Taj Gibson briefly left Friday's game with apparent left leg injury

In the fourth quarter of Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson fell to the ground in pain, having apparently rolled his left foot.

After trying to walk it off on the sideline and sitting for a few minutes of play, Gibson headed to the Bulls locker room for further evaluation.

UPDATE: Just 5:07 after departing, Gibson returned to the game for the Bulls.

Before exiting, Gibson had played 17 minutes, scoring six points with two rebounds and a block. Even if the injury isn't serious, it may make sense for the Bulls to keep Gibson on the bench the rest of the way. They have ample frontcourt depth, and while Gibson is their best bet at defending LeBron James when he posts, they have options in Nikola Mirotic, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah.

But hey, head coach Tom Thibodeau isn't one for caution when it comes to workload for his top players.

Any long-term injury to Gibson would be more damaging, even with a deep bench. A Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Gibson is the team's best defensive power forward and a very strong rebounder, providing a nice late-game counter to Gasol when a lead needs to be protected.