Washington Bullets fire head coach, assistant
■ COACH: Jim Lynam and Buzz
Braman were let go midway through
a disappointing season
The Associated Press
LANDOVER, Md. — Jim Lynam was
fired Wednesday as coach of the Washing
ton Bullets, who are fast making a mess of a
season that began with great expectations.
General manager Wes Unseld flew to
Denver and met with Lynam at a hotel be
fore announcing the firing.
The Bullets were to play the Nuggets on
Wednesday night, with assistant Bob Staak
the interim coach.
“Jimmy and I both had talked about the
importance of the team’s effort, the impor
tance of our productivity on the court,” Un
seld said during a news conference after ar
riving back at Washington-Dulles
International Airport. “And it just wasn’t
happening.”
Unseld told the team of his decision be
fore the morning practice, meeting with
every starter and most of the reserves indi
vidually.
He also fired assistant Buzz Braman.
After a 19-15 start, the Bullets lost nine
of 12 games and were coming off a 30-point
blowout loss against the Los Angeles Lak
ers and a 22-point defeat in Utah when Un
seld made the move.
The Bullets, who have the fifth-highest
payroll in the league, arguably are the
league’s most disappointing team as the all
star break looms.
Although Unseld said he had been con
sidering the move for some time, the final
straw was the lopsided losses to the Lakers
and Jazz.
“It wasn’t so much that we lost, it was
how we played that I think brought it more
to a head,” Unseld said. “I didn’t like the
effort that I saw in the last two games.”
Lynam made no excuses.
“I’m very disappointed at not having the
opportunity to see this through,” the for
mer coach, who was 82-128 in 2 1/2 sea
sons with the Bullets, said in a statement.
“I take full responsibility for the perfor
mance of the team and I certainly feel that
our record is not reflective of the talent on
this team,” Lynam said.
Citing rumors about Lynam’s future, Un
seld said he decided not to wait until the
all-star break to make the move to avoid a
“witch hunt” of media speculation.
However, it also gives him a five-day
window to find a new coach before the Bul
lets’ next game on Tuesday.
Unseld said he had a “short list” of pos
sible replacements, including assistants
elsewhere in the NBA.
He wouldn’t name any candidate be
cause the team must first receive permis
sion from other teams to talk to those
coaches.
“I’m looking for a good coach,” Unseld
said. “I’m not looking for a high profile. ...
A good coach is one that I think can moti
vate these guys to play the way that I think
we all know they can play.”
Unseld did rule out hiring someone from
the collegiate ranks, and emphatically said
he had no interest in returning to the
bench.
Unseld in 1988 was the last coach to lead
the Bullets to the playoffs.
Washington’s string of eight straight sea
sons without a playoff appearance is the
longest current run in the NBA.
There was reason for optimism this sea
son, though. A healthy Chris Webber was
expected to team with Juwan Howard and
newcomer Rod Strickland to make Wash
ington a contender.
With Webber back from shoulder
surgery, Howard signed to a long-term con
tract and Strickland set to run the offense,
the Bullets figured to compete for the At
lantic Division crown this season.
They were confident that their playoff
drought would end after the NBA voided
the contract Howard signed during the off
season with the Miami Heat. That opened
the door for Washington to re-sign the
third-year forward to a $100 million con
tract.
The deal came after Washington made a
deal with Portland to get Strickland, who
was supposed to rejuvenate an offense that
also featured Calbert Cheaney, 7-foot-7 cen
ter Gheorghe Muresan and newly acquired
reserves Tracy Murray and Lorenzo
Williams.
“We have committed a tremendous
amount of resources to this team,” Unseld
said. “But it was just not working.”
Lynam seemingly did a better job last
season with a squad that did not have near
ly a° "'uch talent. Despite losing Webber
and guards Robert Pack and Mark Price for
much of the season, Washington remained
in playoff contention until the final week
and finished 39-43.
NBA will be watching Rodman’s return closely
■ SUSPENSION: Another
incident like kicking a
camerman could force the
Bulls’ star out of the league
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Dennis Rod
man will be back in the spotlight
— and under a microscope —
when he returns to the Chicago
Bulls.
NBA commissioner David Stern
has warned him that another inci
dent, such as the episode when
Rodman kicked a courtside cam
eraman last month, could end his
NBA career.
Rodman, 35, has been suspend
ed nine times since 1992 and three
times since last March.
Chicago coach Phil Jackson said
Rodman must realize he has to be
have.
“Dennis has to understand that
the league is watching him. He has
to be on his best behavior,” Jack
son said.
The Bulls’ Scottie Pippen said
he’s glad Rodman is returning, al
though he doesn’t approve of his
teammate’s antics.
“I have a problem with it,” Pip
pen said. “It’s pretty stupid.... But
he’s not going to change for me.
He’s just going to have to deal with
the consequences whenever he
gets caught.”
Stem, who lifted Rodman’s sus
pension on Tuesday, effective af
ter the All-Star break, said he was
satisfied that Rodman recognizes
that his behavior in the camer
man-kicking incident on Jan. 15
was unacceptable.
“Dennis told me that while he
does not plan to change the way
he plays the game, he will con
form his conduct on the playing
court to acceptable standards, and
he knows that any further inci
dents of this nature may end his
career in the NBA,” Stern said.
Rodman also was ordered to un
dergo counseling during his sus
pension, but Manley reportedly
said he had not.
Rodman, whose aggressive play
has made him the NBA's top re
bounder for the past five seasons
despite the fact he’s only 6-foot-8
and 220 pounds, said he doesn’t
intend to change his style.
“I just live life day-to-day. I’m
not going to change the way I am.
