Where does that leave them? They're going to have to trade for a PG. The two PGs at the top of the list are Rod Strickland and Mookie Blaylock. However, to acquire them, the Bullets will have to give up a major player, probably Calbert Cheaney and Rasheed Wallace, respectively. That could be expensive. I've already dissected the Bullets' PG situation, if you want to look at some of the lesser options (in my mind, Eric Murdock and Robert Pack should be at the top of that list).
But the Bullets are going to have to move fast. They have less than two weeks before the beginning of the training camp. GM John Nash claims that he's had an interesting offer come to his attention that he might be interested in. It could be that he's just trying to cover his butt over the fact that he couldn't sign his top two choices for a free agent PG.
To make matters worse, the Bullets haven't re-signed Webber, even though I said to worry if he wasn't signed by now. Wallace is rumored to be signed, should be announced in the next day or two.
The only major signing was of a backup shooting guard, Tim Legler. He's bounced around between the CBA and the NBA. He's a 6'4", 200 pound shooting guard who played his college ball at Lasalle (it's that Philly connection, again). He's 29, having been born in Washington, DC (local boy). Here are his career numbers.
Yr Tm FGA FGM FG% FTA FTM FT% 3PA 3PM 3FG% PPG 89-90 Pho 29 11 37.9 6 6 100.0 1 0 0.0 2.5 90-91 Den 72 25 34.7 6 5 83.3 12 3 25.0 5.8 92-93 Uta 3 1 33.3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.7 ..... Dal 238 104 43.7 71 57 80.3 65 22 33.8 9.6 93-94 Dal 528 231 43.8 169 142 84.0 139 52 37.4 8.3 94-95 GS 115 60 52.2 34 30 88.2 50 26 52.0 7.3 Totals 985 432 43.9 286 240 83.9 267 103 38.6 7.7 Yr G Min MPG Reb Ast Blk St TO PF(DQ) 89-90 11 83 7.5 8 6 0 2 4 12 (0) 90-91 10 148 14.8 18 12 0 2 4 20 (0) 92-93 33 635 19.2 59 46 6 24 28 63 (0) 93-94 79 1322 16.7 128 120 13 52 60 133 (0) 94-95 24 371 15.5 40 27 1 12 20 33 (0) Totals 157 2559 16.3 253 211 20 92 116 261 (0)
Well, don't I look like a fool. GM Nash may have stepped up to the plate and at least delivered a multi-base hit. On the day the Bullets were to announce the signing of Rasheed Wallace to a 3-year, $6.17M deal, Nash had an ace up his sleeve. Earlier that day, the Bullets had acquired veteran All Star PG Mark Price from the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 1996 1st round pick.
Wow. Probably a good move, maybe for both franchises. Mark Price is a 4-time All Star who has lead the Cavaliers at PG for basically all of his career. He's a premier perimeter shooter, can control the half court set, and can break down opposing PGs off the dribble. His vision and passing can be said to be excellent. He stands 6'0" tall, weighs 178 pounds.
The negatives? Well, he has a rep for being injury prone, though that is probably unwarranted. He's fully recovered from ACL surgery in 1990, and broke his wrist last season in a freak fall under the basket. He's 31, and does have occasional pain in his heels. Otherwise, he's played at least 72 games in every year (but his rookie year). He will probably play limited minutes (~30 mpg), which makes Doug Overton an important backup. He is an unrestricted free agent after this season (another risk about this deal).
Here are his career stats:
Yr Tm FGA FGM FG% FTA FTM FT% 3PA 3PM 3FG% PPG 86-87 Cle 424 173 40.8 114 95 83.3 70 23 32.9 6.9 87-88 Cle 974 493 50.6 252 221 87.7 148 72 48.6 16.0 88-89 Cle 1006 529 52.6 292 263 90.1 211 93 44.1 18.9 89-90 Cle 1066 489 45.9 338 300 88.8 374 152 40.6 19.6 90-91 Cle 195 97 49.8 62 59 95.2 53 18 34.0 16.9 91-92 Cle 897 438 48.8 285 270 94.7 261 101 38.7 17.3 92-93 Cle 986 477 48.4 305 289 94.8 293 122 41.6 18.2 93-94 Cle 1005 480 47.8 268 238 88.8 297 118 39.7 17.3 94-95 Cle 612 253 41.3 162 148 91.4 253 103 40.7 15.8 Totals 7165 3429 47.9 2078 1883 90.6 1960 802 40.9 16.4 Yr G Min MPG Reb Ast Blk St TO PF(DQ) 86-87 67 1217 18.2 117 202 4 43 105 75 (1) 87-88 80 2626 32.8 180 480 12 99 184 119 (1) 88-89 75 2728 36.4 226 631 7 115 212 98 (0) 89-90 73 2706 37.0 251 666 5 114 214 89 (0) 90-91 16 571 35.7 45 166 2 42 56 23 (0) 91-92 72 2138 29.7 173 535 12 94 159 113 (0) 92-93 75 2380 31.7 201 602 11 89 196 105 (0) 93-94 76 2386 31.4 228 589 11 103 189 93 (0) 94-95 48 1375 28.6 112 335 4 35 142 50 (0) Totals 582 18127 31.1 1533 4206 68 734 1457 765 (2)
Starters: Muresan, Webber, Howard, Price, Cheaney
Bench: Wallace, MacLean, Overton, Legler
Deep Bench: Duckworth, McIlvaine, Butler.
