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October
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27 October-??? 1996
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Top News Items between 27 October and ??? 1996:
- The Bullets fall one last time in the preseason, to the Celtics this time (10/29/96)
- Five former Bullets make the list as the all time NBA greats (10/30/96)
- Ben Wallace is a true diamond in the rough (10/30/96)
- Two days until the start of the regular season and the roster has yet to be finalized (10/31/96)
Back to 21 October 1996 ">
27 October 1996. Boston Celtics 109, Washington Bullets 103 (preseason record: 3-5)![[ red white & blue separation bar ]](http://thebench.gszone.com/images/rwbLine.GIF)
Game leaders: Cheaney (19 points), Wallace (17 rebounds), Whitney (10 assists)Let's just say that this was not the version of the Washington Bullets that should start the season. This time, it was Rod Strickland being added to the MIA list, as he is battling a case of the flu. The Bullets had 9 players in uniform, of whom only 3 had guaranteed contracts. And the Bullets nearly came back.
The Bullets had a 13 point lead late in the first quarter, but gave it away by halftime and were down by 17 early in the fourth quarter. But with a team of Jaren Jackson, Bernard Blunt, Dwayne Morton, Richard Petruska, and Matt Fish on the court, the Bullets climbed within 6 points. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.
Now comes the wait for many of these players. Jackson has virtually guaranteed himself a spot on the team, although Morton has played well at times. The problem area may come down to a decision of size (Matt Fish) versus talent (Ben Wallace). Wallace has been a monster on the boards. Fish has the size. According to reports I'm seeing, it looks like they are considering putting Williams on IR (which will keep him out for a minimum of 5 games) to keep both Fish and Wallace for the time being.
Webber vs. the GS Warriors According to David Aldridge at ESPNet Sportszone, Chris Webber is looking forward to the matchup with the Golden State Warriors in December. The build-up for this one should be good. Unfortunately, there's no word yet about Murray's wrist. But Webber, Howard, Amaya and Strickland all returned to practice on Monday. And Gheorghe Muresan has started running, although he's taking things very slow. The Bullets think that some overzealous workouts he had while rehabilitating from knee surgery (which he injured last April) may have resulted in the hip flexor injury over the summer. Onward to the regular season.
wtf 29 October 1996
To Top of Page...Well, the NBA league office released its list of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, and 5 Bullets were on the list: Dave Bing (1975-77), Elvin "the Big E" Hayes (1973-81), Moses Malone (1986-88), Earl "the Pearl" Monroe (1967-71), and Wes Unseld (1968-81). Those are some great players, and it represents, in many ways, the glory years of the Bullets.
They are making a big deal out of it, including providing a site highlighting the NBA At 50 years. Included at this site is a feature on Wes Unseld, who has been a member of the Bullets organization since 1968. Pay attention and you'll learn much about the early years of the league. They are planning a cable TV movie/documentary talking about the first 50 years. It's going to be broadcast in November, I believe. I know I'm learning a lot and reinforcing a lot from my younger days.
And if you lived through much of this era, good for you. And please educate us about it, because some of us young whippersnappers barely remember the 70s.
wtf 30 October 1996
To Top of Page...An interesting side story was in the Washington Post about Ben Wallace, who seems virtually guaranteed of making the team. Here's an undrafted guy who didn't stick with the Celtics after their summer camp, couldn't get offered a contract in Italy, is only 6'9" when the Bullets were looking for centers because of the Muresan injury, and now he's probably going to make the team.
This man is self-made, and make sure you read about him. What I find most impressive is that he has a 42" chest but a 33" waist. That's cut (heck, my chest is larger than that, but so is my gut/waist, and I'm 3" shorter). I guess doing 500 push-ups and 500 crunches each night for 3 years will do that to you (I definitely don't have the self-discipline to do that).
And lastly, to those San Antonio Spurs fans and coaches out there, stop crying. There was an AP story that quoted Spurs coach Bob Hill saying, "The injuries are unbelievable. We are snakebitten." He's talking about the fact that David Robinson has a sore back, Will Perdue has a fractured thumb, Chuck Person is out for the season with a bad back, Charles Smith has knee inflamation, and Monty Williams has a nerve contusion in his forearm.
To that I say: SO WHAT? TRY BEING THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS, OR WASHINGTON BULLETS, who have these types of injuries year after year. And here we have somebody whining because a few players are hurt. Shut up already and deal with it, just like almost every other team would. No more excuses for your team, who can't even make the NBA Finals, despite great regular seasons (this is from a Houston Rocket fan, too - sorry).
wtf 30 October 1996
To Top of Page...Well, the countdown to the regular season is just 2 days away, and there are several news bits that need to be considered before the Bullets kick-off against the Magic in Orlando on Friday:
Lastly, the NBA announced its initial 8 host teams for the Women's NBA (WNBA), which will start in June. The main reason Washington failed to secure a founding franchise was that the MCI Center would not be ready in time for the June start time. That means Washington will have to wait and reapply when the leauge gets ready to expand.
- Gheorghe Muresan has begun running in practice, but the team realizes that he is not in condition to play. He will not play this weekend, and the Bullets are considering putting him on IR and keeping Matt Fish for the time being. Being on IR will keep Muresan out for a minimum of 5 games, meaning he couldn't play until November 12 at the earliest.
- Lynam confirmed on Wednesday that Ben Wallace has made the team. That's a great story. In fact, he may be better in the long-run than Mitchell Butler and Anthony Tucker, both of whom made the team as free agents after being long shots to begin with. However, Wallace seems to have more game than either of these two. Of course, it's still a little early to see if he continues to improve or not.
- Tracy Murray is a probable scratch from this weekend's games as well. He injured some tendons in his shooting wrist and has a supporting cast on his wrist to help stabilize the wrist and hopefully speed recovery. However, it is unlike that he will be put on IR and will instead be a day-by-day decision on whether he plays.
- Richard Petruska was cut on Tuesday, and Bernard Blunt was cut on Wednesday, leaving Fish, Jaren Jackson, and Dwayne Morton fighting for roster spots. The team must make roster decisions by 6pm Thursday, so this should be sorted out shortly. Expect one player to be put on IR and Fish and Jackson to be kept.
- ESPN is reporting that Penny Hardaway has a sore knee and may not play in Friday's opener against the Bullets. An MRI exam shows no significant damage to the knee, and doctor's are stumped as to what's causing the problem. However, the pain is real, and Hardaway is unsure if he will play this weekend.
wtf 31 October 1996
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