February 20, 2015: Standing Pat

The NBA trade deadline came and went.  Although it was the busiest trade deadline in 25 years, the Bulls remained untouched.  I don’t care what anybody else says… this was a good thing.

The name mentioned most in a possible trade was Taj Gibson.  I would have been seriously upset if they moved him.  He hasn’t had his best year, let’s figure out why.  First off, the injuries finally caught up with him.  Here is a Thibodeau warrior playing through multiple ankle & knee injuries the past few seasons.  He finally had to bite the bullet and miss some serious time.  Secondly, didn’t we all think Taj would be starting this year after the departure of Loozer?  I had him penciled in the starting lineup, that is, before Pau Gasol landed here.  You can’t really argue that move… Gasol has been great, and deserves to start on any NBA team.  So there goes Taj again, a starter himself on most NBA teams, relegated back to the bench mob and sixth man duties.  He thought his chance was here, but like that, it was gone.  I’m sure he was disappointed, but he plays on.  The true Bulls fans appreciate him for all of the above.

I would have been happy for him personally had he been moved and given the opportunity to start; I think he’d be great.  That being said, with his down year, his value really wasn’t at the high point to make it worth it to move him.  The Bulls would have had to been blown away, and that wasn’t going to happen.  It’s a blessing in disguise.  Come playoff time, and those grueling series head to the 5th, 6th, and maybe 7th games, that is when Taj will prove his value yet again.  He plays big in big moments, always has.  He always turned it up a notch against the Heat, and signed a few posters while at it too.  Having him healthy and reinvigorated after the initial disappointment of not starting will be one of the many keys to our success.  I still rank him right there with Noah & Butler as our best defender.  He knows the defense, Thibs knows him… He will play an important role come playoff time… mark my words.

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Overall, I’m fine with where we’re at.  I hear people still saying we need one more piece… those same people saying that before Gasol… before Butler’s breakout year… before the arrival of Mirotic.  So for some, maybe this team will always be one piece away.  For me, we have all the pieces we need.  It’s time to prep for the playoffs.

It’s time to focus on that long term goal.  Yes, winning regular season games is critical, and the way the seeds are currently is perfect.  We would be looking at a 2nd round matchup with Toronto, while Atlanta would have to play the winner of Cleveland & Washington on the other side of the bracket.  How perfect would that be?  We need to continue to get better playing together… continue to gel… and stay healthy.  I continue to look forward to a great playoff season, and still think it will be us and the Cavs in the ECF.  Was standing pat the right thing to do?  Only time will tell…  Let the 2nd half begin.