New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Hornets are a professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. They play in the Southwest Division of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as the Charlotte Hornets, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they were located until the end of the 2001–02 NBA season.

Franchise history

Charlotte

1985–1987: Birth of the Charlotte Hornets

File:Charlotte Hornets.PNG

Original Charlotte Hornets logo

In 1985, the NBA was planning to expand by four teams. George Shinn, an entrepreneur from Kannapolis, North Carolina, wanted to bring an NBA team to the Charlotte area and he assembled a group of prominent local businessmen to head the prospective franchise.

Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County had long been a hotbed for college basketball. The four North Carolina schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference, in addition to three local college teams (the Charlotte 49ers, Davidson Wildcats, and the Johnson C. Smith Bulls), had large and loyal fan bases in the city. Charlotte was also one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and was previously one of the three in-state regional homes to the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars, from 1969 to 1974.

Nevertheless, some critics doubted that Charlotte could support an NBA team. In fact, one Sacramento Bee columnist joked, "The only franchise Charlotte is going to get is one with golden arches." However, Shinn's ace in the hole was the Charlotte Coliseum, a state-of-the-art arena under construction that would seat almost 24,000 spectators – the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. On April 5, 1987, NBA Commissioner David Stern called Shinn to tell him that his group had been awarded the 24th franchise of the NBA, to begin play in 1988. Franchises were also granted to Miami (Heat), Minneapolis-Saint Paul (Timberwolves), and Orlando (Magic).

Originally, the new team was going to be called the Charlotte Spirit, but a name-the-team contest yielded "Hornets" as the winning choice. The name was derived from the city's fierce resistance to British occupation during the Revolutionary War, which prompted the British commander, Lord Cornwallis, to refer to it as "a veritable nest of hornets." The name had been used for Charlotte teams before; the city's minor league baseball teams had been called the Hornets from 1901 to 1972; and there was a team in the short-lived World Football League. In addition, NCAA basketball's Charlotte 49ers and Davidson Wildcats play annually for the Hornets' Nest Trophy.

The team received a lot of attention when they chose teal as their primary color, setting off a fashion craze in sports in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The San Jose Sharks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida Marlins and other pro and amateur clubs soon followed with similar colors. The Memphis Grizzlies also used it as their primary color during their days in Vancouver, and even the Detroit Pistons briefly switched to teal, away from their traditional blue and red, in the mid-1990s. Additionally, the Hornets were the first NBA team to popularize the use of pinstripes on uniforms, inspiring similar designs by the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. (It should be noted, however, that the Bulls only use pinstripes on their alternate black jerseys; the regular home white and away red uniforms do not feature them.) Recently, the Charlotte Bobcats added pinstripes to their uniforms, presumably as a tribute to the Hornets' tenure in Charlotte.

Despite some concerns that the new Coliseum was too big, Shinn thought that the area's long-standing support of college basketball would easily transfer to the Hornets. These hopes were more than validated as the city and region fell in love with the team. After initially selling 15,000 season tickets, sales exploded and the team eventually capped the season ticket base at 21,000. Hornets tickets were tough to get; selling out 358 consecutive games, or the equivalent of almost nine consecutive seasons.

Shinn hired Carl Scheer, a longtime NBA executive, as general manager. Scheer preferred a roster of veteran players, hoping to put together a competitive team as soon as possible, with a goal of making the playoffs in five years. Former college coach and veteran NBA assistant Dick Harter was tapped as the team's first head coach.

1988–1992: Growing pains

The 1988–89 team was led by ex-Pistons guard Kelly Tripucka, who provided instant offense and was Charlotte's top scorer for the franchise's first two seasons. The team also had sharpshooting rookie – and first-ever draft choice – Rex Chapman, who was a long-distance scoring threat. The team's floor general was Muggsy Bogues, the shortest player in NBA history at 5'3". However, like most NBA expansion teams, the Hornets struggled, finishing with a 20–62 record and never winning more than two games in a row.

The 1989–90 season was a struggle from start to finish. Harter was fired in January after the players rebelled against his defense-oriented style. He was replaced by assistant Gene Littles. A 3–31 stretch from January through March ended any hopes for the Hornets, who finished 19–63.

