They Killed Taj's Lil' Super Man

I'm not here today to talk about Joakim Noah's selection to the All-NBA First Team because we all know his value to the Bulls and it's getting tougher to avoid repeating what I've already said about him.  I'm also not going to talk about the recent tour of the Bulls' new practice facility, just named the Advocate Center this week and still under construction.  Maybe this Instagram post from Taj Gibson will tell you this post's purpose:

For those who need context, Prince Joshua Avitto, Gibson's 6-year-old cousin, was stabbed to death in the elevator of a Brooklyn apartment this past weekend.  He was getting ice cream with his friend, 7-year-old Mikayla Capers, who was also stabbed, but survived the attack.  New York police arrested Daniel St. Hubert, 27, Wednesday night in connection with the crime and possibly another weekend stabbing.  St. Hubert had a previous criminal record and, prior to this arrest, was on parole for a domestic assault.

This is an incredibly tragic story in so many ways.  When I first saw the above picture, I thought Gibson was merely tweeting a family member's kindergarten graduation that had just taken place.  I was confused by the message at first, but once I learned what happened, everything made sense.  It's just too bad it made sense for the reasons it did.  We learn from the caption that he was about to turn 7, so he was probably focusing a lot on what he wanted for his birthday.  How amazing and sad that those and other hopes and dreams evaporated in a matter of moments.

Any story of a child lost to violence is upsetting, but as the cousin of a 6-year-old myself, this one especially hits close to home for me.  Claire is one of the most wonderful, caring, free-spirited people I know and whenever I get a chance to spend time with her, I embrace every bit of it.  She stopped being so shy recently and it's wonderful to see her express herself beyond her familiar surroundings.  I can't believe she just graduated from kindergarten, and I want to treasure this time in her life when she seems to be growing up quicker than I would like.  I did just that on Memorial Day weekend and my uncle John snapped this photo of one memorable moment:

See the innocence and wonderment in that face?  I won't pretend to know what Taj's family is going through right now, but I do know a part of me would just die if anything happened to Claire.  She still has so much more to learn and experience.  To think that someone her age just lost all of that at the hands of another human being is simply terrible.  I pray to God that she will stay safe and grow up to be a smart, beautiful, kind woman.

My heartfelt sympathies go out to Taj and his family as they grieve their loss.  Taj will have another purpose to play next season as I'm sure he will dedicate it to his cousin PJ's memory.  He'll have more responsibilities as a starter, but that will now include playing in a manner he knows PJ would be proud of.  Until then, may he find comfort in whatever strength he seeks.

This is Tigey and Stripey, two of Claire's stuffed animals I've gotten for her the last two Christmases.  Since I don't have a chance to place this in any kind of memorial, I'll just leave it here.  RIP PJ.