Chicago Bulls Must Keep Taj Gibson, Trade Jimmy Butler for Jahlil Okafor
The Houston Rockets matchup showed that Taj Gibson is valuable for a playoff run. Jimmy Butler’s production cannot be shouldered by the rest of the team, but Gibson’s presence in the paint also cannot be replaced easily.
No matter how troll fans hate whoever displeases them on the lineup, there is no way the team will self-destruct and rebuild from scratch because they are already halfway there. Compared with other teams in the Eastern Conference from a top team like the Toronto Raptors, to a weaker team like the Orlando Magic, the Bulls are actually pretty deep for each position – from center to forward to guards.
Fred Hoiberg has shown that his system can work like a well-oiled scoring machine. His only real problem is closing out games decisively and this may bite him back, because even with a high scoring team put together, Hoiberg’s biggest weakness is that he is a player’s coach and he does compromise his system in favor of the team’s high usage stars like Jimmy Butler who prefers a slower half-court game that runs on occasional spurts. It’s a throwback to Thibodeau’s grind out system.
Enter the NBA trade deadline, February 23. Gar Forman may have his job on the line too if he can’t even deliver a first round playoff berth. He won’t move all the pieces he put together, because that defeats the purpose of everything he worked for drafting pieces for his preferred coach. Gibson looks like the best player to move out given his expiring contract.
But after three straight games where the starting power forward’s game was tight and his rebounding and post scoring was shown to be irreplaceable at the moment, it looks like Taj is more valuable especially now that he has a 3-point game in his arsenal. Gibson scored 20 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Rockets game, and eight points and eight rebounds in the Oklahoma Thunder blowout win. Gibson expands his role as a go-to scorer when game situations allow for it.
Jimmy Butler may actually be the most marketable Bulls player and his antagonistic personality about winning and losing combined with his chemistry with the current roster may force Forman’s hand to look at what’s available, like Jahlil Okafor and Dario Saric from the Sixers.
Jimmy and Dwayne Wade actually have until the All-Star Break to show that they can play well and play nice with everybody on the team and make a playoff run possible with the current roster. If not, one of them Marquette Alphas might go in exchange for that piece that helps the Bulls reach the playoffs and work their problems for there. Okafor’s name resonates so big right now since he is essentially a younger and taller Jimmy Butler with better footwork and a solid, low post offensive skill set. If the Bulls move Taj they don’t have anyone to clean glass and attack the rim as a traditional power forward.
Hoiberg may also have an easier time with guys who actually run his most effective system than babysit anyone and play nice with them.
Gibson lost at the trade deadline for some random dude may spell doom for a playoff run. Team president’s orders unfulfilled means somebody can’t do his job and the consequences of that are sure enough.
In the Rockets game, Michael Carter-Williams showed he can anchor the team as scoring guard, making 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Denzel Valentine’s performance in the D-League, shooting almost six 3-point shots a game cannot be ignored. Both may be counted on to soak up some of Jimmy’s scoring for the team.
Those two guys practically assure the Bulls their wing scorers only need playing time to show their game, plus they have more guns than sports media analysts are willing to count on the roster: Paul Zipser to Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott. There is no sense tanking for a rebuild if the system fit for Hoiberg can be tweaked just a little by the trade deadline to show good stuff can happen.
Jimmy’s minutes are actually more useful spread out among Carter-Williams and Valentine and the young core if they need a high scoring. Those pair of wing like players bring more to a share-the-ball team than having them continue to DNP-CD for the rest of the season.
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Without Taj, the Bulls lose to Boston, Cleveland, or any team in the East not having a rebounding big.
Without Jimmy, their young crew can still salvage a playoff berth coming into their own and prime themselves for a break out year next season. Jahil Okafor now looks very promising. As well as any other guys who help the team shore up the power forward spot moving forward. Keeping Gibson as a guarantee for a playoff roster competitive enough should be foremost since Jimmy’s scoring is replaceable.
