2004–05 New Orleans Hornets season

The 2004–05 New Orleans Hornets season was the franchise's third season in the National Basketball Association. The Hornets moved from the Eastern Conference's Central Division to the tougher Southwest Division of the Western Conference for the season. In their first losing season since the 1991–92 season, the Hornets finished the year with a franchise-worst record of 18 wins and 64 losses. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 1998–99 season, when the franchise was based in Charlotte.

Offseason

During the offseason, the Hornets made many transactions. On June 16, the Hornets claimed Brazilian swingman Alex Garcia on waivers from the San Antonio Spurs. On June 22, the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft took place, and the Hornets lost guard Maurice Carter to the Charlotte Bobcats. Two days later, the NBA Draft took place.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	18	J.R. Smith	SG	United States
2	44	Tim Pickett		United States	Florida State

In the draft, the Hornets drafted J. R. Smith and Tim Pickett.^[1] Smith would play only two seasons with the Hornets, and Pickett would not play in the NBA. On July 19, the Hornets signed Chris Andersen. Andersen would be with the Hornets for four seasons, missing the 2006–07 season due to a suspension for substance abuse. On August 3, the Hornets signed former Sixth Man of the Year Rodney Rogers. Rogers would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, along with Jamal Mashburn, on February 24 for Glenn Robinson. On September 29, the Hornets signed Tremaine Fowlkes and Britton Johnsen. The following day, the team signed Lorinza "Junior" Harrington and Lee Nailon. On October 28, the Hornets waived Fowlkes, and three days later, they waived Johnsen.^[2]

Roster

New Orleans Hornets roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From 5.5 !F/C 12 USA ! Andersen, Chris 7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Blinn 5.5 !F/C 42 USA ! Brown, P. J. 7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 239 lb (108 kg) Louisiana Tech 1.5 !G 5 USA ! Claxton, Speedy 7000180340000000000♠5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 166 lb (75 kg) Hofstra 1.5 !G 2 USA ! Dickau, Dan 7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Gonzaga 2.5 !G/F 32 USA ! Jacobsen, Casey 7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Stanford 6.0 !C 15 POL ! Lampe, Maciej 7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Poland 2.5 !G/F 9 USA ! Lynch, George 7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) North Carolina 6.0 !C 21 CAN ! Magloire, Jamaal 7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Kentucky 4.0 !F 10 SLO ! Nachbar, Boštjan 7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Slovenia 4.0 !F 33 USA ! Nailon, Lee 7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 238 lb (108 kg) Texas Christian 2.5 !G/F 23 USA ! Smith, J. R. 7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) St. Benedict's Prep (HS) 5.5 !F/C 4 LBN ! Vroman, Jackson 7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Iowa State 4.0 !F 30 USA ! West, David 7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Xavier	Head coach Byron Scott (Arizona State) Assistant coach(es) Jim Cleamons (Ohio State) Kenny Gattison (Old Dominion) Darrell Walker (Arkansas) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster • Transactions

Regular season

Standings

Player Statistics

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

References

• New Orleans Hornets on Basketball Reference