If the NBA's award voters fully embraced the advanced statistical movement, Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson would be a shoe-in for the 2013-14 Sixth Man of the Year award.
Judging by the recent voting trends, though, a fixation on the traditional numbers (namely scoring) might leave the bruising forward watching someone else claim the hardware that should belong to him.
If Taj's trophy collection remains barren at season's end, he'll have his lack of sexy stats to blame. Even though his Bulls (40-31, fourth in the Eastern Conference standings) have survived another lost season from Derrick Rose by embracing all things ugly.
Gibson embodies the Bulls' way. A rugged defender who maximizes his offensive impact through a potent mix of elbow grease and mid-range proficiency, he follows the same path as the starting five and adds his own twist to the second team.
That's what sixth men are supposed to do. Unfortunately, that's not enough to meet this archaic voting criteria.
Unless Gibson stumbles into a pile of points that aren't available in this offense, he'll go down as the most valuable sixth man&mda ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Zach Buckley
Is Taj Gibson the Favorite for the NBA’s 2014 Sixth Man of the Year Award?
March 25th, 2014 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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