Taj Gibson Selected For USA Select Team

The Bulls big man will train with Team USA in June

Taj Gibson was the best player in the Bulls first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, it's not a stretch to say he's probably the third or fourth best player on the team.

The great news about Gibson? He's a hard worker and he's only going to get better. Being selected to be a part of Team USA's “Select” team should definitely help.

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, Gibson was among 13 players chosen to travel to Las Vegas and train with Team USA from July 6-12 and scrimmage against them to help get the squad ready for the London Olympics this summer.

Along with Gibson, here are the other players chosen to participate on the Select Team:

Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), John Wall (Washington Wizards), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Ryan Anderson (Orlando Magic), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz), Jeremy Lin (New York Knicks) and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors).

"The USA select team was a vital part of the USA men's national team's training in 2007, 2008 and 2010, and again in 2012 we'll utilize this team of select NBA players to help get our national team ready for the very competitive summer that is ahead of us," said USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo.

The Select Team is also used as pipeline for players to gain experience under international rules in hopes that they will someday transition to the senior team that participates in the Olympic games.

Being chosen to scrimmage against Team USA this summer should help raise Gibson's already high stock. It also puts even more pressure on the Chicago Bulls' front office to find a way to keep him on the team.

The Bulls could dangle Taj as trade bait as well. He's a player that's coveted around the NBA for his all-around play on both ends of the floor. If the team wanted to involve him in any sort of trade scenario, this certainly increases the chances of them securing a player of equal value in return.

It's doubtful the team would consider trading him, but one thing is for certain: Taj officially has transcended from being just a valuable bench player to a guy who should be a starter in the NBA. Whether it's for the Bulls or someone else.

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