All of those contracts are guaranteed. Nobody else will probably make the roster unless there is an injury. These are going to be your 1995-96 Washington Bullets.
What else happened yesterday? Well, under all of the hoopla was the signing of 1st round pick Rasheed Wallace. We know the contract size and details, but what may be most interesting is that the 6'10" Wallace has added 15 pounds over the summer, growing from 233 to 248 pounds. Whether its muscle or fat remains to be seen. But Wallace adds good depth and atleticism to the front court, and the Bullets didn't have to trade him to add a veteran PG.
The first priority, re-signing Chris Webber, should be back on track next week when one of Webber's advisors returns from vacation next week. They'd better get it back on track, because training camp starts at the end of next week. We're also waiting on the re-signing of RFAs Don MacLean and Jim McIlvaine. These should also happen next week.
Also, it was announced that Tim Legler was signed to a two-year deal.
Lastly, underneath all of the player signings, the Bullets revealed the external details of the proposed MCI Center. I have paraphrased the details from the Washington Post article, for those who are interested.
Well, just when I thought I understood what the Bullets are doing, they pull this one on me. They re-sign Brent Price.
They cut Brent Price late last season, after he had sat out the entire season on IR because of a torn ACL (which has since been reconstructed and rehabilitated). I'm completely unclear why they picked up Brent Price, much less gave him a guaranteed contract. That gives the Bullets 13 guaranteed contracts, so unless someone is traded (Duckworth? MacLean?) they are doing something strange with the roster. I can see them wanting 3 PGs on the roster, but where are they going to cut the fat otherwise? ;-)
I never thought Brent was going to amount to much. Mark showed SO much more at GA Tech than Brent has ever shown. Yes, Brent can shoot; so can Overton. Brent dribbles with his head down, never seemed in control of the offense, shaky defense, not the same desire as I associate with Mark. And after looking at his career numbers, I have my doubts as to whether he's even that much of an offensive threat.
Yr Tm FGA FGM FG% FTA FTM FT% 3PA 3PM 3FG% PPG 92-93 Was 279 100 35.8 68 54 79.4 48 8 16.7 3.9 93-94 Was 326 141 43.3 87 68 78.2 150 50 33.3 6.2 Totals 605 241 39.8 155 122 78.8 198 58 29.3 5.2 Yr G Min MPG Reb Ast Blk St TO PF(DQ) 92-93 68 859 12.6 103 154 3 56 85 90 (0) 93-94 65 1035 15.9 90 213 2 55 119 114 (1) Totals 133 1894 14.2 193 367 5 111 204 204 (1)
Quick update on the restricted free agents. No, not Webber. Jim McIlvaine has signed a one-year offer sheet with the Minnesota Timberwolves for an estimated $525,000. The Bullets have 15 days to match the offer, and they will probably wait the full time to make a decision (during which McIlvaine cannot participate in any camps).
Both sides continue to talk positively about Webber being signed before camp starts this weekend. And it is expected that Don MacLean will probably sign a one year deal on Thursday. Stay tuned here for more info as it comes available (including the latest whale...errr, Duckworth sightings).
Well, Duckworth has tried out for both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Utah Jazz, and neither team has shown serious interest. The Bucks wanted to see if the Bullets were interested in trading Todd Day for Duckworth. Nash said, thanks but no thanks. In part, it was probably because the Bullets would still be stuck with 13 guaranteed contracts, Day is still expensive, and Day is a ball hog (and not the greatest shooter, either, though he can be streaky).
It was pointed out to me that Brent Price may not be as bad as I've implied. Before Brent injured his knee, he was playing very well in summer leagues and was looking much improved. I still have my reservations, but maybe I'm wrong on this one. We'll see.
It's Training Camp Time!!!
And Chris Webber is not in camp. The negotiations over the minutiae of the contract continue. Maybe this weekend? (Has Webber ever been to training camp on time in his first three seasons?) Oh yes, and Gheorghe Muresan isn't here, either. He's flying back from playing basketball this summer in France. And Jim McIlvaine is awaiting resolution of his contract situation.
Training camp opened Thursday, October 5, 1995 in Shepherdstown, WV with a series of team meetings. Two-a-day practices begin Friday for the next 5 days, then the Bullets return to Washington for a day before beginning their pre-season schedule against the New York Knicks in Charleston, SC on October 12.
