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June
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What Should The Bullets Do This Off-Season, And What's Realistically Going To Happen
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So, you want to know what I think the Bullets are going to do this off-season. Do you know how many free agents the Bullets actually have this off-season? . These are the players they currently have under contract; these players are free agents.The Bullets can go lots of different ways, but there are essentially three areas that the Bullets feel they must work on this off-season, according to Wes Unseld. To that, I would add the a couple more items:
To be honest, when it's all said and done, this is what I see the roster looking like on starting day. But if I could have a wish, what would it be? Jason Kidd. Now that you've stopped laughing, it may be closer to a reality than you might first think. I've thought that this was a possibility since the middle of last season, and recent events in Dallas make it a distinct possibility. How? This is how, and what it would mean.
- Re-sign Juwan Howard
- Solve the backcourt problem
- Get Rasheed in a weight room
- Develop the bench
- Stay healthy.
wtf 25 June 1996
The Bullets have the following players under contract for at least the 1996-97 NBA season:![[ red white & blue separation bar ]](http://thebench.gszone.com/images/rwbLine.GIF)
That's it, 6 players, believe it or not. So the Bullets have 6 more slots to fill, some of which we hope we know already.
- Mitchell Butler (through 1997-98)
- Calbert Cheaney (through 1998-99)
- Tim Legler (through 1996-97)
- Gheorghe Muresan (through 1997-98)
- Rasheed Wallace (through 1997-98)
- Chris Webber (through 2000-2001).
The following players will be unrestricted free agents as of July 1, 1996, when their current contracts expire.
Juwan Howard is a special case. While he is currently under contract through the 2004-2005 season, he has an option clause in his contract that allows him to void the contract after his second season. It is expected that he will void the contract and become an unrestricted free agent as of July 1, 1996.
- Ledell Eackles
- Bob McCann
- Jim McIlvaine
- Robert Pack
- Brent Price
- Mark Price
- Chris Whitney.
1. Re-sign Juwan Howard. This goes without saying. He's the emotional leader of this team, he's supremely focused (most of the time) and has shown that he's capable of carrying a team, if necessary. There was a reason why he was player of the month for April 1996. All of those things, plus he's only 22, mean he has a long, bright future ahead of him.
And it doesn't mean squat if he's not in a Bullets/Wizards uniform for the next 6 to 7 years. What's it going to take? Juwan's agent David Falk keeps quoting an average of $14M per season. That's what the Magic are currently rumored to be offering Shaq over 4 years. I personally believe Juwan will come in at an average of about $12.5M over 6 years, for a total of $75M; IOW, a base year salary of ~$8.33M and $1.67M (20% of base year salary) raises each season thereafter. Extend that for 7 years, and the total is $93.3M, or $13.3M per season.
That should get it done, don't you think? Teams are starting to back away from pursuing Howard, because the Bullets are letting it be known that they WILL step forward and pay Howard accordingly. The Pistons are already investigating other options (no formal talks yet--that would be tampering).
2. Solve the backcourt problem. Another sore spot is the inconsistent play of the Bullets backcourt since time immemorial (or so it seems). It's readily obvious that Calbert Cheaney is not suited to playing shooting guard; he's much more active and involved as a small forward, but that's Juwan's position. Cheaney's range just does not extend to the 3-point line, and there seem to be many instances where Cheaney just does not seem into the flow of the game, hurting his hustle. Unfortunately, there are no other real starting shooting guards on this team--Mitchell Butler can't shoot, Ledell Eackles has limited stamina and quickness, and Tim Legler seems to be a perfect weapon off the bench.
Then there is the point guard position. Robert Pack provided some push on offense and defense that has been sorely lacking on the Bullets since Kevin Porter had the job. But Pack went down injured before the season midpoint and never came back. Pack has not played a full season of full minutes in his career (he played 77 and 72 games once, both in limited minutes). He seems a bit fragile. (Speaking of fragile, we won't talk about Mark Price.)
