1991–92 Washington Bullets season

The 1991–92 Washington Bullets season was the 31st season for the Washington Bullets in the National Basketball Association, and their 19th season in Washington, D.C.^[1] The Bullets had the 19th overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard LaBradford Smith from the University of Louisville;^[2][3][4] the Bullets originally had the eighth overall pick in the draft, but traded it to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for former Bullets guard Michael Adams.^[5][6] During the off-season, the team signed free agents David Wingate,^[7][8] and undrafted rookie small forward Larry Stewart.^[9] However, Bernard King would miss the entire regular season due to a right knee injury;^[10][11] to make matters worse, Hot Plate Williams was suspended for the entire season due to continuing weight problems.^[12][13]

With the addition of Adams, Wingate and Stewart, and the loss of King and Williams, the Bullets got off to a 6–9 start to the regular season, but then posted an eight-game losing streak in December afterwards. The team managed to win six of their next seven games, but then posted another eight-game losing streak in January, and later on held a 16–30 record at the All-Star break.^[14] At mid-season, the team traded Tom Hammonds to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Rex Chapman, who would only play in the final game of the season due to a strained left heel injury.^[15][16][17] The Bullets posted a six-game losing streak between February and March, posted a seven-game losing streak in March, and another six-game losing streak in April. The Bullets lost 15 of their final 18 games of the season, and finished in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 25–57 record.^[18]

Pervis Ellison showed improvement averaging 20.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year,^[19][20][21] while Adams averaged 18.1 points, 7.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and led the Bullets with 125 three-point field goals, and Harvey Grant provided the team with 18.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. In addition, Ledell Eackles contributed 13.2 points per game, while second-year guard A.J. English provided with 10.9 points per game off the bench, and Wingate contributed 7.9 points and 1.5 steals per game. Meanwhile, Stewart averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, becoming the first undrafted NBA player to be named to an NBA All-Rookie Team.^[22]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, Adams was selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first and only All-Star appearance.^[23][24][25] The Bullets finished 26th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 505,988 at the Capital Centre during the regular season, which was the second-lowest in the league.^[22][26]

Following the season, Williams signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers,^[27][28] while Wingate signed with the Charlotte Hornets during the next season,^[29] and English was released to free agency.