1991–92 Washington Bullets season

The 1991–92 NBA 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][5] 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.^[6][7]

1991–92 Washington Bullets season
Head coach	Wes Unseld
Arena	Capital Centre (37 games) Baltimore Arena (4 games)
Results
Record	25–57 (.305)
Place	Division: 6th (Atlantic) Conference: 12th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WDCA Home Team Sports
Radio	WTOP
< 1990–91 1992–93 >

During the off-season, the team signed free agents David Wingate,^[8][9] and undrafted rookie small forward Larry Stewart.^[10] However, Bernard King would miss the entire regular season due to a right knee injury.^[11][12] To make matters worse, Hot Plate Williams was suspended for the entire season due to weight problems.^[13][14]

The Bullets endured prolonged losing streaks in almost every month, as the team traded Tom Hammonds midway through the season to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Rex Chapman, who only played in the final game of the regular season due to a strained plantar fascia (left heel) injury.^[15][16][17] The Bullets lost 15 of their final 18 games, finishing 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] while Adams averaged 18.1 points, 7.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and was selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Florida.^{[21][22][23][24]} In addition, Harvey Grant provided the team with 18.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Ledell Eackles contributed 13.2 points per game, 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 became the first undrafted NBA player to be named to an NBA All-Rookie Team, being selected to the All-Rookie Second Team.^[25]

Following the season, Williams signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers,^[26][27] while Wingate signed with the Charlotte Hornets during the next season,^[28] and English was released to free agency.

Draft picks

Main article: 1991 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	19	LaBradford Smith	SG	United States	Louisville

Roster

1991–92 Washington Bullets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From PG 10 Michael Adams 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 162 lb (73 kg) 1963–01–19 Boston College PF 31 Mark Alarie  (IN) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 1963–12–11 Duke SG 3 Rex Chapman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1967–10–05 Kentucky SF 21 Ledell Eackles 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1966–11–24 New Orleans C 43 Pervis Ellison 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1967–04–03 Louisville SG 14 A. J. English 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1967–07–11 Virginia Union PF 42 Greg Foster 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1968–10–03 UTEP PF 44 Harvey Grant 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1965–07–04 Oklahoma PG 32 Byron Irvin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1966–12–02 Missouri C 23 Charles Jones 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1957–04–03 Albany State SG 22 LaBradford Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1969–04–03 Louisville PF 33 Larry Stewart 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–09–21 Coppin State PF 35 Derek Strong 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–02–09 Xavier PG 1 Andre Turner 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1964–12–13 Memphis SG 55 David Wingate 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1963–12–15 Georgetown

Head coach Wes Unseld Assistant(s) Bill Blair Jeff Bzdelik Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster Updated: March 13, 1992

Roster Notes

• Power forward Mark Alarie was on the injured reserve list due to a knee injury, and missed the entire regular season.
• Small forward Bernard King was on the injured reserve list due to a right knee injury, and missed the entire regular season.
• Power forward John "Hot Plate" Williams was suspended indefinitely due to weight problems, and not maintaining playing shape.

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	51	31	.622	—	34–7	17–24	19–9
x-New York Knicks	51	31	.622	—	30–11	21–20	20–8
x-New Jersey Nets	40	42	.488	11	25–16	15–26	15–13
x-Miami Heat	38	44	.463	13	28–13	10–31	14–14
Philadelphia 76ers	35	47	.427	16	23–18	12–29	15–13
Washington Bullets	25	57	.305	26	14–27	11–30	7–21
Orlando Magic	21	61	.256	30	13–28	8–33	8–20

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Chicago Bulls	67	15	.817	–
2	y-Boston Celtics	51	31	.622	16
3	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	10
4	x-New York Knicks	51	31	.622	16
5	x-Detroit Pistons	48	34	.585	19
6	x-New Jersey Nets	40	42	.488	27
7	x-Indiana Pacers	40	42	.488	27
8	x-Miami Heat	38	44	.463	29
9	Atlanta Hawks	38	44	.463	29
10	Philadelphia 76ers	35	47	.427	32
11	Milwaukee Bucks	31	51	.378	36
12	Charlotte Hornets	31	51	.378	36
13	Washington Bullets	25	57	.305	42
14	Orlando Magic	21	61	.256	46