Before the 1990–91 season, the team drafted guard Kendall Gill and got slightly better, but still managed to win the draft lottery and the rights to the number-one overall pick in the 1991 draft. The Hornets also hosted the All-Star Game. Littles was fired at the end of the season and replaced by general manager Allan Bristow.

With the first pick the Hornets drafted power forward Larry Johnson from UNLV. Johnson had an impact season, finishing among the league leaders in points and rebounds, and winning the 1992 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Gill led the club in scoring, with over 20 points per gameand the team stayed in contention for a playoff spot until March.

1992–1999: Rise to prominence

The Hornets were in the lottery again in 1992 and won the second overall pick in the draft, using it to select Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning. The Hornets now had two 20–10 threats in Johnson and Mourning, who with Gill formed perhaps the league's top young trio. It was good enough for the team's first-ever winning record, at 44–38, and the first playoff berth in franchise history. They finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and upset the Boston Celtics in the first round. Mourning won the series with a 20-footer in game four. However, they lacked the experience and depth to defeat the New York Knicks, falling in five games in the second round.

The next few years were marked by injuries to Johnson and Mourning, though the Hornets did get back to the playoffs in 1994–95, notching the first 50-win season in franchise history. However, the Chicago Bulls bounced Charlotte from the playoffs three games to one in the first round.

In the offseason the team traded Mourning to the Miami Heat for forward Glen Rice, center Matt Geiger and guard Khalid Reeves. Geiger and Johnson tied for the team lead in rebounds, while Johnson and Rice provided balanced but high-powered scoring and All-Star guard Kenny Anderson ran the point for the injured Muggsy Bogues. Despite the changes, the Hornets failed to qualify for the playoffs during the 1995–96 season. Bristow resigned at the end of the season and was replaced by NBA legend Dave Cowens.

The offseason was again marked by vast changes: Anderson declined to re-sign, Johnson was shipped to the Knicks for power forward Anthony Mason, and the team made a trade on draft day 1996. The Hornets acquired center Vlade Divac from the Los Angeles Lakers for the rights to Kobe Bryant, who was picked 13th in the draft. Although it is believed that Bryant refused to play in Charlotte and forced the trade, the Hornets had in fact agreed a day earlier to trade a "player to be named" for Divac (and did not know who that player would be until 5 minutes before the pick was made). The trade was more about the Lakers need to free up space to sign Shaquille O'Neal and the Hornets need for a center than it was about Bryant.

The new-look Hornets were successful, with Divac and Geiger providing the center combination, Mason averaging a double-double and all-NBA third team honors, Bogues back at the point, and Rice having the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring and earning all-NBA second team honors. Rice was also the All-Star Game MVP, setting several scoring records. The team also achieved the second-best season in its history (54 victories), making it back to the playoffs. However, they went down rather meekly to the Knicks in three straight games.

1997–98 was also successful. The team picked up a new free-agent backcourt in point guard David Wesley and shooting guard Bobby Phills. With Wesley, Phills, Rice, Mason and Divac, the Hornets romped through the regular season, with Rice finishing sixth in scoring and earning all-NBA third team honors and the team making it to the second round of the playoffs for the second time in franchise history, only to again be stopped by the Bulls. 1998–99 was turbulent, with Rice being traded to the Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell. Cowens resigned midway through the lockout-shortened season, and was replaced by former Celtics teammate Paul Silas.

1999–2002: A new era

1999 saw a return to prominence with the addition of free agent Derrick Coleman and point guard Baron Davis, the third overall draft pick. The lineup of Wesley, Jones, Mason, Coleman, and Campbell tore through much of the season. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in mid-season. On January 12, 2000, fan favorite and top reserve Bobby Phills was killed in an automobile accident. The Hornets retired his #13 on February 9, 2000.

