The Bullets could know as early as today if they have
the legal clearance to become the Wizards next season,
according to Adande & Heath of the WASHINGTON POST. The
Bullets have been held up by a copyright lawsuit filed by
the Harlem Wizards, a barnstorming basketball team. The
Bullets and the NBA have "expressed confidence" that they
would prevail in the non-jury trial, but the "legal
uncertainty has hampered the lengthy process of changing
names and logos." The Bullets and NBA Properties have been
unable to finalize a logo, but a source "who has seen the
new logo" tells the POST that it is a caricature of a wizard
with a basketball and the color scheme is similar to the
blue, white, black and copper colors that the Capitals
adopted for the '95-96 season. The Bullets want to
introduce the new logo and colors in April, which "they
hope" will be the same time the team makes its first playoff
appearance since '88. But they are in a "tight race" to get
merchandise ready before next season. Adande & Heath note
that neither the NBA nor the Bullets has formulated a
"contingency plan" if the team loses the court decision, but
one possibility would be for the team to remain the Bullets,
"at least for another season" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/10).
