Deng will miss a few games; Gibson questionable

The Bulls’ trip to Florida figures to be anything but a vacation.

Forward Luol Deng had an MRI, which confirmed a right calf strain. The Bulls said he’d travel with the team, but is unlikely to play in upcoming back-to-back games at Orlando and Miami.

Rookie power forward Taj Gibson is questionable because of recurring plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He played just 12 ½ minutes in Tuesday’s 132-108 loss to Utah and fouled out.

Center Brad Miller didn’t practice Wednesday with a sore left thumb, which shouldn't keep him out of Thursday’s game against the Magic. Of course, center Joakim Noah was already out with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, so the outlook isn’t so good for this four-game road trip, which continues with back-to-back games in Memphis and Dallas next week.

The Bulls have dropped five straight and fell behind Charlotte to ninth place in the Eastern Conference, out of playoff position.

“Maybe we’ll play small tomorrow, real small,” coach Vinny Del Negro said at the Berto Center. “It’s hard to do that when you’re got that guy in the middle (Dwight Howard). You win in this league by controlling the paint and rebounding the ball and not giving teams second chances.”

Rookie James Johnson appears certain to get his second start of the season against Orlando. If Gibson doesn’t play, Hakim Warrick will likely join the lineup. That would leave Chris Richard and Joe Alexander as the only two front-line players on the bench.

Johnson, at least, had a positive outlook, about the Bulls’ shorthanded situation.

"We've got Derrick Rose on the team,” he said. “He's a great leader and I don't care who's hurt. He's a competitor and he makes all of us compete harder. We want to help each other win, so no excuses for who's hurt or what kind of stretch we've got. We've got an all-star on the team, it's time to put that to the test.”