My goal is still to contribute and
be on one of the greatest teams of
all time,” Rodman, sporting dark
nail polish and sunglasses, said
Tuesday night as he sat courtside
at halftime of the Lakers-Clippers
game at the Anaheim Arena.
Rodman, who is eligible to play
next Tuesday night against the
Charlotte Hornets at the United
Center, is eager to go back to work,
even if he’s going to be giving
away his paychecks. He’s donat
ing his salary for his first 11 games
back to charity.
“1 could say I’m sorry until I’m
blue in the face, and it wouldn’t
prove anything. But I’m going to
play for free. That shows that it is
n’t all about money,” he said.
“I wanted to do something to
thank the fans who have been so
supportive of me.... I think it’s un
fortunate for the fans and every
body else that it (the incident) oc
curred. I’m glad I can come back
and play like I do again.”
Manley said that his client will
donate his pay from each of the 11
games to a different charity, on
“behalf of the Chicago Bulls, my
self, and Dennis.”
When Rodman’s suspension
ends, it will have lasted 11 games.
The salary lost for those games
plus the donated money will total
some $2 million. Rodman also
paid the cameraman $200,000.
Asked why Rodman decided to
make the charitable donations,
Manley said: “Because he’ll be the
first person to say, ‘I deserve more
money and pay me more money,’
and when he makes a mistake,
he’ll be the first person to say, ‘I
don’t deserve the money,’ and he
wants to thank his fans for sticking
with him.”
Blazers begin All-Star break after losing five-straight
■ NBA: Neither players nor coaches are
Loo worried about the losing streak
The Associated Press
PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers
enter the All-Star break on a five-game losing
streak and with their big center on the injured
list.
Not to worry, point guard Kenny Anderson
said before he left for a quick vacation with his
wife in Mexico.
“It’s early, baby,” he said. “It will be all right.
I guarantee it will be all right.”
The losing streak, capped by a strong but fu
tile effort in an 88-84 loss to the Chicago Bulls
Tuesday night, is an aberration, Anderson
says.
“It’s just one of those potholes right now that
we ran over,” he said. “Earlier in the year we
were on a high. This is just one of those low
peaks right now. That’s all. It’s good this break
is here. We’ll pick it up.”
Although much less colorful in his assess
ment, coach P.J. Carlesimo also believes that
his young, temperamental team can be a force
in the Western Conference.
“If we get our guys healthy and get them
playing together, I think we can be a very, very
good basketball team,” he said. “Right now
we’re not even close to either one of those
things.”
The Blazers’ most consistent trait has been
their maddening inconsistency.
They have beaten the Los Angeles Lakers
twice, won at Houston and beaten Detroit.
They also have lost to Toronto twice, includ
ing an embarrassing 36-point blowout on their
recent 0-4 trip to the East.
It is a roller-coaster ride that is to be expected
with the NBA’s youngest team.
The recent woes have been aggravated by the
loss of Arvydas Sabonis, who has missed the
last seven games with a bruised leg. Without
the skill and savvy of the 7-foot-3 center, Port
land’s offense has sputtered.
Sabonis likely won’t be ready to play when
the Blazers’ season resumes Tuesday against
Phoenix. But he shouldn’t be out much longer.
Rasheed Wallace, out for 17 games with a
broken left thumb, came back for the Chicago
game but still is far from the form he showed
early in the season, when he led the NBA in
field goal percentage.
And then there’s Stacey Augmon, obtained
in the trade that sent Aaron McKie and Ran
dolph Childress to Detroit. Augmon is far out
of shape after spending his brief time with the
Pistons on the bench and in coach Doug
Collins’ doghouse.
“What Stacey and ’Sheed need now is not
rest. They need to play basketball,” Carlesimo
said. “But I think the break is going to help
Kenny, Clifford (Robinson) and J.R. (Rider)
more than anybody right now because I think
they could really use the rest. Those guys have
been playing big minutes and carrying us. And
I think it’s going to be invaluable to Sabas
(Sabonis).”
Carlesimo also has not resolved the season
long dilemma of who will back up Anderson
at point guard. Lately, rookie Marcus Brown,
more of a scorer than a ball-handler, has been
Carlesimo’s choice. But it’s starkly apparent
that without Anderson running the offense, the
Blazers are in deep trouble.
Meanwhile, Robinson is trying to ignore the
trade rumors that have swirled around him.
The trade deadline is Feb. 20 and, with Robin
son in the final year of his contract, the Blazers
might try to trade him rather than lose him to
free agency.
But Robinson’s defense and experience have
been invaluable to the young Blazers.
“To tell you the truth, that’s been the farthest
thing from my mind,” Robinson said. “If it
happens, it happens.”
Robinson, Rider and Anderson all have had
their run-ins with Carlesimo, whose aggressive
coaching can be irritating to players. But the
players, despite their reputations, have gotten
along well with each other. And Carlesimo
says he likes a team that shows its emotion.
Rider, off to a rocky start that included a cita
tion for marijuana possession, has averaged
more than 20 points per game the last 18 con
tests and has stayed out of trouble off the court.
Keeping Rider happy might be more difficult
with Wallace’s return because it will mean
fewer shots. And what about Gary Trent, who
has flourished in Wallace’s spot at starting
power forward? Trent has made 68 of 99 shots
(69 percent) in his last nine games and is fourth
in the NBA in field goal percentage.
Jermaine O’Neal, Portland’s baby-faced 18
year-old, has had some spectacular moments
as his playing time slowly increased. And his
playing time won’t diminish even though Wal
lace has returned, Carlesimo said.
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