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1991-92 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–1	2–2	0–5	0–5	2–0	2–0	1–4	1–1	2–0	1–4	1–1	0–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2
Boston	1–3	—	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–2	0–2	2–3	3–2	5–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1
Charlotte	2–2	1–3	—	0–4	2–3	1–1	1–1	1–4	1–1	0–2	3–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–3	1–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–2
Chicago	5–0	3–1	4–0	—	3–2	2–0	2–0	4–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	3–2	2–0	4–0	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0
Cleveland	5–0	1–3	3–2	2–3	—	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	5–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0
Dallas	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	3–2	0–2	0–4	4–2	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	3–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	0–5	0–4	1–4	0–2
Denver	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–3	—	0–2	0–4	2–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–4	1–3	1–5	1–1
Detroit	4–1	0–4	4–1	1–4	1–3	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–2	3–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1
Golden State	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	—	2–2	2–0	3–2	3–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–3	5–0	2–2	3–2	1–3	2–0
Houston	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–4	3–2	0–2	2–2	—	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	3–2	1–3	1–4	2–0
Indiana	4–1	2–2	2–3	1–3	0–5	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	—	0–2	2–0	3–1	4–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–2
L.A. Clippers	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–3	2–2	2–0	—	2–3	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–3	2–2	2–3	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–3	2–2	0–2	3–2	—	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–3	1–4	4–1	1–3	1–4	1–3	1–1
Miami	2–2	2–3	3–1	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	—	4–0	2–0	2–2	1–4	3–1	1–4	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–0
Milwaukee	1–3	2–2	3–2	2–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–3	0–2	1–1	1–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	—	2–0	0–4	1–3	3–1	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1
Minnesota	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–3	3–2	1–1	0–4	2–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–2	—	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	0–6	0–4	2–3	0–2
New Jersey	1–3	3–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	4–0	2–0	—	2–3	3–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–3
New York	2–2	2–3	4–0	0–4	0–4	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	4–1	3–1	2–0	3–2	—	4–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	4–0
Orlando	2–2	0–5	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–3	1–4	—	3–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–3
Philadelphia	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	4–1	1–3	2–0	2–3	1–3	2–3	—	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	5–0
Phoenix	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–3	3–1	1–1	2–3	3–2	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	—	3–2	4–1	3–1	3–2	2–2	2–0
Portland	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	3–2	1–3	2–0	3–2	4–1	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–3	—	5–0	2–2	4–1	2–2	2–0
Sacramento	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	0–5	1–3	1–1	3–2	1–4	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–4	0–5	—	1–3	1–4	1–3	2–0
San Antonio	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	5–0	4–1	1–1	2–2	2–3	0–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	6–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	—	3–1	1–4	0–2
Seattle	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–3	3–1	2–0	3–2	4–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–3	1–4	4–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–0
Utah	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–1	5–1	1–1	3–1	4–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	4–1	1–3	—	2–0
Washington	2–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–5	1–3	2–0	3–2	0–4	3–2	0–5	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	—

Game log

Regular season

1991–92 game log Total: 25–57 (home: 14–27; road: 11–30)
November: 6–9 (home: 2–5; road: 4–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
December: 5–9 (home: 2–4; road: 3–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
January: 3–11 (home: 2–7; road: 1–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
February: 4–10 (home: 2–5; road: 2–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record All-Star Break
March: 5–10 (home: 4–4; road: 1–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
April: 2–8 (home: 2–2; road: 0–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
1991–92 schedule

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
Michael Adams	78	78	35.8	.393	.324	.869	4.0	7.6	1.9	.1	18.1
Rex Chapman†	1	0	22.0	.417	.000		4.0	3.0	1.0	.0	10.0
Ledell Eackles	65	25	22.5	.468	.200	.743	2.7	1.9	.7	.1	13.2
Pervis Ellison	66	64	38.0	.539	.333	.728	11.2	2.9	.9	2.7	20.0
A. J. English	81	6	20.6	.433	.176	.841	2.1	1.8	.4	.1	10.9
Greg Foster	49	3	11.2	.461	.000	.714	3.0	.7	.1	.2	4.3
Harvey Grant	64	60	37.3	.478	.125	.800	6.8	2.7	1.2	.4	18.0
Tom Hammonds	37	19	26.6	.488	.000	.610	5.0	1.0	.6	.4	11.9
Charles Jones	75	32	18.2	.367		.500	4.2	.8	.6	1.2	1.1
Albert King	6	0	9.8	.367	.286	.875	1.8	.8	.5	.0	5.2
Ralph Sampson	10	0	10.8	.310	.000	.667	3.0	.4	.3	.8	2.2
LaBradford Smith	48	5	14.8	.407	.095	.804	1.7	2.1	.9	.0	5.1
Larry Stewart	76	43	29.3	.514	.000	.807	5.9	1.6	.7	.6	10.4
Derek Strong	1	0	12.0	.000		.750	5.0	1.0	.0	.0	3.0
Andre Turner	70	3	12.4	.425	.063	.792	1.3	2.5	.8	.0	4.1
David Wingate	81	72	26.3	.465	.056	.719	3.3	3.0	1.5	.3	7.9

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Bullets only.

Player Statistics Citation:^[25]

Awards and records

• Pervis Ellison, NBA Most Improved Player Award
• Larry Stewart, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team

See also

• 1991–92 NBA season