Brent Price is the other enigma. Nobody ever thought he'd amount to much, he never got consistent playing time, and then he tore his ACL. But Jim Lynam gave him some opportunities, and eventually (after a brief learning curve and briefly hitting the stamina wall) grew into the starting job. He does have his weaknesses, especially a desire for a slower-tempo offensive game when the Bullets (when at full-strength) seem to excel at a higher tempo. Then there's Brent's desire to get a starting job this off-season, wherever he winds up playing.
What will the Bullets do? I personally think that a healthy Pack is the best option for the Bullets. Expect the Bullets to not sign Pack until late-August/September, after much of the rest of the roster has been solidified. Chris Whitney, who finished the season with the Bullets, would make a fine backup PG, no matter who gets the starting job. The Bullets would be well-served to have a third PG on the roster, just on the off chance that the injury bug strikes again.
Shooting guard is more problematic. There have been off-and-on talks about the Bullets trading for Jim Jackson or Isaiah Rider to solve their SG woes--won't happen. The Bullets will peruse the free agent wires, and there may be some tempting targets. Reggie Miller and Allan Houston will probably be out of the Bullets price range. There will be some interest in Latrell Sprewell, a buddy of Webber's from Golden State. Latrell plays great defense and has range on his shot, but his shot selection (and shooting percentage) are very suspect. He is a warrior of a player who never gets injured, despite playing huge numbers of minutes. The Bullets will investigate this option.
Another player I like is Bryant Stith, who may be the odd man out in Denver (given the recent trades). I'd say he's similar to Cheaney in many ways, but he's much more of a leader on the court and more into a game. He could be an interesting starter. With either player, you could bring Cheaney off the bench and he play either shooting guard or small forward.
Eackles could be the last option. I wouldn't make him the starter (I'd start Cheaney, instead, despite my negative feelings about that) unless he lost at least 15 pounds and picked up a measure of quickness on the defensive end. Other backup shooting guards would be Legler and Butler (although I'd prefer the Bullets to just cut Butler and eat his contract--I don't see him improving enough to contribute to the team).
3. Get Rasheed in a weight room. Unfortuantely, the reality of the situation is that there is a 90% certainty that Jim McIlvaine will not be playing for the Bullets next year. He's looking for a situation where he can grow and excel as a defensive specialist, and he doesn't believe he can do it playing in Gheorghe Muresan's shadow. There are at least a half dozen teams interested in McIlvaine that I can count off--Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Phoenix, possibly Denver.
How will the Bullets fill the void? Rasheed is going to wind up playing a lot of backup center. He has the athleticism, but he needs the strength. He can't pussy-foot his way around the lane, he has to act like he owns it, both offensively and defensively. He lost rebounding position too much last season, and his post game consists strictly of a fade away because he is unable (or unwilling) to backdown or spin past his defender. That has to change.
With Rasheed splitting minutes between center and power forward, he can get 24-30 minutes per game backing up Webber and Muresan. And a front line of Wallace, Webber and Howard can be VERY dangerous in crucial situations. Think about it--if this group of 4 front court players sticks together and develops towards its potential, it could be one of the best front courts in the history of the NBA.
4. Develop the bench. As you can see from the discussion above, the Bullets bench could be strong, as long as everyone stays healthy. Unfortunately, that's been a rare commodity in recent seasons.
Rasheed Wallace will be good off the bench. The Bullets could use another center-type player on their bench, just in case of foul trouble on the front line, but space on the roster may be a little thin. If Rasheed proves he can play the center position as a backup, this player could be expendable. Bob McCann would be a good backup forward, if the roster has space; while limited in offensive skills, he's a strong post defender who plays his role and is a locker room leader. Go figure.
The guards I've pretty much gone through. Legler is a solid backup SG, and Whitney I think will grow very well in the backup PG position. If Cheaney gets moved to the 6th man role (backup swingman), this group then looks very strong. Otherwise, it's very thin.
