BOWIE — BOWIE -- Just over one week after he walked out of camp with no explanation, Washington Bullets second-round draft pick Ronnie Henderson was released yesterday.
Also released was guard Clint McDaniel, who played briefly with Sacramento last season and who was a starter for Arkansas during the Razorbacks' national-championship season in 1994.
Henderson, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, was the 55th player selected in the 1996 draft and Washington's only pick. In his last two years at Louisiana State, Henderson led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, but his unimpressive play in the Bullets' camp made him expendable.
That leaves the team's roster at 17, but Washington is nowhere near 100 percent, with injuries to the starting front line of Juwan Howard (shin splints, left leg), Chris Webber (sore left ankle) and Gheorghe Muresan (sore right hip). Howard and Webber, who both missed practice yesterday, are listed as day-to-day.
Muresan has yet to practice, and it's unclear when he'll return.
"Gheorghe is making progress, but it's still not right," coach Jim Lynam said. "We're being somewhat overly cautious with Chris and Juwan, which makes sense."
It makes sense because the two are the cornerstones of the franchise. And also because of what happened last year, when Webber thought he was rushed back after hurting his shoulder during a preseason game.
Days later, Webber dislocated his shoulder during a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, and later had surgery.
Howard, who has yet to play in the preseason, said he could relate to how Webber felt during last season.
"It just frustrates me," Howard said. "People who know me know how much I love playing this game and how much fun I have out there."
The injuries have pretty much limited Lynam's ability to give this team, which will have at least seven new members on opening night, time to mesh. Webber and Howard will travel with the Bullets to the West Coast this weekend, and may play; Muresan won't travel.
Also, backup center Lorenzo Williams had an MRI yesterday on a sore knee. Results were not immediately available.
Howard said he's anxious to return.
"I'm not going to rush it," Howard said. "I feel during the season it's more important that we have our guys, rather than in the preseason."
Pub Date: 10/16/96