The Chicago Bulls announced Wednesday that they have picked up the fourth-year option for forward Taj Gibson, which will keep him with the team for at least the 2012-13 season.
Gibson, who played for the USC Trojans from 2006-2009 and earned Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior, was selected 26th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by Chicago and has developed into a major contributor for the Bulls in two NBA seasons.
Since joining the Bulls, Gibson has quieted critics that thought he could not handle the rigors of the power forward position at the NBA level. As a rookie in 2009-10, Gibson started 70 of 82 games for Chicago, finishing with averages of 9.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 1.3 bpg, while earning a spot on the Rookie Challenge roster during 2010 All-Star Weekend and eventually NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.
In 2010-11, he was relegated to the bench after the Bulls signed All-Star forward Carlos Boozer to a multi-year deal. However, Gibson still played a big part in Chicago's success and averaged 7.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.3 bpg over the course of 80 games.
Adding to his popularity in Chicago and abroad, Gibson delivered some of the best dunks of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, including a filthy posterization of the Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade and another ridiculous put-back dunk in that same series.
© 2011 Neal J. Leitereg -- All Rights Reserved
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