Last year was a rough 365 days for fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs fell apart in the playoffs, have started this year at a chilling 8-26 and in between were victims of LeBronGate. Through it all though, Daniel “Boobie” Gibson has remained a fan favorite. And now for the first time in his career, he’s been asked to be more than just a role player, more than just a standstill shooter. While Gibson has missed the past few games with a leg injury, he’s averaging career highs across the board with 13.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. We caught up with him recently to chat about his new role on this season’s squad and what it takes to become a deadly shooter.
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Dime: Uh huh. Now do you see a difference in the way guys play you? If they know you are a shooter, what type of things do they try to do to stop you whether you are coming off screens or you are on the wing or off the ball, what type of things do they try to do to someone like you?
DG: Oh for me, they try not to let me catch it and then when I do catch, they try to crowd me so I am not able to raise up and shoot. But what they don’t know is that allows me to get to a part of my game that I like also. That’s my in-between game: my floaters and getting into the paint, making plays and opening up drive-and-kicks for my teammates. So I think being able to have a jump shot as your weapon, it makes you 10 times quicker because they got to respect your ability to shoot the ball.
Dime: Do you think you are a better standstill shooter or are you better on the move?
DG: Hey, the way I feel about it, at any moment I can shoot the ball, I got a 90 percent chance of making that shot, whether it’s off the dribble or catch-and-shoot.
Dime: Give me a night that you can remember where you felt like you really had it going. Is there a way you can kind of tell or do you just have to go by the game? Can you sometimes tell before the game even starts that you are going to have a good night?
DG: Before this year, really the only opportunity I got consistent minutes was my rookie year. And that Game 6 (Eastern Conference) Finals against the Pistons, that was just one of those nights where I felt like every shot I took, it was cash. I don’t even think I had to look at the rim. If I could release it, I felt like it was going in. Even in college, I think I had a night like that. I think I had like 40 against Baylor (in 2006, he had nine threes and 37 points against Baylor). It’s just a feeling you get where it don’t matter who in front of you or where you are on the court, when you let it go, it’s got a chance.
Dime: Is there anyone in the league who kind of sticks out where you could say they guard you pretty well or guards you the best?
DG: I would say…I can’t really pick any particular person that guards me the best. I think that the teams that stick to whatever the game plan of not allowing me to catch it and not allowing me to get open. The teams that stick to it the whole, entire game and make you work for opportunities, those are the teams that probably have the most success. If you have a lapse, I’m gonna break you down. What makes me think of that is Ray Allen. When we play against Ray Allen, you gotta be locked in to him at all times of the game because that one split second where you think you can help – and you try to help – he breaks your back.
Dime: What are your expectations for your team the rest of the year?
DG: I think teams are going to feel us and teams are going to have to start saying when they play against us. They are going to have to bring their game or we are going to beat them.
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