The team was able to return to the playoffs, where they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. Jones had led the league in steals, but in the offseason he and Mason were shipped to the Heat in exchange for Jamal Mashburn & P.J. Brown. The season, however, was overshadowed by events off the court. The team's popularity had begun to sag due to fan discontent with Shinn's personnel moves; he had reportedly traded Mourning and several other stars out of an unwillingness to pay them market value. Michael Jordan, a North Carolina native, began negotiations to become part-owner of the team, but talks collapsed when Shinn refused to grant Jordan total control over the basketball side of the operation.

The event that generated the most headlines came when a woman claimed that Shinn had raped her in 1997. While he was able to fend off a civil suit, the trial severely tarnished his reputation in the city. The team's attendance dropped off even further and never recovered; the consensus was that while Charlotte was as basketball-crazy as ever, fans took out their anger at Shinn on the team.

In 2000–01 the Hornets, with the lineup of Davis, Wesley, Mashburn, Brown and Campbell made it back to the playoffs, where they upset the third-seeded Heat and made it to the conference semifinals for just the third time in franchise history, before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. They returned the following season by beating the Orlando Magic in the first round, but were upended by the New Jersey Nets in five games in the Conference Semifinals.

Leaving Charlotte

While the Hornets continued to put a competitive team on the court, the team's attendance fell dramatically, in large part because Shinn was now a pariah in the city. The Hornets were now annually ranked at or near the bottom of the league in attendance, a marked contrast to their first years in the league. Shinn had also become discontented with the Coliseum, which had a limited number of luxury boxes. He finally issued an ultimatum: unless the city built a new arena at no cost to him, the Hornets would leave town. The city initially refused, leading Shinn to consider moving the team to either Norfolk, Louisville, St. Louis, or Memphis, of which only St. Louis had a larger media market than Charlotte.

Finally, a new arena in Uptown (what would eventually become the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, later the Time Warner Cable Arena) was included in a non-binding referendum for a larger arts-related package, and Shinn withdrew his application to move the team. Polls showed the referendum on its way to passage. However, just days before the referendum, Mayor Pat McCrory vetoed a living wage ordinance. The veto prompted many of the city's black ministers to oppose the referendum; they felt it was immoral for the city to build a new arena when city employees could not afford the cost of living.

After the failed referendum, city leaders devised a plan to build a new arena in a way that did not require voter support, but made it known that they would not even consider building it unless Shinn sold the team. While even the NBA acknowledged that Shinn had alienated fans, league officials felt such a demand would anger other owners. The city council refused to remove the statement, leading the Hornets to request a move to New Orleans. Although New Orleans was a smaller television market, a deal was quickly made to play at the New Orleans Arena, next door to the Louisiana Superdome. Before the Hornets were eliminated from the playoffs, the NBA approved the deal. As part of a deal, the NBA promised that Charlotte would get a new team (which took the court two years later as the Charlotte Bobcats).

In a 2008 interview with the Charlotte Observer, Shinn (who has not returned to Charlotte since the Hornets moved) admitted that the "bad judgment I made in my life" played a role in the Hornets' departure. He also said that if he had it to do all over again, he would not have withdrawn from the public after the sexual assault trial. Shinn emphasized how he was making amends by committing to New Orleans saying, "I've made enough mistakes in my life. I'm not going to make one here. This city needs us here. We're going to make this (New Orleans) thing work."

New Orleans (pre-Katrina)

2002–2004: NBA returns to the Big Easy

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New Hornets logo 2002-2008.

The Hornets opened their inaugural season in New Orleans on October 30, 2002, against the Utah Jazz, who were originally the New Orleans Jazz, with a 100–75 win. "Pistol" Pete Maravich had his number posthumously retired during halftime. It was the first regular season NBA game played in New Orleans in over 17 years (there were a few exhibition games played through the years including the then Charlotte Hornets in New Orleans in 2000). The Hornets qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight year in 2002–03, but were beaten 4-2 by Philadelphia in the first round.

After the season, the team unexpectedly fired Silas. He was replaced by Tim Floyd. The Hornets got off to a 17–7 start, but sputtered at the end and finished 41–41, narrowly missing out on home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They met the Miami Heat in the first round, with each team winning all of its home games. Dwyane Wade's last second shot sunk the Hornets in Game One of the series, which ended up being the difference in a 4-3 series win for Miami.

