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1987–88 Washington Bullets season

NBA professional basketball team season

Field	Value
team	Washington Bullets
team_link	Washington Wizards
end_year	1988
wins	38
losses	44
division	Atlantic
division_place	2
conf_place	7
gm	Bob Ferry
owner	Abe Pollin
arena	Capital Centre
playoffs	[First round](1988-nba-playoffs-bracket)
(lost to [Pistons](1987-88-detroit-pistons-season) 2–3)
bbr_team	WSB
radio	WTOP

Kevin Loughery (fired) (8–19)
Wes Unseld (30–25) (lost to Pistons 2–3)
WDCA
Home Team Sports

The Bullets struggled losing eight of their first ten games of the regular season, as head coach Kevin Loughery was fired after an 8–19 start, and replaced with former Bullets All-Star forward Wes Unseld as their new coach. Under Unseld, the team held a 17–25 record at the All-Star break, and posted a 7-game winning streak between February and March. The Bullets finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 38–44 record, and earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

Jeff Malone led the team in scoring with 20.5 points per game, while Moses Malone averaged 20.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and King provided the team with 17.2 points per game. In addition, second-year forward Hot Plate Williams averaged 12.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while Terry Catledge provided with 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and Colter contributed 8.0 points and 4.2 assists per game. Off the bench, Frank Johnson averaged 7.4 points and 2.5 assists per game, while Walker provided with 6.0 points and 1.2 steals per game, and Bogues contributed 5.0 points, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. On the defensive side, Charles Jones averaged 2.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, and Bol provided with 2.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game off the bench.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, Moses Malone was selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Bol finished tied in eighth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1988 NBA playoffs, the Bullets lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games; this would be their final NBA playoff appearance until 1997. The Pistons would reach the NBA Finals for the first time, but would lose in seven games to the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Following the season, Moses Malone signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks, while Bol was traded to the Golden State Warriors, and Bogues was left unprotected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets expansion team.

For the season, the Bullets changed their uniforms, as the team moved away from its stars-and-stripes pattern, and switched to red uniforms on the road with a blue wordmark, which would remain in use until 1997.

Draft picks

Main article: 1987 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	12	Muggsy Bogues	PG	Wake Forest
2	36	Duane Washington		Middle Tennessee State
2	37	Derrick Dowell		Southern California
3	59	Danny Pearson		Jacksonville
4	81	Scott Thompson	C	San Diego
5	106	Patrick Fairs		Texas
6	128	Dwayne Scholten		Washington State
7	150	Jamie Dixon		Texas Christian

Roster

Kevin Loughery (fired)
Wes Unseld
Bill Blair

Regular season

Season standings

Notes

z, y – division champions
x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

Regular season

Playoffs

2–3

Player statistics

References

"1987-88 Washington Bullets Roster and Stats".
Goldaper, Sam. (June 23, 1987). "Guards Dominate Draft, But Robinson Goes First". The New York Times.
Edes, Gordon. (June 23, 1987). "Only Surprise in the NBA Draft Is the Big Demand for Guards". Los Angeles Times.
"1987 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
(October 18, 1987). "Bullet Offer Sheet to King". The New York Times.
(October 18, 1987). "The Washington Bullets Have Offered a Contract...". Los Angeles Times.
Cotton, Anthony. (October 28, 1987). "King Path to Bullets Is Cleared". The Washington Post.
Cotton, Anthony. (November 2, 1987). "Bullets Send Adams, Vincent to Nuggets for Walker, Alarie". The Washington Post.
(November 3, 1987). "Bullets Trade Vincent, Adams to Nuggets". Los Angeles Times.
(November 3, 1987). "Bullets Conducting an NBA Yard Sale". The Free Lance-Star.
Cotton, Anthony. (January 3, 1988). "Bullets Dismiss Loughery, Pick Unseld Coach". The Washington Post.
(January 3, 1988). "The Washington Bullets Sunday Fired Coach Kevin Loughery and...". United Press International.
(January 4, 1988). "N.B.A.; Unseld Is Named Bullets' New Coach". The New York Times.
"NBA Games Played on February 4, 1988". Basketball-Reference.
"1987–88 Washington Bullets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
"1987–88 Washington Bullets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
Barnard, Bill. (February 7, 1988). "Today's NBA All-Star Game Will Be Homecoming of Sorts for 3 Players". Los Angeles Times.
(September 13, 2021). "1988 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
"1988 NBA All-Star Game: East 138, West 133". Basketball-Reference.
"1987–88 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
"1988 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Bullets vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference.
Goldaper, Sam. (June 22, 1988). "N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Lakers Hold Off Pesky Pistons to Regain Their Title". The New York Times.
(June 22, 1988). "Lakers Repeat as Champions in Tight Game". Los Angeles Times.
"1988 NBA Finals: Pistons vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
(August 17, 1988). "Sports People; Hawks Sign Malone". The New York Times.
(August 17, 1988). "Malone Signs a Three-Year Contract with Atlanta Hawks". Los Angeles Times.
Cotton, Anthony. (August 17, 1988). "Malone and Hawks Make It Official". The Washington Post.
(June 9, 1988). "Sports People; Bol Traded for Feitl". The New York Times.
(June 9, 1988). "Warriors Acquire Bol from Bullets for Feitl, Second-Round Draft Pick". Los Angeles Times.
Wilbon, Michael. (June 9, 1988). "Bullets Send Bol to Golden State for Center Feitl". The Washington Post.
Aldridge, David. (June 23, 1988). "Charlotte Club Drafts Bogues from Bullets". The Washington Post.
Goldaper, Sam. (June 24, 1988). "Miami Chooses "Who?" First". The New York Times.
"1988 NBA Expansion Draft". Basketball-Reference.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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