1995–96 Washington Bullets season

The 1995–96 Washington Bullets season was the 35th season for the Washington Bullets in the National Basketball Association, and their 23rd season in Washington, D.C.^[1] The Bullets received the fourth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected power forward Rasheed Wallace from the University of North Carolina.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star guard Mark Price from the Cleveland Cavaliers,^[5][6][7] acquired Robert Pack from the Denver Nuggets,^[8][9][10] and signed free agents Tim Legler,^[11][12] Chris Whitney and former Bullets guard Ledell Eackles.^[13] However, the team dealt with injuries all season long; Chris Webber only played just 15 games due to the lingering effect to his injured left shoulder,^[14][15][16] while Mark Price only appeared in just seven games due to a foot injury,^[17][18][19] and Pack only played just 31 games due to nerve damage in his right leg.^[20][21][22] All three players were out for the remainder of the season.

With the addition of Pack, Wallace and Legler, the Bullets got off to a 7–10 start to the regular season, and then posted a five-game winning streak in December afterwards. The team played around .500 in winning percentage for the first half of the season, holding a 22–24 record at the All-Star break.^[23] However, the team struggled in February losing 11 of their 14 games during the month, plus posting a six-game losing streak. After a seven-game winning streak, the Bullets lost their final four games of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 39–43 record, which was an impressive 18-game improvement over their previous season;^[24] however, the team missed the NBA playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.

Webber averaged 23.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while second-year star Juwan Howard averaged 22.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and Pack provided the team with 18.1 points, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In addition, Calbert Cheaney contributed 15.1 points per game, while 7' 7" center Gheorghe Mureșan averaged 14.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, led the team with 584. in field-goal percentage, and was named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year,^[25][26][27] and Wallace provided with 10.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.^[28]

Meanwhile, Mark Price's younger brother, Brent Price, contributed 10.0 points and 5.1 assists per game, and led the Bullets with 139 three-point field goals, while off the bench, Legler contributed 9.4 points per game and 128 three-point field goals, and also led the league with .522 in three-point field-goal percentage, and Eackles provided with 8.6 points per game. Mark Price averaged 8.0 points and 2.6 assists per game during his short 7-game stint, while Whitney provided with 7.1 points and 2.4 assists per game in 21 games, Mitchell Butler contributed 3.9 points per game, and second-year center Jim McIlvaine averaged 2.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.^[28]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Howard was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first and only All-Star appearance.^[29][30][31] Meanwhile, Wallace was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team,^[32][33] and Legler won the NBA Three-Point Shootout.^[34][35][36] Howard also finished tied in 14th place in Most Improved Player voting.^[37]

The Bullets finished 18th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 669,598 at USAir Arena during the regular season.^[28][38] Following the season, Wallace and Butler were both traded to the Portland Trail Blazers,^[39][40][41] while Pack signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets,^[42][43][44] Mark Price signed with the Golden State Warriors,^[45][46][47] while Brent Price signed with the Houston Rockets,^[48][49] McIlvaine signed with the Seattle SuperSonics,^[50][51] and Eackles was released to free agency.