2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season
The 2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season was the 7th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association.
| 2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Byron Scott |
| Arena | New Orleans Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 49–33 (.598) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Southwest) Conference: 7th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First Round (Lost to Nuggets 1–4) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Cox Sports Television |
| Radio | KMEZ |
The regular season was marred by injuries, with only Rasual Butler playing in all games. The remaining four starters missed a combined 68 games, of whom center Tyson Chandler missed 37 games. Even when not on the injured list, Chandler's season was sub-par. Perhaps partly as a result of this, on February 18 Chandler was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox. Despite the less than stellar season, this was generally perceived as a payroll-shedding move. However, within a day, the trade was rescinded due to concerns regarding Chandlers turf toe, which curiously, according to Chandler and the Hornet organization was not the reason for his stints on the injury list.
Battling these issues for much of the season, the Hornets finished the season with a record of 49–33, 7 games off the franchise best record of the previous season. This meant that the Hornets only finished 4th in the Southwest Division and 7th in the Western Conference. In the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the Hornets lost 1–4 in the first round to the second seeded Denver Nuggets. All four losses were severe, with the worst being a 58–point drubbing at home in Game 4, losing 63–121, which tied for the most lopsided loss in NBA Playoff history.[1] Naturally lamented by fans and media alike, the embarrassing performance can at least be partly explained by the health situation of the players, with arguably the top 5 Hornets ailing to varying injuries. [2]
Key dates
- June 26: The 2008 NBA draft will take place in New York City.
- July 1: The free agency period will start.
Offseason
On July 9 the Hornets announced they had signed their All Star point guard Chris Paul to a contract extension.[3] Hornets owner George Shinn saying ''Chris is the face of our franchise and a leader both on and off the court...Getting him signed to an extension was our number one priority...'' On July 23 it was announced the Hornets had acquired free agent forward James Posey.[4] Posey, a member of the 2008 Boston Celtics team that won the championship said ''I am excited to be a Hornet, it was a coveted destination for me...''
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Darrell Arthur (traded to Memphis via Portland) | (PF) |  |
Kansas |
Trades
December 10, 2008: The New Orleans Hornets traded Mike James to the Washington Wizards for Antonio Daniels.
February 17, 2009: The Hornets traded Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and rights to DeVon Hardin. The trade was nullified when Chandler failed his physical because of a previous turf toe injury.[5]
All Stars
For the second year in a row the Hornets were represented with two players at the NBA All Star Game as Chris Paul was voted in by the fans as a starter, and David West was selected as a reserve by the NBA coaches.
Roster
New Orleans Hornets roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season
Standings
| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 54 | 28 | .659 | — | 28–13 | 26–15 | 10–6 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1 | 33–8 | 20–21 | 9–7 |
| x-Dallas Mavericks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4 | 32–9 | 18–23 | 7–9 |
| x-New Orleans Hornets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 5 | 28–13 | 21–20 | 9–7 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 24 | 58 | .284 | 30 | 16–25 | 8–33 | 5–11 |
| # | Western Conference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | 17 | .793 | — |
| 2 | y-Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 11 |
| 3 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 54 | 28 | .659 | 11 |
| 4 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 54 | 28 | .659 | 11 |
| 5 | x-Houston Rockets | 53 | 29 | .646 | 12 |
| 6 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 15 |
| 7 | x-New Orleans Hornets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 16 |
| 8 | x-Utah Jazz | 48 | 34 | .585 | 17 |
| 9 | Phoenix Suns | 46 | 36 | .561 | 19 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 29 | 53 | .354 | 36 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 24 | 58 | .293 | 41 |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies | 24 | 58 | .293 | 41 |
| 13 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 23 | 59 | .280 | 42 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Clippers | 19 | 63 | .232 | 46 |
| 15 | Sacramento Kings | 17 | 65 | .207 | 48 |
Game log
| 2008–09 game log | |
|---|---|
October: 2–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 2–0)
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November: 7–6 (Home: 4–3; Road: 3–3)
