NEW ORLEANS — Taj Gibson has spent his career adhering to simple rules: Work hard, be ready and play whatever role is asked of you, principles that have forged a relationship with Tom Thibodeau that has prompted the coach to carry Gibson with him through every stop.
But time in the weight room or watching film and scouring the intricacies of a scouting report or game plan could not prepare him for the one obstacle that he has had to work through in recent days — the birth of his first child, Taj Gibson Jr.
"I’m getting no sleep," he said, laughing.