January 1996
The new year has begun with some good news. Mark Price participated in full court practice for about 10 minutes on New Year's Day. He was very rusty handling the ball, but he didn't have any pain following the outing. He's expected to increase his participation 5 to 10 minutes per practice, as long as he doesn't suffer any increase in discomfort. Expect him to be back playing in the lineup within 2 weeks.

And don't give me any, who will play--Price or Pack? It reminds me too much of the Webber-and-Howard-play-the-same-position argument. Since when does a coach complain of having too many quality players in the lineup? Only when it affects the team chemistry, and I can't imagine Mark Price affecting the chemistry that much. I still stand by my analysis of what Mark Price can bring to this team.

2 January 1996. Cleveland Cavaliers 108, Washington Bullets 100 (record: 15-14)
Game leaders: Wallace (20 points), Muresan (12 rebounds), Pack (8 assists)

Go back to the November 30, 1995 game against the Cavaliers for clues as to how this game went. The Cavaliers lull you to sleep with their slow-down style, but still execute well. It's amazing how effective Danny Ferry can be in this type of situation. Terrell Brandon is a star waiting to emerge. What's scary is this Cleveland team probably has 3 first round picks next year, and they're well coached. This team could be going places if Fratello sticks around. (In case you can't tell, I don't want to talk about the Bullets' performance, or lack thereof, tonight.)

Guess what? A certain player with the initials CC may not find a starting role on this team when he returns to the lineup (he's currently out with an injured right ankle). Ledell Eackles has been playing solid ball, offensively and defensively, starting at SG, and Legler continues to excel and get quality playing time as the backup. Eackles shows none of the hesitation or lack of concentration that CC can show for extended periods of time. And Eckles is shooting well, too.

The trade rumors continue, with three names being mentioned in particular: CC, Jim McIlvaine, and Rasheed Wallace. Nothing concrete has been mentioned for CC or Wallace (although I have seen a rumored Wallace for Scott Burrell and Rafael Addison [Charlotte]). Houston has offered Pete Chilcutt for Jimmy Mac, and Miami has offered Pete Myers. Atlanta is possibly interested in a multi-player deal. But that's it for the moment. Talk amongst yourselves about the possibilities.

4 January 1996. Washington Bullets 112, Dallas Mavericks 100 (record: 16-14)
Game leaders: Howard (27 points), Muresan (13 rebounds), Pack (7 assists)

Well, the Bullets had a devil of a time defending Jimmy Jackson in the post, and Jackson wracked up 29 points through the first 3 quarters. Then, Jimmy Lynam got a "brilliant idea" and put Howard on Jackson. Result--no more post-up opportunities for Jackson, and only 4 points in the final quarter. It took him long enough to figure that one out.

Not obvious in the stats above is that Jimmy Mac (aka McIlvaine) had a career high in blocked shots (6) and really helped alter the game in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Muresan had a solid 3rd quarter, but got in foul trouble and Jimmy Mac cam to the rescue. Eackles was solid (though he was fighting the flu), and Pack played well against Kidd. The Bullets now head on a 3 game road trip without Cheaney and Webber, both of whom are struggling to recover from their injuries. However, Mark Price is travelling with the team, and may be activated by the end of the trip. So pay attention, because the roster shuffle may continue soon.

Well, just before the Bullets go jetting off on their road trip, they made some roster moves. They waived Bob McCann, who wasn't getting significant playing time with this team. He did provide some depth at the forward position, but his skills were limited. Mark Price was activated at the same time, allowing him to play as soon as he's ready. Also, Calbert Cheaney was put on injured reserve; he must remain on IR for a minimum of 5 games. So the Bullets have 9 healthy bodies on their active roster, while CWebb and M. Price nurse their injuries. Don't expect the Bullets to pick up a player any time soon for the last available roster spot; they seem to be waiting for Cheaney to possibly come back. Here's hoping the Bullets don't get in too much foul trouble on this road trip.

6 January 1996. Detroit Pistons 90, Washington Bullets 82 (record: 16-15)
Game leaders: Eackles, Pack (14 points), Howard, McIlvaine (9 rebounds), Howard (5 assists)

In a word, ugly. I didn't watch or listen to this game, but the Bullets sucked. The Bullets were down 79-52 after 3 quarters, and only a 30-11 4th quarter run made this respectable. Howard was 2-15 from the field, Pack had 1 assist, and the Bullets shot 11 of 26 from the charity stripe. Let's just put this one behind us.

