Bulls' Hoiberg says Gibson may miss rest of season

The Chicago Bulls need to win out to have any hope of making the playoffs, but they may have to do so without the services of power forward Taj Gibson.

Gibson has missed the past four games with bruised ribs and will be out of the lineup again Thursday night when the Bulls take on the Miami Heat. Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg thinks Gibson could end up sitting out the team's final four games.

The ever-reliable post defender has had another steady season for Chicago. Though his offensive game has fallen off some, he's been the team's most impactful defensive big, particularly with Joakim Noah being sidelined for most of the season (and greatly diminished when he played). The Bulls' interior flimsiness without Gibson was exposed against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, when Zach Randolph hammered them down low.

The timing of his injury is particularly galling given that, on top of his steady production, Gibson's been one of the few Bulls who's been able to stay on the floor this season. He ranks second on the team to only Doug McDermott with 73 games played.

The Bulls enter Thursday's game sitting at 39-39, two-and-a-half games back of the Detroit Pistons - who own the tiebreaker - for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.