The frontcourt depth is thin beyond Wallace. But as long as everyone stays healthy, no other bodies should necessarily get off the bench. Another good frontcourt backup would be nice, but developing the backcourt should be a first priority.
5. Stay healthy. What can I say? The Bullets have been snakebitten in the health department for too many years. Who's to blame? Is anyone to blame? I don't think so; ultimately, the Bullets' players need to take responsibility for their conditioning, although I've seen and heard about enough freak accidents (just last year alone) that injure Bullets players that I can't believe that player conditioning is at fault.
So, say your prayers for these players. That they may remain healthy in their final season at USAir Arena. And if USAir Arena is responsible for their injury problems, then hopefully that curse will not be transferred to the new arena at MCI Center.
So, what does the roster look like on opening day 1996? Well, let's assume the Bullets sign a FA shooting guard to start in place of Cheaney. We know Legler will start the season on IR. Hopefully, no one else joins him. This is what I see:
Starters: Muresan, Webber, Howard, Pack, FA SG (Stith or Sprewell)(Deep bench means players that will rarely find playing time.) Personally, I would like to see Butler cut; maybe to give Eackles a shot, or another CBA SG (like Legler) who can shoot the 3-pointer and play some defense. If the Bullets don't get a FA SG, then their roster isn't much different than last year.
Bench: Wallace, Cheaney, Legler (IR), Whitney
Deep Bench: Big stiff, McCann, Butler, 3rd PG.
Starters: Muresan, Webber, Howard, Pack, CheaneyIt becomes more difficult to cut Butler in this scenario, unless the CBAer shows exceptional skill; until Legler gets healthy, there may be a need to spell Eackles from time to time in his backup role. Take it as you may. Brent Price could very well get the nod over the Pack; this is just my preference. We'll see how correct I am.
Bench: Wallace, Eackles, Legler (IR), Whitney
Deep Bench: Big stiff, McCann, Butler, 3rd PG.
How do the Bullets get Jason Kidd? Well, it's a long shot at best. But what was the Bullets shot at getting Chris Webber when there were problems out in Golden State? Stranger things have happened, and you know John Nash, if he were still GM, would be burning up the phones. Is Wes Unseld up to the task?
It would take a lot to get Jason Kidd on this team. You'd have to send Rasheed Wallace and Calbert Cheaney, just as starters. It would probably take at least one first round pick; unfortunately, the Bullets have no leverage in dealing first round picks, as they've locked themselves in with the 3 sent away in the Webber deal. But the possibilities are there.
Why would the Mavs want to deal Kidd? Because they could get a lot for him, and there seems to be some friction on the team under his leadership. His recent public pronouncements/threats to sit out next season if his demands aren't met do not sit well with the Mavs new management. So there is a small window of opportunity to move.
Aren't we gutting the Bullets to get Kidd? Yes, and no. He, IMO, would be maybe the last key to making this team a contender for a long time. A man who loves to distribute first, shoot much later. A charismatic leader and floor general. Yeah, his shooting is extremely suspect, that's why the Bullets have a shooting guru on their coaching staff. The Bullets would then have 3 core pieces (Webber, Howard, Kidd), and who wouldn't want to play with a young core like that? It would be incredible to watch. The roster then looks like:
Starters: Muresan, Webber, Howard, Kidd, FA SG (Stith or Sprewell)Pack could be the backup PG, though it's doubtful he'd agree to a situation like that. The bench would be thin, especially in the front court. Webber would be playing backup center, McCann would spell time at PF. That's the danger in this move, if the Bullets suffer another major injury to their frontcourt. But it could be worth it in the long run. Free agents would line up to play here, I'm telling you. TV exposure would be huge. This is a team that would win together for a long time.
Bench: McCann, Eackles, Legler (IR), backup PG
Deep Bench: Big stiff, Medium stiff (to play forward), Butler, Whitney.
Think about it. But not too long, because it's a long shot at best. But we are allowed to dream occasionally, yes?
