1992–93 Washington Bullets season
NBA professional basketball team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1992–93 Washington Bullets season was the 32nd season for the Washington Bullets in the National Basketball Association, and their 20th season in Washington, D.C..[1]
Baltimore Arena (4 games)
| 1992–93 Washington Bullets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Wes Unseld |
| Arena | Capital Centre (37 games) Baltimore Arena (4 games) |
| Results | |
| Record | 22–60 (.268) |
| Place | Division: 7th (Atlantic) Conference: 14th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WDCA Home Team Sports |
| Radio | WTOP |
Season summary
Off-season
The Bullets received the sixth overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, and selected power forward Tom Gugliotta out of North Carolina State University.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired rookie power forward, and first-round draft pick Don MacLean out of the University of California, Los Angeles from the Los Angeles Clippers, who had acquired him from the Detroit Pistons,[5][6] and signed free agents Buck Johnson,[7][8] and rookie point guard Doug Overton.[9] However, Ledell Eackles would miss the entire season due to weight problems.[10][11]
Regular season
With the addition of Gugliotta, the Bullets got off to a 7–10 start to the regular season, but then struggled posting a nine-game losing streak in December, and later on held a 15–36 record at the All-Star break.[12] In January, All-Star forward Bernard King was released to free agency, and later on signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets.[13][14][15] The team struggled with injuries as Pervis Ellison only played just 49 games due to a knee injury, Rex Chapman only played 60 games due to an ankle injury, and Overton only played just 45 games due to a thumb injury.[16][17] The Bullets lost ten of their final eleven games of the season, and finished in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 22–60 record;[18] the team missed the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.[1]
Harvey Grant averaged 18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Ellison averaged 17.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and Michael Adams provided the team with 14.8 points, 7.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, Gugliotta provided with 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Chapman contributed 12.5 points per game, and second-year forward Larry Stewart averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, second-year guard LaBradford Smith contributed 9.3 points per game, Overton contributed 8.1 points and 3.5 assists per game, Johnson provided with 6.5 points per game, and defensive center Charles Jones averaged 1.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.[19]
The Bullets finished 20th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 558,966 at the Capital Centre during the regular season.[19][20]
Notable highlights
One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on March 19, 1993, in a road game against the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls at the Chicago Stadium. Smith scored a career-high of 37 points against All-Star guard Michael Jordan, and made 15 out of 20 field-goal attempts, while Jordan struggled shooting just 9–27 from the field. However, the Bullets lost to the Bulls, 104–99.[21][22][23]
Aftermath
Following the season, Grant was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers after five seasons with the Bullets,[24][25][26] and Johnson, Eackles and Jones were all released to free agency.
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Tom Gugliotta | PF |  United States | North Carolina State |
| 2 | 32 | Brent Price | PG | United States | Oklahoma |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
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Roster Notes
- Shooting guard Ledell Eackles was on the injured reserve list due to weight problems, and missed the entire regular season.
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-New York Knicks | 60 | 22 | .732 | — | 37–4 | 23–18 | 23–5 |
| x-Boston Celtics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 12 | 28–13 | 20–21 | 19–9 |
| x-New Jersey Nets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17 | 26–15 | 17–24 | 14–14 |
| Orlando Magic | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19 | 27–14 | 14–27 | 15–13 |
| Miami Heat | 36 | 46 | .439 | 24 | 26–15 | 10–31 | 9–19 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 26 | 56 | .317 | 34 | 15–26 | 11–30 | 11–17 |
| Washington Bullets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 38 | 15–26 | 7–34 | 7–21 |
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-New York Knicks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| 2 | y-Chicago Bulls | 57 | 25 | .695 | 3 |
| 3 | x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 54 | 28 | .659 | 6 |
| 4 | x-Boston Celtics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 12 |
| 5 | x-Charlotte Hornets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 16 |
| 6 | x-New Jersey Nets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17 |
| 7 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17 |
| 8 | x-Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19 |
| 9 | Orlando Magic | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19 |
| 10 | Detroit Pistons | 40 | 42 | .488 | 20 |
| 11 | Miami Heat | 36 | 46 | .439 | 24 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 32 |
| 13 | Philadelphia 76ers | 26 | 56 | .317 | 36 |
| 14 | Washington Bullets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 38 |
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Game log
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Acres† | 12 | 7 | 20.5 | .600 | .714 | 5.1 | .4 | .3 | .5 | 4.8 | |
| Michael Adams | 70 | 70 | 35.7 | .439 | .321 | .856 | 3.4 | 7.5 | 1.4 | .1 | 14.8 |
| Steve Burtt Sr. | 4 | 0 | 8.8 | .385 | .333 | .800 | .8 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | 7.3 |
| Rex Chapman | 60 | 23 | 21.7 | .477 | .371 | .810 | 1.5 | 1.9 | .6 | .2 | 12.5 |
| Chris Corchiani† | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 | ||
| Pervis Ellison | 49 | 48 | 34.7 | .521 | .000 | .702 | 8.8 | 2.4 | .9 | 2.2 | 17.4 |
| Greg Foster† | 10 | 0 | 9.3 | .440 | .667 | 2.7 | 1.1 | .0 | .5 | 2.4 | |
| Harvey Grant | 72 | 72 | 37.0 | .487 | .100 | .727 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .6 | 18.6 |
| Tom Gugliotta | 81 | 81 | 34.5 | .426 | .281 | .644 | 9.6 | 3.8 | 1.7 | .4 | 14.7 |
| Byron Irvin | 4 | 2 | 11.3 | .500 | 1.000 | .500 | 1.0 | .5 | .3 | .0 | 5.5 |
| Buck Johnson | 73 | 19 | 17.6 | .479 | .000 | .730 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .5 | .2 | 6.5 |
| Charles Jones | 67 | 21 | 18.0 | .524 | .000 | .579 | 4.1 | .6 | .6 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Don MacLean | 62 | 4 | 10.9 | .435 | .500 | .811 | 2.0 | .6 | .2 | .1 | 6.6 |
| Alan Ogg† | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | .500 | .500 | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.7 | |
| Doug Overton | 45 | 13 | 22.0 | .471 | .231 | .728 | 2.4 | 3.5 | .7 | .1 | 8.1 |
| Brent Price | 68 | 9 | 12.6 | .358 | .167 | .794 | 1.5 | 2.3 | .8 | .0 | 3.9 |
| Larry Robinson | 4 | 0 | 8.3 | .375 | .000 | .600 | .8 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 3.8 |
| LaBradford Smith | 69 | 33 | 22.4 | .458 | .348 | .858 | 1.5 | 2.7 | .8 | .1 | 9.3 |
| Larry Stewart | 81 | 8 | 22.5 | .543 | .000 | .727 | 4.7 | 1.8 | .6 | .4 | 9.8 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Bullets only.
Player statistics citation:[19]
Awards and records
- Tom Gugliotta, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team