Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson said Monday he's confident that the Bulls can still compete with the absence of Derrick Rose and foresees his role expanding this season.

 "We still did good even when we didn't have Derrick (last season)," said Gibson, who threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Chicago White Sox's game on Monday. "We beat the Heat without Derrick.

"Our mindset hasn't changed. It's about staying focused and taking one game at a time. We understand it's going to be up and down at the beginning of the season. We can't look forward to the end. We got to look forward to one game at a time and playing to our strengths and just listening to coach (Tom Thibodeau). I know it's going to be a long season, but I'm really optimistic about what's going to happen."

Entering his fourth season, Gibson said he and Thibodeau expect more of him this season. Gibson averaged 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 20.4 minutes last season.

"Thibs already told me he wants my role to change, be more of a leader now," Gibson said. "I worked out with him a lot during the summer. I worked out with him before the (Team) USA camp. He just wanted me to work out this whole year, build confidence and get better. He thinks I can do a lot more on and off the court. I'm ready to take that next step."

Gibson recently returned to Chicago from California and planned to begin workouts at the Berto Center on Tuesday. He hoped to see a number of his teammates there as well.

"Right now we're just thinking about getting into training camp, that's why most guys are coming in right now," Gibson said. "We're going to have a quick head start on guys understanding the concept of the team. That's why I'm here a month early, so I can get down and dirty.

"The one thing about our team -- most of our core is still intact. This next step is going to be big for us because we're not going to have Derrick, and it's going to be a chance for guys to develop and mature. Not knowing when Derrick is going to come back, it's going to put a lot more pressure on guys to step up and perform. We understand that. We have guys who can play big-time minutes. Now it's up to us just to perform."