1995–96 New Jersey Nets season

The 1995–96 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 29th season in the National Basketball Association, and 20th season in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[1] The Nets received the ninth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected power forward and NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, Ed O'Bannon from the University of California, Los Angeles.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agent Vern Fleming.^[5][6]

With the addition of O'Bannon and Fleming, the Nets struggled with a 4–8 start to the regular season, as Derrick Coleman missed the first month of the season due to an irregular heartbeat.^[7][8][9] In late November, the team traded Coleman along with Rex Walters, and Sean Higgins to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Shawn Bradley, Greg Graham and Tim Perry.^[10][11][12] The Nets reached .500 in winning percentage with a 9–9 start to the season, but then lost eight of their next nine games. In January, the team traded Kenny Anderson to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Kendall Gill, and second-year guard Khalid Reeves.^[13][14][15] However, Gill only played just eleven games with the Nets due to a season-ending hand injury, while Kevin Edwards only played just 34 games due to a knee injury.^[16][17][18] The Nets held an 18–29 record at the All-Star break,^[19] and posted a five-game winning streak in February. However, the team posted a seven-game losing streak in April, and lost 12 of their final 14 games of the season, finishing in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 30–52 record, which was the same record as the previous season.^[20]

Armen Gilliam averaged 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while Gill averaged 17.5 points and 2.0 steals per game after the trade, and second-year guard Chris Childs showed improvement, providing the team with 12.8 points and 7.0 assists per game. In addition, Bradley averaged 12.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in 67 games, while P.J. Brown provided with 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and Edwards contributed 11.6 points and 1.6 steals per game. Off the bench, Jayson Williams played an increased role as the team's sixth man, averaging 9.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while Fleming provided with 7.7 points and 3.3 assists per game, O'Bannon contributed 6.2 points per game, and second-year center Yinka Dare averaged 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.^[21]

Williams finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting,^[22][23] and Bradley and Childs both finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Williams finished tied in 14th place.^[23] The Nets finished 23rd in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 638,144 at the Brendan Byrne Arena during the regular season.^[21][24]

Following the season, head coach Butch Beard was fired after publicly criticizing his players,^[25][26][27] while Gilliam signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks,^[28][29][30] Childs signed with the New York Knicks,^[31][32][33] and Brown signed with the Miami Heat.^[34][35][36] Meanwhile, Rick Mahorn re-signed with his former team, the Detroit Pistons,^[37][38] Graham was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics,^[39] Perry was released to free agency, and Fleming retired.