Top 10 Chicago Bulls of the 21st century

5. Taj Gibson

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Taj Gibson with the poster!

One of my all-time favorite Bulls players will forever be the man who made me get up out of my seat more times during the playoffs than I can count. Gibson always had a knack for coming through with the ferocious slams when the Bulls needed them most.

As one of the best and most underrated sixth men in recent memory, Gibson was the guy to come off the bench and provide that “spark” you look for when the starters need rest.

Gibson came to the Bulls out of USC as the 26th overall pick back in 2009. As a rookie, Gibson started 70 games, but oddly enough that would be the most games he ever started in a Bulls uniform. Following his rookie season, Gibson was brought off the bench for most of his remaining tenure in Chicago.

Most of his years as a Bulls, Gibson provided the Bulls a powerful defensive presence in the post. His particular strength was on the glass and defending the paint. But, Gibson developed a decent jump shot over the years and was a relatively consistent scorer. He never shot below 46.6 percent in a season and shot over 50 percent in his last three years with the Bulls.

After seven and a half seasons in Chicago, Gibson was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in one of the moves that signaled a total overhaul of the roster.