--F Taj Gibson had a nice effort in Friday's loss at Cleveland. He led the Bulls with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Cavaliers left him open and he knocked down a number of face-up jumpers.

--G Lindsey Hunter turned 39 on Thursday, just as he's being forced to play more than usual because of an injury to G Kirk Hinrich. Hunter has averaged 17 minutes in the last three games.

--G Jannero Pargo skipped practice on Thursday to visit a specialist in Philadelphia about lingering muscle tightness in his back and hip. Pargo believes the injury is a byproduct of surgery to correct a sports hernia in June. He played mostly in the fourth quarter at Cleveland on Friday and scored nine points.

MEDICAL WATCH:

--G Kirk Hinrich (sprained left thumb) injured the thumb during a Nov. 25 practice and was relieved when an MRI exam showed no tear in the ligament. He's missed four games, but is hoping to return soon.

--F Tyrus Thomas (broken left arm) is expected to be out until early December after breaking the radius in his left forearm. This was a freak accident that occurred while Thomas did a pull up during a weightlifting session at the Berto Center. A metal plate was used to repair the break during surgery on Nov. 7.

--C Jerome James (torn right Achilles' tendon) hasn't played since early last season when he was with the Knicks. No one is counting on any contributions from him, but he's vowed to get healthy and play sometime this season. He's starting to run again, but needs to pass a fitness test before he'll be allowed to practice.