1992–93 Washington Bullets season

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
< 1991–92 1993–94 >

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] 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 top 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 guard Doug Overton. ^[9] However, Ledell Eackles would miss the entire season due to weight problems. ^{[10] [11]}

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 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, finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 22–60 record. ^[18]

Harvey Grant averaged 18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Michael Adams averaged 14.8 points, 7.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Gugliotta provided the team with 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, Ellison averaged 17.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while Chapman contributed 12.5 points per game, second-year forward Larry Stewart averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, second-year guard LaBradford Smith contributed 9.3 points per game, and Johnson provided with 6.5 points per game. ^[19] Following the season, Grant was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, ^{[20] [21] [22]} and Johnson, Eackles and Charles Jones were all released to free agency.

One notable highlight of the regular season was Smith scoring a career-high of 37 points against Michael Jordan, and the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls at the Chicago Stadium on March 19, 1993; Smith shot 15–20 from the field, while Jordan struggled shooting just 9–27 from the field. However, the Bullets lost to the Bulls, 104–99. ^{[23] [24] [25]}

NBA draft

Main article: 1992 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

1992–93 Washington Bullets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From C 42 Mark Acres 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Oral Roberts PG 10 Michael Adams 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 162 lb (73 kg) –– Boston College SG 3 Rex Chapman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) –– Kentucky SG 21 Ledell Eackles  (IN) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– New Orleans C 43 Pervis Ellison 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) –– Louisville SF 44 Harvey Grant 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) –– Oklahoma PF 24 Tom Gugliotta 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) –– NC State SF 2 Buck Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) –– Alabama C 23 Charles Jones 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) –– Albany State PF 34 Don MacLean 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) –– UCLA PG 14 Doug Overton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) –– La Salle PG 20 Brent Price 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) –– Oklahoma SG 22 LaBradford Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) –– Louisville PF 33 Larry Stewart 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Coppin State

Head coach Wes Unseld Assistant(s) Bill Blair Jeff Bzdelik Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster

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

Atlantic Division v t e	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

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	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

Player statistics

Legend

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

Washington Bullets statistics

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

See also

• 1992–93 NBA season

References

1. 1992-93 Washington Wizards
2. Araton, Harvey (June 25, 1992). "BASKETBALL; Draft Sticks to Program Until the 5th Pick, That Is". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
3. "After Big Men Go First, Locals Go in First Round: NBA Draft: Miner Goes to Heat at No. 12. Lakers Take Peeler. Clippers Select: La Salle's Woods with Their First Pick". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 25, 1992. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
4. "1992 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
5. Howard-Cooper, Scott (October 9, 1992). "Clippers Make Sizable Deal, Get John Williams: Pro Basketball: L.A. Trades Rights to Rookie Forward Don MacLean, and Backup Center William Bedford to the Bullets for former crenshaw High Star Troubled with Weight Problems". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
6. Howard-Cooper, Scott (June 25, 1992). "Clippers Go Forward to MacLean: NBA Draft: Polynice Is Traded to..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
7. Aldridge, David (September 22, 1992). "Johnson Set to Sign on Bullets' Frontline". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
8. "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Bullets Sign Buck Johnson, a Free Agent". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 23, 1992. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
9. Aldridge, David (October 24, 1992). "Overton Makes Most of His Opportunity". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
10. Aldridge, David (September 15, 1992). "Bullets Look at Eackles, Johnson". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
11. Aldridge, David (September 18, 1992). "Eackles Would Like to Stay a Bullet". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
12. "NBA Games Played on February 18, 1993". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
13. Araton, Harvey (February 6, 1993). "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets Are Close to Signing Bernard King". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
14. Aldridge, David (February 6, 1993). "Former Bullet King Ready to Join Nets". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
15. Harvin, Al (February 7, 1993). "PRO BASKETBALL; Interview Goes Well, So King Gets the Call". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
16. Aldridge, David (February 27, 1993). "Last-Second Magic Catches Bullets". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
17. Wilbon, Michael (March 2, 1993). "Sparse Bullets Try to Reload". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
18. "1992–93 Washington Bullets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
19. "1992–93 Washington Bullets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
20. "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Bullets Get Duckworth for Grant". The New York Times. June 25, 1993. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
21. Aldridge, David (June 25, 1993). "Bullets Trade Grant to Get Duckworth". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
22. "Bullets Trade Grant, Acquire Duckworth". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. June 25, 1993. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
23. Aldridge, David (March 20, 1993). "Bullets' Smith Scores 37, But Jordan Boosts Bulls". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
24. Goldstein, Alan (March 21, 1993). "Jordan Scores 36 in First Half, Bulls Handle Bullets, 126-101". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
25. "Washington Bullets at Chicago Bulls Box Score, March 19, 1993". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 6, 2023.