Why Didn’t Bullets Trade John Williams?

Washington Bullet General Manager John Nash knows inquiring Bullets fans want to know:

--Why the team didn’t unload John Williams at the end of last season when he was in something resembling NBA shape?

“John’s stats weren’t good at the end of last year and I’m afraid to have tried to trade him would have been like holding a fire sale,” Nash said.

--Wouldn’t the team have been better off unloading Williams for next to nothing and using that money available under the salary cap for a useful player?

“I know there is some legitimate sentiment for having traded him just to unload his contract, but I don’t know how much difference it would have made,” Nash said. “We simply felt what we did was the best thing under the circumstances.”

--Why would the Bullets risk re-signing Bernard King in the middle of last season, knowing that his future, even on good knees at the age of 35, is limited?

“It wouldn’t have been easy finding anyone interested in Bernard for the two reasons already mentioned -- his knee and his age,” Nash said. “Add to that the salary he commands and it is even more unlikely.”

--Are the Bullets as good as they could be under the circumstances?

“I think, perhaps, we could have been better at this point,” Nash said. “There are some decisions we didn’t make, opportunities we chose not to pursue that could have made a difference. But that’s not to say we’ve made mistakes. Look around the league, all everyone is doing is making their best judgments at the time.”

He said he knows it is frustrating for the fans, as it is for the owner, the head coach and he, the general manager.

“And you don’t know if you’re ever going to get better,” Nash said. “You hope and you work hard at it ... We anticipated a healthy King and a trimmed-down John Williams and if that was the case, we’d feel good right now.”

Nash, who is going into his second full season with the club, can see a silver lining in the current situation.

“When Bernard gets back and when Mark Alarie gets back, the good thing will be that they will not have gone through the wear and tear of the early season and should be strong in the late going,” he said. “In the meantime, I’ll be very surprised if something good doesn’t happen. I think someone is going to emerge. I don’t know if it’s going to be Tom Hammonds, Greg Foster, Larry Stewart or someone who isn’t here yet.”