Taj Gibson always has been a personal favorite of Tom Thibodeau’s, and the Knicks coach said Monday there’s “an open door” with the Knicks’ coaching staff if the veteran forward decides to retire from the NBA.
The 38-year-old Gibson, who rejoined the Knicks last month after injuries to centers to Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims, was waived Sunday ahead of the deadline to guarantee his contract for the remainder of the season.
“He was incredible which doesn’t surprise any of us. We knew he would be,” Thibodeau said. “It was a stretch where we were down bigs and [he was] instrumental on that West Coast trip. Whether he was in the rotation or not, it just brought so much to our team. The ultimate pro. Consummate pro. And just an incredible person on top of it. It’s one of the unfortunate parts of the business but he’s terrific.”
On the possibility of Gibson joining the coaching staff, Thibodeau added, “He knows how I feel about that. We always have a spot for him. It’s an open door. We will see how everything unfolds going forward. I think he still has something left in the tank. I think he’s going to be a terrific coach when that time comes, as well. We’ll see how everything goes.”
Jalen Brunson has known Gibson since he was a teenager due to his father, Rick Brunson, also coaching under Thibodeau with the Bulls.
Brunson and Julius Randle also said they believe Gibson would make a good coach upon retirement.
“It was great to have him as a teammate. Knowing Taj when I was in eighth grade, first meeting him, when he was in Chicago, to be teammates with him is a pretty cool feeling,” Brunson said “He was special. He brought a lot of leadership and he obviously knew the ins and outs of the game of basketball. And then being with Thibs for such a very long time, yeah, he was nothing short of amazing when he was here.”
Gibson was replaced in the rotation at backup center in recent games by Precious Achiuwa, one of three players acquired from Toronto on Dec. 30.
Waiving Gibson creates an open roster spot in case the Knicks want to bring an extra player back in another trade.
Brunson was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season after averaging 27.3 points and 9.3 assists during the Knicks’ four-game winning streak.
He also won the award for the week ending Nov. 20.