The cacophony didn’t last long. Gibson spent only 57 seconds in the game. But he finished with the ball in his hands, tucked firmly against the chest with his feet planted on the hardwood where he played the best basketball of his NBA career. And for those 57 seconds, Gibson felt that he was back home. “I’m that adopted son that they was really hard on for a long time,” Gibson said. “To get that kind of ovation was very special. I don’t want to tear up or nothing, but this city has been great to me my whole career.”
And Gibson knows Friday night will only be a tuneup for the homecoming embrace prepared for Rose and his former teammates next month. “If you spend enough time out here — if you go to the West Side, go to the South Side — you see how passionate they are about their basketball,” Gibson said. “And you understand that this city just gets behind an underdog, just gets behind people that truly go out there and fight for the logo on the front (of the jersey), not the patch on the back. That red and white means a lot to the city of Chicago.”
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Julia Poe: Taj Gibson said he felt like an “adopted son” of Chicago and took pride in today’s homecoming. Fought back tears while talking about the “full spectrum” moment. pic.x.com/zzyIjAwHuD
Julia Poe: Taj Gibson on what it meant to play for Chicago and how Derrick Rose met that expectation: “The city just gets behind an underdog, behind people that truly goes out there to fight for the logo out in front, not the patch on the back. That red and white means a lot.” pic.x.com/ZHH7aiIK5T
K.C. Johnson: Just shared this on the @CHSN__ broadcast: Taj Gibson told me he will be in the house for Derrick Rose Night on Jan. 4. Hornets are in Detroit on Jan. 3 and in Cleveland on Jan. 5. Gibson is so thankful the schedule breaks for him to be alongside his longtime teammate.
Taj Gibson is starting his 16th NBA campaign, this time with the Hornets after being waived last season by the Knicks. He still hasn’t given up the goal of coaching, however. “It’s there,” Gibson told The Post. “But one thing before I do, I want to be extremely good at my craft. That’s why I was taking most of the coaching clinics in the summer. Just working and getting a feel for guys and getting a feel for different things in the coaching field. Even if it’s not coaching, if it’s management. Just learning all facets of the trade.”
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