2003–04 New Orleans Hornets season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 2003–04 NBA season was the Hornets' second season in the National Basketball Association.[1] Originally reckoned as the 16th season of the franchise, the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets' reclaiming the heritage of the original Hornets has since retroactively deemed this season as the 2nd season for the franchise that would eventually become the Pelicans.[2] During the offseason, the Hornets signed free agent Steve Smith. Despite losing Jamal Mashburn for the first 44 games due to a knee injury, the Hornets got off to a solid 17–7 start to the season under new head coach Tim Floyd. However, they would struggle posting a losing record in January, and only managed to play .500 ball in February. Mashburn would return to play just 19 games averaging 20.8 points per game, but then re-injured his knee sitting out the rest of the season. The Hornets struggled losing 11 of their 16 games in March, but would rebound in April winning 4 of 7 games.
| 2003–04 New Orleans Hornets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Tim Floyd |
| General manager | Bob Bass |
| Owner(s) | George Shinn, Ray Wooldridge |
| Arena | New Orleans Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 41–41 (.500) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Central) Conference: 5th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to Heat 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Cox Sports Television |
| Radio | WTIX |
Despite posting an average record of 41–41, the Hornets finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, and qualified for their fifth straight playoff appearance. This was also the team's final season in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Baron Davis was again hampered by injuries and he played just 67 games. Despite another injury-plagued season, Davis and teammate Jamaal Magloire both represented the Eastern Conference at the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
In the playoffs, they faced the Miami Heat in the first round, but lost in seven games. Following the season, the Hornets moved to the new Southwest Division of the NBA's Western Conference. Also following the season, Floyd was fired as coach after just one season, Smith left in the 2004 NBA expansion draft, Stacey Augmon signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic, and Robert Traylor re-signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | David West | PF |  United States | Xavier |
| 2 | 48 | James Lang | C | United States | Central Park Christian HS (Birmingham, Alabama) |
The team entered the draft with one first-round pick and one second-round pick, marking their first selections as the New Orleans Hornets. While the team debuted in New Orleans the previous year after relocating from Charlotte, they had entered that year's draft without any picks due to previous trades. Under the 2014 franchise agreement, which returned all pre-2002 records to Charlotte, this year officially stands as the first year with draft selections in the history of the franchise that would become the Pelicans.
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Roster notes
- Point guard Courtney Alexander missed the entire season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Indiana Pacers | 61 | 21 | .744 | – | 34–7 | 27–14 | 20–8 |
| x-Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | 7 | 31–10 | 23–18 | 17–11 |
| x-New Orleans Hornets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 | 25–16 | 16–25 | 14–14 |
| x-Milwaukee Bucks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 | 27–14 | 14–27 | 15–13 |
| e-Cleveland Cavaliers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 26 | 23–18 | 12–29 | 14–14 |
| e-Toronto Raptors | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 | 18–23 | 15–26 | 11–17 |
| e-Atlanta Hawks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 33 | 18–23 | 10–31 | 10–18 |
| e-Chicago Bulls | 23 | 59 | .280 | 38 | 14–27 | 9–32 | 11–17 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Indiana Pacers | 61 | 21 | .744 | – |
| 2 | y-New Jersey Nets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 14 |
| 3 | x-Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | 7 |
| 4 | x-Miami Heat | 42 | 40 | .512 | 19 |
| 5 | x-New Orleans Hornets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 6 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 7 | x-New York Knicks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 22 |
| 8 | x-Boston Celtics | 36 | 46 | .439 | 25 |
