NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part II)

(AP)

Following an impressive three-year-stint with the Southern California men's basketball program, Taj Gibson of the Trojans decided to forgo the possibility of a senior season and enter the NBA draft. There were many who speculated that both Gibson and Daniel Hackett might be inclined to withdraw their names from the draft after an incredible end to last season in which the Trojans rallied to not only win the Pac-10 Championship, but also to pull off an impressive win over the Boston College Eagles in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. However, no one on the Trojans squad improved his draft stock more than Gibson, who dominated not only in the Pac-10 Tournament, but also in the first-round match up against Boston College. Thus, it came as little surprise when Gibson reaffirmed his intentions of going pro a few weeks ago.

The Trojans men's basketball squad has undergone a widespread makeover in recent months, much of which was as a result of scandal involving embroiled former-head coach, Tim Floyd. Floyd's resignation as coach at Southern California created a domino effect that caused many recruits to renege on their pacts with the Trojans and a handful of Trojans players to transfer, and, ultimately, cemented the ascension of Gibson, Hackett and DeRozan into professional basketball.

Taj Gibson burst on to the SoCal scene three years ago, putting in an impressive first season with the Trojans, in which the freshman center/forward averaged 12.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and 1.9 bpg for a USC team that won 25 games. This tremendous inaugural season helped Gibson to garner recognition as a Pac-10 All-Freshman Team selection as well as an honorable mention by Collegehoops.net on the All-Freshman team.

Gibson's performance as a Trojan is highlighted by his willingness to do the dirty work for the Men of Troy and by consistently delivering game-in and game-out. Over his three-year collegiate career, Gibson finished with averages of 12.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg, as well as an impressive 2.4 bpg. His ferocity and knack for defense earned Gibson illustrious honors as not only the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, but also as second team All-Pac-10 and Pac-10 All-Defensive Team.

Gibson has always been an incredible defender, one that could alter the outcome of the game simply by exerting his defensive prowess on a nightly basis. Gibson's ability to take a team on his back and lead them to victory was no more evident than it was in the first-round NCAA Tournament match up against Boston College this past season. In that one game alone, Gibson put himself on the map with a performance of the ages, racking up an astonishing 24 points on 10 of 10 shooting while also contributing 3 blocks and half a dozen rebounds enroute to the USC upset.

Where Taj Gibson fits at the next level remains to be seen. While his skill set and physical makeup (6'9” 225lbs) are not yet at peak levels, Gibson has the tenacity and toughness to do the dirty work on the court, attributes over which head coaches salivate. Given his steady performance over the last three years at USC, as well as his incredible performance to round out his junior season, it is safe to say that Taj Gibson has done enough to garner some attention in the first-round of the NBA draft. It may be a stretch to see Gibson plucked with one of the first twenty picks or so, but it is not inconceivable that someone will pull his number in the lower part of the first round.

Glancing at the makeup of the lower first-round, there are a number of teams that could use a banger and defender like Gibson.

Here is how the bottom half of the draft shakes out: 

There are a number of clubs that Gibson would appear to fit in with seamlessly. The Utah Jazz hold the 20^th pick in the draft and stand at the brink of losing their top two power forwards, Carlos Boozer and Paul Milsap in free-agency. Gibson would be a great fit not only for the Jazz in general, but also for the hard-nosed, no-nonsense system of basketball that head coach Jerry Sloan likes to play. Drafting Gibson with the 20^th pick would be a nice band-aid for the Jazz in the event that they are unable to sign one or both of their top two power forwards.

At the end of the first-round, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers (holding the 29^th and 30^th picks, respectively) would have a need for someone like Gibson. With the Lakers, Gibson could take over for Josh Powell and would fit in nicely at the 4-spot besides either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum. Gibson offers a low-risk, high-defensive-reward at the power forward position that would be relatively inexpensive for a Lakers team that now has to make frugal financial decisions (see Ariza, Odom).

The Cavaliers might also be in need of a defensive-minded big man. Since the finish to the regular season, two of their top three big men have mentioned moving elsewhere. Center Ben Wallace has discussed retiring from the game completely while Sideshow-Bob look-alike, Anderson Varejao, has been allegedly quoted as saying that he and Dallas owner Mark Cuban already have an under-the-table deal in place for his services. Gibson's skills and intangibles would be an interesting fit for the Cavaliers, as he could slide in and provide steady rebounding and defense alongside soft-shooting center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Trying to figure out how the Draft will ultimately shake out is a bit of a crap-shoot, especially in the bottom half of the draft. However, Taj Gibson has done enough the past three seasons at USC to not only get that first-round selection, but to also find his niche at the next level.

As the old NBA adage goes, you can never have enough players who rebound and defend the ball. Luckily for Taj Gibson, those two things happen to be his specialty

For More Information:

NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part I)

NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part III)