8 January 1996. Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Washington Bullets 91 (record: 16-16)
Game leaders: Howard (23 points), Muresan (12 rebounds), B. Price (8 assists)

The Bullets just can't figure this team out, and I think it can be boiled down to one word--coaching. That's all I'm going to say on this subject, but the Cavs shot 59.4% from the field and 10 of 18 on 3 pointers. Howard rebounded from Tuesday night with a strong game (23 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists). But the Bullets are back at .500, short-handed, and playing Philly on the road on Wednesday.

In case you haven't heard, the Bullets are being bitten hard by the injury bug right now. Pack was injured at the end of practice on Sunday, bruising a nerve in his knee in a collision with Derek Smith. He couldn't play in the Cleveland game. Webber continues to heal at their slow rates. Mark Price is NOW feeling some soreness in his foot following the latest round of practice. That leaves the Bullets with 8 bodies for games, although they're expected to sign Bob McCann on Wednesday to a 10-day contract to at least have an extra body.

10 January 1996. Washington Bullets 98, Philadelphia 76ers 93 (record: 17-16)
Game leaders: Wallace (22 points), Muresan (18 rebounds), B. Price (7 assists)

Well, surprises of all surprises, Mark Price actually played in this game. The original plan (as of early this week) was Friday's game, but the continued absence of Robert Pack necessitated Price playing in this game. Brent Price started and played well. Mark didn't shoot well (many of his shots were short), but he should get back in game flow soon.

The Bullets shot horribly in this game (35.7%), but pounded the offensive glass (28 offensive rebounds) to pull this game out. Muresan nearly had a triple double (14 points, 18 rebounds, 9 blocks), and Wallace came to play (22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 for 2 on 3s, 4 for 4 at the charity stripe). Maybe he should play all of his games in Philadelphia. Nonetheless, this was a game the Bullets should have (and did) win. They are staying above .500, even with 3 of their starters injured and not playing.

The Bullets signed a new player to a 10-day contract. He's guard Michael Curry, from the Omaha ??? (someone help me) of the CBA, where he was averaging about 23 ppg. Surprisingly enough, it's that Philly connection again--Lynam was the GM with Philly when Curry played for Sixers (10 games and 49 minutes back in 1992). He can shoot the ball, plays some good defense, and is probably a role player. Don't expect him to stick around forever, but at least he is getting a chance. To make room for him, Robert Pack was put on IR to recover from the nerve injury.

12 January 1996. Washington Bullets 117, Sacramento Kings 98 (record: 18-16)
Game leaders: Howard (29 points), Muresan (16 rebounds), B. Price (8 assists)

This was a close game early in the third quarter, with the Bullets up by 1. Then, the Bullets ratcheted up the defense and broke open the close game, getting the lead up to 29 points at one point during the 4th quarter. Brent Price continues his solid play at starting PG, including a beautiful between-the-legs pass on a fastbreak that made many highlight reels. I wasn't able to attend this game, but it sounds like the Bullets played much better in the second half.

13 January 1996. Toronto Ratptors 106, Washington Bullets 100 (record: 18-17)
Game leaders: Muresan (25 points), Wallace (12 rebounds), Howard (6 assists)

The team just looked tired in this game--especially Juwan Howard. They were slow on transition defense and the Raptors jumped out to an early lead. The Bullets chipped away at that lead, but they could never overtake the Raptors. I don't know about this, but the Bullets may be the first team that's been beaten twice by the Raptors. Not a good thing for your team history. Oh well, next up are the dreaded Bulls.

15 January 1996. Chicago Bulls 116, Washington Bullets 109 (record: 18-18)
Game leaders: B. Price (30 points), Muresan (11 rebounds), B. Price (13 assists)

Wow, was that Mark Price in Brent Price's body? Yeah, the Bullets lost this game, mostly because they got tired and didn't have the horses on the bench to hold the lead. Oh yeah, and this Jordan guy--ever heard of him?--scored something like 46 points, including 19 in the 4th quarter. It was an impressive game from a scrappy Bullets team that was playing extremely undermanned--four possible starters (CWebb, Cheaney, Mark Price, Pack) weren't even available for this game. And if you want to play what-if games, start with Juwan's 4 of 17 shooting for the game (which is also a testament to the defense played on him by Rodman and Pippen).

It wasn't like the Bullets played bad defense against Jordan. Generally, the Jordan-defenders (Eackles, Legler, Butler, B. Price) kept themselves between Jordan and the basket, but Jordan continually hit his fade-away jumpers. On the defensive end, though, Jordan had problems keeping Brent Price under control (career-high 30 points, 6 of 6 on 3s, 13 assists--one short of his career high). Price was able to get around Jordan when he wanted to. Jordan doesn't have the lateral quickness he used to, but he plays much smarter than he did in his earlier days. That's the best way to describe Jordan, and it was a pleasure to watch--both Jordan and the efforts of the undermanned Bullets team.