2004–2005: Early struggles in the West

After the season, Floyd was fired and the team hired Byron Scott as the head coach. Because of the expansion, the Hornets were now playing in the tougher Southwest Division of the Western Conference which included four playoff teams: the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies. The team was not expected to compete for a playoff spot with such stiff competition. In a season marred by injury to the team's three all-stars (Baron Davis, Jamaal Magloire, and Jamal Mashburn) an 0–8 start quickly became a 2–29 record (including a one-point loss in overtime to their replacements, the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, in the team's first game back in Charlotte since relocating). The Hornets were on track to become the worst team in NBA history, threatening the Philadelphia 76ers' record of a 9–73 season. The team performed better in January and February, but the season was essentially over before it started with all of the early losses. As a result of the lack of success, the team's roster was reshaped, with older veterans like Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn traded to start the rebuilding process. The team also acquired Jimmy Jackson from the Houston Rockets, but Jackson refused to report (which surprisingly was supported by leading NBA analysts on radio shows and TV networks) and was traded again, this time to the Phoenix Suns for Maciej Lampe, Casey Jacobsen, and Jackson Vroman, none of whom made a significant impact. The Hornets finished 18-64, tied for the second-worst record in the league, and the franchise's first losing season in 15 years. With the fourth pick in the 2005 NBA draft, the Hornets got a future all-star with the selection of point guard Chris Paul.

Hurricane Katrina and temporary relocation to Oklahoma City

Main article: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets

Due to the catastrophic devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina upon the communities of southeastern Louisiana, the Hornets franchise temporarily relocated their base of operations to Oklahoma City in 2005–06 and 2006–07. During this time, the franchise was known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. In these two seasons, the vast majority of home games were played at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, while a few remained at New Orleans Arena. Their practice facility while in Oklahoma City was the Sawyer Center on the campus of Southern Nazarene University (SNU). and the team held its 2006 training camp at their New Orleans practice facility, the Alario Center, in Westwego, Louisiana.

For the 2005–06 season, the team played 36 games in Oklahoma City, with one game taking place at the Lloyd Noble Center on the campus of the University of Oklahoma due to a conflict at the Ford Center; three in New Orleans; and one at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the campus of LSU. The intent had been to play 5 games in all at Baton Rouge, but strong progress made on restoring the New Orleans Arena made the return to New Orleans a better option.

The Hornets started off the 2005–06 NBA season better than expected, even after backup center Chris Andersen received a two-year ban due to a drug violation. The Hornets seemed to use this as motivation, and the team briefly held the sixth seed in the Western playoff race. Eventually, however, they went cold, losing 12 out of 13 games to drop out of the playoff race, setting an NBA record in the process when they scored 16 points in the second half of a game against the Clippers. The Hornets rebounded and made one final push at the end of the season for a playoff spot, but finished 38–44, 10th place in the Western Conference. Despite the losing record, Chris Paul won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in a landslide, and several Hornets were also in contention for other individual awards.

The Hornets made major roster changes after the 2005–06 season in hopes of advancing to the Western Conference postseason for the first time ever. They traded J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown to the Chicago Bulls for Tyson Chandler. They let Speedy Claxton sign with the Atlanta Hawks, but filled their backup PG position with free agents Bobby Jackson and Jannero Pargo. They also inked Peja Stojakovic from the Indiana Pacers.

The Hornets opted to keep their base of operations in Oklahoma City for the 2006–07 season due to the continued recovery efforts in New Orleans but promised to return to New Orleans full time, possibly as early as 2007. During the 2006–2007 season, the Hornets played 35 home games in Oklahoma City and 6 in New Orleans. The team finished the regular season with a 39–43 record, one more win than the previous season.

The team's successful operation in Oklahoma City arguably contributed to the city being named as the new home for the Seattle SuperSonics franchise starting in the 2008–09 NBA season (see Oklahoma City Thunder).

