Juwan Howard

NEW ORLEANS -- When tonight's game is over, and the Michigan kids look anxiously for their parents in the tunnel, the way most college players do, Juwan Howard will be alone for one hurtful moment.He was raised by his grandmother. She died the day he committed to Michigan. So when his teammates share their joy or seek parental comfort, when they hug their mothers and fathers, Howard will close his eyes and pretend he's hugging his Grandma. "Just because I'm here, and she's there in heaven, doesn't mean we can't do the same thing as these guys."

It's been an NBA off-season that has featured major trades and several coaching changes. But when Washington's basketball team begins training camp tomorrow at Shepherd College in West Virginia, the only major difference will be the name.The team formerly known as the Bullets will suit up for 1997-98 as the Washington Wizards.In December, they will have a new place to call home when they move from USAir Arena in suburban Landover into the new MCI Center in downtown Washington.But the faces will be pretty much the same.

Five veterans, including 1993 first-round pick Calbert Cheaney, will be among the 13 players that will participate in the Washington Bullets rookie/free agent camp that begins today at Bowie State University.The camp, which runs until Tuesday when the Bullets travel to Philadelphia to play the Baker League All-Stars, also will feature appearances by 1994 draft picks Juwan Howard (No. 5 overall) and Jim McIlvaine. Both will join the two-a-day sessions Monday, but how much action the unsigned draftees will see is unclear.

Just before Juwan Howard left Chicago to join the Washington Bullets, he was given a warning by a friend there."He told me that when you go to the Washington Bullets youmight lose more games in your first year than you totaled in high school and college," Howard said. "I didn't believe it when he said that."It's time to start believing. In three college seasons, Howard lost 22 games. As far as he can remember from high school in Chicago, he lost 19 games in three varsity seasons. With the 1994 portion of the season now complete with Friday's 115-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Bullets have a 7-19 record and don't seem to be near ending the slump that has led to 11 losses in the past 12 games.

When Washington Bullets general manager Wes Unseld walks into the office of David Falk this afternoon to discuss the future of All-Star forward Juwan Howard, he plans to get straight to the point."

BOWIE -- His reputation with the Washington Bullets has been nearly perfect, which is part of the reason the team gave him a contract worth more than $100 million. But yesterday, an embarrassed Juwan Howard found himself having to say he was sorry.Howard was apologizing after his arrest in Washington on a charge of drunken driving. The Bullets' All-Star forward was arrested at 3: 45 a.m. yesterday after his 1995 Mercedes was spotted speeding on a street in Northwest Washington.Howard, who had attended a party at a Northwest Washington club, failed a sobriety test and was charged with driving while intoxicated a short time later.

The Washington Bullets may have to wait indefinitely for arbitrators to decide whether they have a legitimate claim to Juwan Howard after extensive pressure by NBA attorneys failed to get the Miami Heat to renounce its disputed contract with the All-Star forward."

A delegation from the Miami Heat -- led by coach and team president Pat Riley -- met with Juwan Howard and his agent for three hours early yesterday in an attempt to persuade the free-agent forward to head south.The Heat was the last team to meet with Howard during the initial rounds of talks, which began with the Bullets on Thursday evening and ended with a session with the Heat that ended at 5 a.m. yesterday.Miami is the team with the most money to spend during the free-agent sweepstakes (a reported $13.1 million)

Can you imagine Scottie Pippen, the Chicago Bulls' All-Star forward and a three-time NBA champion, in a Washington Bullets uniform?According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the Bullets are one of several new teams being mentioned for Pippen. The paper reported yesterday that the Bulls are shopping Pippen, who was criticized last month when he chose not to re-enter a playoff game against the New York Knicks after a play wasn't called for him.The scenario that would bring Pippen to the Bullets, the Tribune said, is Washington's No. 5 pick and forward Don MacLean, the league's Most Improved Player last season.

BOWIE -- One thing Chris Webber has learned by suffering two dislocated shoulders in less than a year is to be cautious. That is why the Washington Bullets forward, feeling that something was not right with his left shoulder, sat out a game against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.Webber was back at practice yesterday -- along with a couple of new faces -- and said he will play tonight when the Bullets face the Milwaukee Bucks at USAir Arena."It feels a lot better," said Webber, before leaving for New York for a taping of "The Maury Povich Show" that is scheduled to be aired on Christmas.