Rasheed Wallace has been selected to play in the NBA rookie game on February 10, 1996 in San Antoinio. He will be on an Eastern Conference team with Jerry Stackhouse, Damon Stoudamire, Bob Sura, Alan Henderson, Kurt Thomas, Eric Williams, and George Zidek. The Western Conference team will consist of Brent Barry, Tyus Edney, Michael Finley, Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess, Kevin Garnett, Arvydas Sabonis, and Bryant Reeves. Should be some interesting matchups.

Also, it's time to hope that Juwan Howard gets selected as an All Star reserve. We know he deserves it--he's the heart and soul of this team, the workman next to the flash of CWebb. Howard gives his all for this team. As a side note, I heard Susan O'Malley, president of Washington Sports, tell the story about Howard last Wednesday. The Bullets had returned home from Philadelphia after a 3 game road trip to find their cars at the Park and Ride buried in the snow from last week's blizzard. Juwan stayed until the end, helping all of his Bullets teammates and Bullets staff dig out from under the snow. It was only after everyone was clear of the snow that he drove home. That, my friends, is what we call a role model, and let's hope the All Star coaches wake up to that fact.

My All Star team for the Eastern Conference, if I were to decide right now? Probable starters: Shaq, Pippen, Grant Hill, Jordan, Penny. Reserves: Ewing, Howard, Baker, Larry Johnson, Brandon, Reggie Miller, Glen Rice. On the bubble would be Anthony Mason, Dino Radja, Jerry Stackhouse, Allan Houston, Glen Robinson, Alonzo Mourning (and others).

ps Actually, on second thought, I might put on Rik Smits over Ewing (it's a tough call) and it's really tough to leave Dino Radja off the roster. Phil Jackson will have his hands full selecting his roster.

17 January 1996. Miami Heat 96, Washington Bullets 89 (record: 18-19)
Game leaders: B. Price (27 points), Muresan (21 rebounds), B. Price (4 assists)

Well, the Bullets drop below .500 for the first time since their west coast road trip, almost three weeks ago. Muresan had a career high 21 rebounds, and Brent Price and Rasheed Wallace continue to play well, but the reserves are falling short. Furthermore, Howard got himself ejected for fighting with Bimbo Coles. It's likely he will have to sit out at least the next game for that little stunt. But the Bullets just struggled too much in this game, even though the Heat struggled as well (despite Zo's 38 points). Cheaney was 1 for 8 in his first game back, and Mark Price continues to struggle with his shot. *Sigh* Hopefully, CWebb will be healthy enough to play on Friday.

Well, bad news and good news. The bad news, as expected, was that Juwan has been suspended for one game, fined $12,000 for being the instigator in the fight and throwing punches, and also fined $1,000 for being ejected from the game. The good news is that CWebb is expected to give the game a go, pending final evaluation on Friday. Only extreme pain should keep him out of the lineup. Lastly, even better news, is that Kenny Anderson has been traded to the Charlotte Hornets. That means he should not be in uniform when the Nets play the Bullets at Baltimore Arena, and it is doubtful that the two players he was traded for (Kendall Gill and Khalid Reeves) also shouldn't be in uniform. Good luck, tonight, Bullets!

19 January 1996. Washington Bullets 93, New Jersey Nets 87 (record: 19-19)
Game leaders: Webber (25 points), Howard, Webber (7 rebounds), Webber (8 assists)

Well, it wasn't a pretty win. And Howard was inelligible to play because of the fighting suspension. The Bullets were outhustled in many phases of the game, but the Nets couldn't shoot straight and turned the ball over enough to get the win for the Bullets. More problematic is that Cheaney reinjured his ankle in the second half and didn't finish the game. He wasn't shooting well, although he was shooting better than in his last outing. However, the Bullets shooting guards now are Butler and 10-day contract signee Michael Curry. Let's hope Cheaney's injury is not too serious. But a win's a win, and it gets the team back to the .500 mark, chasing that playoff spot.

21 January 1996. Indiana Pacers 106, Washington Bullets 96 (record: 19-20)
Game leaders: Webber (23 points), Webber (11 rebounds), Webber (9 assists)

One assist short of a triple double for Webber, but even his heroics, combined with Juwan and Big Gheorghe were not enough to overcome the hot shooting of the Pacers (56.8%). That's a lack of team defense. The Bullets made a couple of runs to tie the game up at various times, but then would let the Pacers make another big run to keep the lead sizable. Of course, when your starting SG is Mitchell Butler, you might expect to have some scoring problems. Please get better, Cheaney and/or Eackles!