New Orleans (post-Katrina)

2007–2008: Back to the Big Easy

Main article: 2007–08 New Orleans Hornets season

The Hornets franchise returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–2008 season, with all 41 home games played in the New Orleans Arena. League officials had stressed from the beginning the desire for the franchise to return to New Orleans once it proved feasible and that they would make a good-faith effort to assist with the recovery. To that end, the 2008 NBA All-Star Game and its accompanying festivities were awarded to New Orleans and a serious marketing campaign was commenced in February 2007. Subsequently, various corporate sponsorship agreements were signed (under the umbrella of the Crescent City Champions), with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Capital One, and Cox Communications among them. The Hornets largely stood pat heading into the 2007–2008 season. They did, however, sign free agents Morris Peterson and Melvin Ely, while letting go of former first round draft pick Cedric Simmons. The club also extended the contract of reserve guard Jannero Pargo, and selected Kansas forward Julian Wright with the 13th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Attendance at the New Orleans Arena, while tepid at first, picked up considerably in the months of March and April 2008 with the team registering sell-outs in 12 of its last 17 regular season home games, and the final 13 total games (including playoffs). Healthier than previous seasons, the Hornets stormed to a 29–12 record at the halfway mark. Having the best record in the Western Conference on February 3 meant that Byron Scott would coach the 2008 Western Conference All-Stars at home in the New Orleans Arena. Scott was joined by two of his players, as both Chris Paul and David West were selected as All-Star reserves. Chris Paul was nominated for NBA MVP 2008 and placed 2nd in voting. On February 21 the Hornets made an in-season trade with the Houston Rockets acquiring swingman Bonzi Wells and backup point guard Mike James for veteran guard Bobby Jackson.

The Hornets completed the regular season with a record of 56–26, making the season their most successful ever. The Hornets also won their first ever division title, winning the Southwest Division ahead of the San Antonio Spurs. Having clinched the 2nd overall seed for the Western Conference, the Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. The Hornets posted decisive wins against the 3rd seed San Antonio Spurs in the first two games of Western Conference Semi-finals, but eventually lost to the defending champion Spurs 3 games to 4 in a tightly contested series.

In August 2008, the Hornets unveiled a modified logo and new uniforms with the colors of Creole blue, purple, and Mardi Gras gold, and after six seasons, the pinstripes were reinstated on the uniforms. The script was changed as an allusion to the wrought iron architecture of New Orleans. An additional third logo was introduced, with the "NOLA" abbreviation and a trumpet. The team also publicly announced the sale of over 10,000 season tickets for the 2008–2009 season, a record total since the relocation from Charlotte.

2008–2009: Great expectations

Main article: 2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season

File:New Orleans Hornets alternate logo.svg

Hornets alternate logo 2008 - Present

Having experienced the most successful season in franchise history, both in the regular season and the playoffs, the 2009 NBA season was viewed with great expectations for the Hornets franchise. Several pundits picked the Hornets to repeat as winners of the Southwest Division and as a potential Western Conference champion.

The core players from the previous season were all back for 2008–2009. Swingman James Posey was signed as a free agent from the Boston Celtics in July, while reserve guard Jannero Pargo opted for the Russian Basketball Super League. In December the Hornets solidified the point guard position by acquiring Antonio Daniels in a three-team deal, giving up seldom-used guard Mike James and a future second-round draft pick. More notably, on February 18 it was announced that starting center Tyson Chandler had been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox in what was generally perceived as a payroll-shedding move. However, within a day, the trade was rescinded due to concerns regarding Chandler's turf toe.

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.

The season in itself was up and down for the Hornets, and by April it was clear that the record-breaking 56–26 record of 2007–2008 was unattainable in 2008–2009. This was to some extent due to injury problems, most notably to Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic. The Hornets finished the season with a disappointing 49–33 record, 4th in the Southwest Division and 7th in the Western Conference. Paired up with the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the Hornets commenced the post-season in a sour manner, losing both of the first two games decisively in Denver. Trailing 2–1, the next game proved brutal for the Hornets. The Hornets tied the worst loss in playoff history with a 121–63 beating. They shot 31.5% from the field with 13.3% 3-point shooting. The banged up Hornets were subsequently eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoffs in Game 5, beginning an off-season of speculation on the future construction of the team.