The non-roster invitees for camp are: guard A.J. English, center Juwann Oldham, and forwards Jermain Parker, Harry Moore, Thomas Elliott, and Jeff Webster. None of them should be expected to make the roster, because the Bullets currently have 13 guaranteed contracts (assuming McIlvaine returns).
Don MacLean has re-signed with the Bullets, taking their one-year, $950,000 offer. He has reported to camp and is looking forward to playing out the season with whatever minutes he gets. Okay, that's the public line; we all know he won't be back next season.
Okay, it's done. First, Chris Webber is signing with the Washington Bullets, as of Monday, Oct. 9. It's a 6-year deal worth $57M, including a $12M signing bonus, averaging just over $9.3M per year. His first year salary is $6.4M. Only Patrick Ewing ($18.725M), Clude Drexler ($9.81M), David Robinson ($7.7M), Joe Dumars ($6.98M), and AC Green (~$6.5M) will earn more this season. His salary breaks down as follows; the signing bonus counts $2M per year (on top of the base salary), but is payed out in a different schedule.
Year Base Salary Bonus Payment Total 1995-96 $ 5M $ 1.4M $ 6.4M 1996-97 $ 6M $ .7M $ 6.7M 1997-98 $ 7M $ .5M $ 7.5M 1998-99 $ 8M $ .3M $ 8.3M 1999-00 $ 9M $ 3.0M $12.0M 2000-01 $10M $ 6.1M $16.1M
Yr Tm FGA FGM FG% FTA FTM FT% 3PA 3PM 3FG% PPG 93-94 GS 1037 572 55.2 355 189 53.2 14 0 0.0 17.5 94-95 Was 938 464 49.5 233 117 50.2 145 40 27.6 20.1 Totals 1975 1036 52.5 588 306 52.0 159 40 25.2 18.6 Yr G Min MPG Reb Ast Blk St TO PF(DQ) 93-94 76 2438 32.1 694 272 164 93 206 247 (4) 94-95 54 2067 38.3 518 256 85 83 167 186 (2) Totals 130 4505 34.7 1212 528 249 176 373 433 (6)
The Don MacLean saga has come to a close. I originally reported that MacLean had re-signed with the Bullets. Well, he didn't sign on Friday. MacLean's agent got a last minute call from the Celtics, who were interested in signing him to a long-term deal. The hang-up: the Celtics needed to trade PG Sherman Douglas to clear enough salary cap room. MacLean waited out the first two full days of practice, then decided not to wait on the Celtics. MacLean signed the one-year deal, and looking for a big payoff after this season.
Yr Tm FGA FGM FG% FTA FTM FT% 3PA 3PM 3FG% PPG 92-93 Was 361 157 43.5 111 90 81.1 6 3 50.0 6.6 93-94 Was 1030 517 50.2 398 328 82.4 21 3 14.3 18.2 94-95 Was 361 158 43.8 136 104 76.5 40 10 25.0 11.0 Totals 1752 832 47.5 645 522 80.9 67 16 23.9 12.5 Yr G Min MPG Reb Ast Blk St TO PF(DQ) 92-93 62 674 10.9 122 39 4 11 42 92 (0) 93-94 75 2487 33.2 467 160 22 47 152 169 (0) 94-95 39 1052 27.0 165 51 3 15 44 97 (0) Totals 176 4213 23.9 754 250 29 73 238 348 (0)
Well, as a Bullets fan, we've come to expect this. The injury bug has struck again. Mark Price is struck down again with the injury that slowed him at the end of last season. He has plantar fascitis, which is an irritation of a muscle/fascia on the bottom of the foot that connects the heel and the in-step. One can play on it, but it can be very painful. Treatment of the injury usually lasts months before the irritation and pain subsides.
The Bullets are probably wise in sitting out Mark Price for the pre-season. It lets them concentrate on improving Mark Price's condition, so that he can be as pain-free as possible when the regular season starts. It's bad that he won't be able to practice defensive assignments, etc. with the rest of the team, but it's also important to have him ready for the first game of the regular season. So, be patient, fellow Bullets fans. He will play come the regular season. And keep praying, or burning incense, or whatever you do to try and remove this injury curse.
Another injury: Tim Legler ruptured the plantar tendon in his left foot during practice, and is expected to miss about one week of practice. It's worse, yet better, than Mark Price's injury. While the injury is more devastating, it's a non-weight bearing muscle and, once healed, shouldn't cause further problems. Mark Price's injury, by comparison, can linger for a long time.
The first cuts have happened.Juwann Oldham, Jermain Parker, and Harry Moore were all cut before the team's first pre-season game, with the New York Knicks.
Lastly, the Bullets have a new assistant coach: Buzz Braman. Yes, the shooting doctor. His main focus will be to work on the shooting mechanics of the players. During the season, he will only work with Bullets players, although he'll maintain his summer camps for other clients (which have included Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway). We'll see if players shooting range and free throw shooting improve with him on the staff.
wtf 12 October 1995
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