| 9 | e-Cleveland Cavaliers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 26 |
| 10 | e-Toronto Raptors | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 |
| 11 | e-Philadelphia 76ers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 |
| 12 | e-Atlanta Hawks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 33 |
| 13 | e-Washington Wizards | 25 | 57 | .305 | 36 |
| 14 | e-Chicago Bulls | 23 | 59 | .280 | 38 |
| 15 | e-Orlando Magic | 21 | 61 | .256 | 40 |
Game log
Playoffs
| 2004 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 3–4 (home: 3–0; road: 0–4)
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| 2004 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrell Armstrong | 79 | 22 | 28.4 | 39.5 | 31.5 | 85.4 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 10.6 |
| Stacey Augmon | 69 | 24 | 20.5 | 41.2 | 14.3 | 79.1 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 5.8 |
| P.J. Brown | 80 | 80 | 34.4 | 47.6 | 0.0 | 85.4 | 8.6 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 10.5 |
| Tierre Brown | 3 | 0 | 5.7 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Maurice Carter | 6 | 0 | 10.0 | 28.6 | 37.5 | 62.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| Baron Davis | 67 | 66 | 40.1 | 39.5 | 32.1 | 67.3 | 4.3 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 22.9 |
| Bryce Drew | 15 | 0 | 5.2 | 22.2 | 14.3 | 100.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| George Lynch | 78 | 51 | 21.8 | 39.7 | 30.9 | 66.7 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 4.8 |
| Jamaal Magloire | 82 | 82 | 33.9 | 47.3 | 0.0 | 75.1 | 10.3 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 13.6 |
| Jamal Mashburn | 19 | 18 | 38.4 | 39.2 | 28.4 | 81.3 | 6.2 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 20.8 |
| Sean Rooks | 35 | 0 | 9.3 | 36.2 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.3 |
| Steve Smith | 71 | 4 | 13.1 | 40.6 | 40.2 | 92.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 5.0 |
| Robert Traylor | 71 | 0 | 13.3 | 50.5 | 40.0 | 54.7 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 5.1 |
| David Wesley | 61 | 60 | 32.8 | 38.9 | 32.3 | 75.3 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 14.0 |
| David West | 71 | 1 | 13.1 | 47.4 | 0.0 | 71.3 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 3.8 |
| Shammond Williams | 16 | 2 | 14.9 | 34.6 | 19.2 | 84.6 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 4.5 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrell Armstrong | 7 | 0 | 21.4 | 23.5 | 20.0 | 100.0 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 3.4 |
| Stacey Augmon | 7 | 0 | 24.0 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 88.9 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 7.4 |
| P.J. Brown | 7 | 7 | 36.6 | 36.6 | 0.0 | 90.9 | 9.7 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 8.9 |
| Maurice Carter | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Baron Davis | 7 | 7 | 37.1 | 37.7 | 32.7 | 75.8 | 4.1 | 7.0 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 18.1 |
| George Lynch | 7 | 7 | 21.0 | 43.9 | 25.0 | 62.5 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 8.3 |
| Jamaal Magloire | 7 | 7 | 34.1 | 41.8 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 9.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 11.0 |
| Steve Smith | 5 | 0 | 9.2 | 46.2 | 54.5 | 66.7 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 |
| Robert Traylor | 4 | 0 | 10.0 | 44.4 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.5 |
| David Wesley | 7 | 7 | 34.7 | 32.4 | 36.7 | 71.4 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 10.6 |
| David West | 7 | 0 | 15.9 | 53.6 | 0.0 | 84.6 | 4.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 5.9 |
| Shammond Williams | 3 | 0 | 6.0 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
Awards and records
Transactions
Trades
| February 19, 2004 | To New Orleans Hornets Shammond Williams To Orlando Magic Sean Rooks |
Free agents
| Additions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Date signed | Former team |
| Sean Rooks | July 21 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Darrell Armstrong | July 29 | Orlando Magic |
| Steve Smith | October 29 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Tierre Brown (10-day) | January 26 | North Charleston Lowgators (D-League) |
| Maurice Carter | March 25 | Dakota Wizards (CBA) |
| Subtractions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Date waived | New Team |
| James Lang | December 29 | Oklahoma Storm (USBL) |
| Bryce Drew | March 2 | Viola Reggio Calabria (Italy) |