Tonight, center Etan Thomas will probably see his first action since spraining his left ankle in a loss to the Houston Rockets on Dec. 9. Thomas, who has missed 13 games, practiced Monday and yesterday and has been cleared to rejoin Coach Eddie Jordan's injury-depleted rotation when the Wizards host the Chicago Bulls at Verizon Center.

Brendan Haywood will continue to start; Jordan said Thomas's role will be determined by how quickly he gets back into game shape.

"You know how he plays: that force, that tenacity and the power," Jordan said. "He was really protecting the rim. At all costs. Shot blocking. Taking charges. Rebounding. We missed that."