Well, more good news and bad news before the Hornets game. Good news is that Mark Price is going to start for the Bullets this week and probably get some significant minutes. His play is getting better, even if he has yet to recover his shooting touch. He's finding open players, spliting double teams, and showing good PG skills--just not the shooting skills. On the ho-hum news scale, the NJ/Charlotte trade has been finalized, so Kenny Anderson should play against the Bullets. That's good, because he can't shoot straight (compared to Larry Johnson, Del Curry, and Glen Rice). The bad news is that CWebb is going to sit out this game. He doesn't want to risk playing back-to-back games and decided that playing at home (against the defending champion Houston Rockets) was the better selection. Don't hold out that his shoulder is going to hold up forever, he's probably playing a lot on guts right now.

24 January 1996. Charlotte Hornets 127, Washington Bullets 113 (record: 19-21)
Game leaders: Howard (21 points), Muresan (13 rebounds), B. Price (9 assists)

Well, the Hornets got a measure of revenge for the thrashing they suffered at the hands of the Bullets earlier this year. The Bullets played bad defense, despite holding the Hornets to 48.9% shooting, and were outhustled up and down the court. It's best to put this game behind us--tied after one quarter, outscored by 17 over the next 2 quarters. Not good. This was Cheaney's first game back and he played pretty well in the loss.

25 January 1996. Washington Bullets 120, Houston Rockets 85 (record: 20-21)
Game leaders: B. Price (25 points), Wallace (14 rebounds), B. Price (8 assists)

This was good. Very good! The Bullets stormed out to a double digit lead early in the first quarter, allowed the Rockets to get within 7 in the 2nd quarter, then blew to doors off the building the rest of the way. They did not let down during all 4 quarters. A pre-game meeting, led by Howard, probably helped set the tone for how the Bullets would handle this game. Only 9 players were in uniform (CWebb is still sitting out with the sore shoulder), and 7 were in double figures. Eackles didn't score (first game back off IR), and Wallace only had 4 points but a monstrous 14 rebounds! Even Brent Price was 1 rebound (and 2 assists, obviously) away from a triple double.

Of course, also being a Rockets fan, this was at time tough to take. But the Bullets come first, and I rationalized it this way--Hakeem played well, while the rest of the team (which at times is easy to ignore) played horribly, so I liked both performances, I guess.

27 January 1996. Washington Bullets 102, Vancouver Grizzlies 77 (record: 21-21)
Game leaders: Howard (24 points), Howard (12 rebounds), B. Price (13 assists)

With this game, the Bullets end January with a .500 record. Even better, they equal their win total for ALL OF LAST YEAR! That's right, they're one game over halfway through the season, playing significant time without Webber and Mark Price, and also losing Cheaney and Pack for some time, and they have already won as many games as last year. Go home and celebrate!

Oh yeah, about the game. The Bullets put in a lackluster first half, getting outhustled in most facets of the game and nursing a 4 point lead (49-45) at halftime. In the second half, the Bullets turned up the defense, held the Grizzlies to 32 points in the half, and scorched on to their second straight impressive win. Neither CWebb (it looks like his season is over) nor Mark Price (he's injured the arch in that foot, which they claim is "unrelated" to the previous injury) could play in this game. Muresan missed his first shot of the game (it rimmed out), then hit 11 straight the rest of the game. Bryant Reeves met Big Gheorghe and didn't like what he saw, settling for a lot of jumpers (which he can hit, apparently) instead. Good game, and the Bullets are now on a five day rest before their next game--in February.

A big hearty congratulations goes out to Juwan Howard, who was elected an All-Star reserve by the coaches of the Eastern Conference. In fact, I got the All-Star team right, except for Alonzo Mourning being selected over Larry Johnson (I still believe LJ deserves it over Zo, in part because he's played almost the entire season vs. Zo's time out with an injury). Don't get caught up in all of the hype that it's going to be tough to sign Howard this off-season, because he knows there is something special about this team. If he decides to go all business and sign for lots of money somewhere else, then we've all mis-estimated him. However, he's never struck me as one who's going to put the almighty dollar in front of everything else. We'll see.

On a less positive note, CWebb is almost definitely going for the surgery, and it turns out that Mark Price broke a bone in his foot--it will be another 6 weeks before he's ready to play again. And Pack continues to sit and do nothing. Aaaiiiggghhhh!!! At least the team is still capable of winning.

Well, after the month of January, the Bullets sit exactly at .500 (21-21), and have equaled their win total of last season. Every win from here on out is an improvement over last season. It's so much easier being a Bullets fan this season, ain't it?

With that, it's time for our month-ending recap of the team leaders in the major statistical categories. Surprisingly enough, we get to see a lot of Brent Price's name (I never thought I'd ever see it this much in a month, much less a season):

wtf 31 January 1996

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