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December: 10–3 (Home: 7–1; Road: 3–2)
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January: 9–7 (Home: 5–2; Road: 4–5)
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February: 7–6 (Home: 5–3; Road: 2–3)
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March: 11–5 (Home: 6–2; Road: 5–3)
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April: 3–6 (Home: 1–2; Road: 2–4)
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| 2015–16 season schedule | |
Playoffs
West First Round
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
April 19 10:30 p.m. |
| New Orleans Hornets 84, Denver Nuggets 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 22–28, 22–32, 15–26 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 21 Rebs: David West 6 Asts: Chris Paul 11 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 36 Rebs: Nenê 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | |
April 22 10:30 p.m. |
| New Orleans Hornets 93, Denver Nuggets 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 19–25, 27–29, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: David West 21 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11 Asts: Chris Paul 13 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 31 Rebs: Nenê 8 Asts: Carmelo Anthony 9 | |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,623 Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Violet Palmer, Joe DeRosa |
April 25 1:00 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 93, New Orleans Hornets 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 21–29, 25–27, 21–18 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 25 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
Pts: Chris Paul 32 Rebs: West, Posey 9 each Asts: Chris Paul 12 | |
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 17,489 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford, Tom Washington |
April 27 8:30 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 63 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–15, 25–24, 27–11, 33–13 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 26 Rebs: Chris Andersen 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
Pts: David West 14 Rebs: James Posey 7 Asts: Chris Paul 6 | |
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 17,236 Referees: David Jones, Mike Callahan, Scott Foster |
April 29 10:30 p.m. |
| New Orleans Hornets 86, Denver Nuggets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 22–25, 17–31, 20–27 | ||
| Pts: David West 24 Rebs: David West 9 Asts: Chris Paul 10 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 34 Rebs: Martin, Nenê, Andersen 7 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 11 | |
| Denver win series 4–1 | ||
Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Nuggets and Hornets.
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Source: | [6] |
Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Armstrong | 50 | 16 | 15.3 | .520 | .000 | .672 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 4.6 |
| Ryan Bowen | 12 | 3 | 12.1 | .625 | .000 | .333 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.6 |
| Devin Brown | 47 | 5 | 14.9 | .367 | .280 | .840 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 5.9 |
| Rasual Butler | 59 | 50 | 29.2 | .453 | .426 | .766 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 10.8 |
| Tyson Chandler | 37 | 36 | 31.7 | .571 | .000 | .574 | 8.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 9.1 |
| Antonio Daniels | 38 | 4 | 13.6 | .409 | .341 | .808 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4.4 |
| Melvin Ely | 23 | 2 | 11.7 | .384 | .000 | .656 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.3 |
| Sean Marks | 40 | 5 | 13.5 | .443 | .222 | .625 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3.1 |
| Chris Paul | 55 | 55 | 37.7 | .493 | .394 | .849 | 5.3 | 11.0 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 21.3 |
| Morris Peterson | 28 | 9 | 12.9 | .430 | .417 | .786 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 5.4 |
| James Posey | 59 | 0 | 28.7 | .429 | .394 | .820 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 9.4 |
| Peja Stojaković | 53 | 53 | 34.1 | .405 | .382 | .910 | 4.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 13.8 |
| David West | 53 | 53 | 38.5 | .468 | .250 | .888 | 8.0 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 20.5 |
| Julian Wright | 33 | 2 | 9.2 | .467 | .143 | .400 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.7 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
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Subtractions
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See also
References
- Hornets-Nuggets Game 4 recap NBA.com, 2009-05-02.
- Stein: What is next for the Hornets? espn.com, 2009-05-02.
- HORNETS SIGN CHRIS PAUL TO EXTENSION
- HORNETS SIGN JAMES POSEY
- http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/2009/02/new_orleans_hornets_center_tys_9.html
- "Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference.
- http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NCAA/2008/08/15/6467236-ap.html