July 17, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Malcolm Thomas (14) guards Boston Celtics guard Jonathan Gibson (40) during the game against the Chicago Bulls at the Cox Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulls, with Taj Gibson having missed the last few weeks — although he could possibly return tonight — have been forced to make do with the ineffective at best and downright awful at worst combo of Nazr Mohammed and Vladimir Radmanovic. This has not gone well, as you might expect, resulting in the already overworked Luol Deng playing a fair amount of power forward. That has gone marginally better, but the Bulls could really use a big man who isn’t terrible.

Lou Amundson, signed to a 10-day contract in February, departed for the New Orleans Hornets after his deal expired, which opened the roster spot for Thomas.

Amundson barely played in his Bulls tenure, so maybe Thomas won’t either. But he should, and hopefully Tom Thibodeau will recognize that. Thomas gave the impression of being Taj Gibson-lite during Summer League, and the Bulls need all the help they can get.