Unseld

Some time ago, the Ritz brothers had a popular comedyroutine in which the leader, Harry, played a fortune-teller using a crystal ball to answer questions from the audience. At one point, someone would ask for an explanation of Einstein's theory of relativity. Harry Ritz would shake his turbaned head and say, "Such a big question for such a little ball."As the Washington Bullets open training camp for the 1991-92 NBA season this afternoon at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, it is much the same: so many big questions and such a little ball.

Washington Bullets forward John Williams, who has missed 112 games since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Dec. 4, 1989, will be reactivated in San Antonio tonight when the Washington Bullets face the Spurs to start their three-game trip through Texas."

After the Washington Bullets completed their worst season (25-57) in a quarter century by losing in Philadelphia on Saturday night, 111-104, at least half the players began wondering whether they would be sharing the same dressing room next season.What to do with seven free agents -- Ledell Eackles, Harvey Grant, Larry Stewart, David Wingate, A. J. English, Andre Turner and Mark Alarie -- will be discussed by coach Wes Unseld and general manager John Nash in the next few months, with the Bullets' luck in the May 17 NBA lottery weighing heavily in the decisions.

Host Loyola (5-2, 1-0) increased a 13-point halftime lead to 23 points by the fourth quarter and the Dons -- paced by senior forward Wes Unseld's 19 points and eight rebounds -- rolled to a 57-36 win over St. Maria Goretti of Hagerstown (5-3, 0-1) in a Catholic League game. Junior forward Tim O'Hara added 12.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. -- After calling the start of his fifth training camp the best in terms of overall conditioning by his players, Washington Bullets coach Wes Unseld pointedly criticized centers William Bedford and Pervis Ellison and guard Rex Chapman for not reporting in the best of shape.Bedford, the 7-foot-1 center with the troubled past, has missed two of the three practices since he was acquired by the Bullets from the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday along with rookie forward Don MacLean in exchange for John Williams.

Baltimore has never been represented by a classier sports figure than Wes Unseld, who just stepped down as coach of the Washington Bullets.Unseld, now a hard-to-believe 48 years old, was loaded with class when he came here in 1968, drafted by the Baltimore Bullets. That's a tribute to the parents who raised him in his native Louisville.Even at 22, Unseld was a man of quiet dignity who respected others and, in return, won universal respect.As a player he was a marvel, a 6-foot-7 center who, in his first pro season, won the NBA's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.

BOWIE -- Washington Bullets coach Wes Unseld, seeking to correct his team's sputtering starts and third-period letdowns on both ends of the floor, yesterday benched shooting guard Rex Chapman in favor of defensive-minded Buck Johnson.Unseld shuffled his lineup in preparation for tonight's Capital Centre contest with the Phoenix Suns, who boast the NBA's best record (25-8) and one of the league's most dynamic players in forward Charles Barkley, coming off a one-game suspension."I'm just trying to find ways to get us off to better starts and avoid second-half breakdowns," Unseld said before yesterday's decision to release rehabilitating forward Bernard King.

Never in the franchise's 30-year history have the Washington Bullets faced as many agonizing decisions as they do now, after missing the NBA playoffs for the fifth straight year and winning the fewest games (22) since the 1966-67 season.The team has its best chance ever to land a top-three lottery pick, and Bullets general manager John Nash will be under pressure to make the right choice. And a major trade is also a possibility -- center Pervis Ellison and forward Harvey Grant, who can become a free agent in 1994, are the most marketable.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. -- After labeling his team's 10-day stay at Shepherd College "my best training camp ever," Washington Bullets coach Wes Unseld concluded that the upbeat atmosphere and uniformly hard work was as much a result of the players who were missing as those in attendance.Before beginning phase two of the preseason with a game against the Chicago Bulls tonight in St. Petersburg, Fla., Unseld noted the lack of distractions while preparing his team for the Nov. 5 season opener."This time last year we had to concern ourselves with whether Bernard King, John Williams and Mark Alarie would be part of our team," said Unseld.

Today is "E-Day" for the Washington Bullets. That is "E" for veteran guard Ledell Eackles, who is expected to be activated, necessitating a roster cut before tomorrow night's home game against the Golden State Warriors."