Wizards vs. Bulls preview: Meet the Derrick Rose-less Bulls

The Wizards will try for a rare back-to-back sweep when they take on the Chicago Bulls. I have a feeling this game will be a blowout loss, but I'm prepared to be surprised.

Where and When? Tip off is at 8 p.m. The game will be on Comcast SportsNet.

Why Should I Care? Because the Bulls are undermanned and playing without their star player. Sound familiar? The difference, though, is that the Bulls have several other solid starters and a great coach that won't let their team roll over.

Are They Any Good? I think they're pretty average, but that in and of itself is impressive. They aren't as good as they were without Derrick Rose last year, but that's because they decimated their awesome bench from the year before. At 15-12, they have probably played to expectations.

Who's Out? The usual suspects are not playing for the Wizards. For Chicago, Rip Hamilton will return after an extended absence, and perpetually injured Luol Deng will play through the pain for a 500th consecutive game.

What Are They Good At? As usual, this is an elite defensive team. Joakim Noah has been better than ever with his defensive rotations, which has helped Chicago hang around. However, the loss of Omer Asik has hurt a bit and has been especially bad for Taj Gibson.

What Are They Bad At? They obviously have trouble scoring, but they do run their sets crisply, so the Wizards have to be on alert. They're not especially deep either, so the Wizards can take advantage by continuing to get the ball up the floor quickly.

This is going to be a blowout loss, right? It certainly has all the signs. The Wizards played last night and won, so they could be both tired and complacent. The Bulls haven't played since Christmas, when they got blown out at home by the Rockets. I have a hard time believing a rested Thibodeau team will come out flat.

But hey, hopefully I'm wrong.