2009–2010: A season in turmoil

Main article: 2009–10 New Orleans Hornets season

In the aftermath of a highly unsuccessful end to the 2009 NBA season and the in-season attempt to trade starting center Tyson Chandler for expiring contracts, the New Orleans Hornets were widely perceived to be looking to trim the payroll. Indeed, at the start of the NBA free agency period on July 1, the Hornets had the highest payroll of all teams in the league, topping $77 Million. When the luxury tax level was set on July 7, it left the Hornets in excess of $7 million in the tax zone.

Despite comments from the team owner- and leadership about the intention to compete and building a winner, it was still seen as quite surprising when on July 28, the Hornets landed center Emeka Okafor from the Charlotte Bobcats for Tyson Chandler. While the move allowed the Hornets to shed $1.3 Million of the 2009-2010 payroll, they also took on the remainder of Okafors contract valued at just under $63 Million for 5 years.

The backcourt had been strengthened via the draft. On June 25, 2009, the Hornets drafted Darren Collison with the 21st pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. The Hornets also traded two future second round picks to the Miami Heat for the 43rd pick Marcus Thornton. On August 12, 2009, the Hornets traded starter Rasual Butler to the Clippers for a 2016 second round draft pick, in an elaborate attempt to lower the payroll. Butler was slated to earn $3.9 Million for the season, but due to the Hornets being in the tax zone, those savings were effectively doubled. Further, on September 9, the Hornets traded guard Antonio Daniels to the Minnesota Timberwolves for guard Bobby Brown and forward Darius Songaila.

The conscious effort to get below the luxury tax threshold continued during the season. First, disappointing back-up center Hilton Armstrong was traded along with cash considerations to the Sacramento Kings for a conditional 2016 second round draft pick. Shortly thereafter, starting shooting guard Devin Brown was traded to the Chicago Bulls for reserve center Aaron Gray and backup guard Bobby Brown was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for a conditional 2nd round draft pick. In total, these trades got the Hornets just below the luxury tax threshold.

On the court, the Hornets started the season in a disappointing fashion, and head coach Byron Scott was fired on November 12, 2009 after a 3-6 start to the season. General manager Jeff Bower took over the head coaching duties for the remainder of the season. The Hornets overcame the bad start to the season and were as high as 6th in the Western Conference standings in late January. In the second to last game of January, Chris Paul got injured trying to save an errant pass going out of bounds. Despite returning for a stretch late in the season, that injury effectively ended Paul's season. The lone highlight for the remainer of the season was the stellar performance of rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton. Collison achieved the longest stretch of games with at least 18 points and 9 assists (7 in a row in February) for a rookie since Oscar Robertson. For Thornton, one of many highlights was the 37 points (including a franchise record quarter of 23 points) he dropped on Cleveland on February 23. Both rookies made the all-rookie teams after the season, a first in franchise history.

The Hornets finished the season with a lowly 37–45 record, finishing last in the Southwest division they had won only two seasons before. Jeff Bower later resigned as head coach to concentrate on his front office duties. This did not last long as Bower was fired by the Hornets on July 13, 2010, ending a tenure of nearly 15 years within the organization. In between Bower's stepping down as head coach and his dismissal from the organization, Monty Williams was brought in as new head coach. The former assistant coach of the Portland Trail Blazers was at the age of just 38 the youngest head coach in the league. To replace Bower as general manager, the Hornets hired Dell Demps of the San Antonio Spurs in late July.

2010–2011: A new beginning

Main article: 2010–11 New Orleans Hornets season

With a new head coach and a new general manager in place, the Hornets went through the summer with two vast uncertains hanging over the organization. The first was a prolonged process of minority owner Gary Chouest possibly buying out long term owner George Shinn and thus becoming sole owner of the organization. The most probable consequence of this possible transaction would be financially as Chouest is considerably stronger than Shinn. The second uncertainty pertained to the situation regarding star point guard Chris Paul. At several times during the off-season there were murmurs of unhappiness and a desire to be traded. At the start of the season, some of this had subsided, but the situation is still pertinent, and may resurface if the Hornets encounter another disappointing season, as Paul on numerous occasions has expressed his desire to be on a winning team.

On the player side, the off-season was also used to extensively reshape the roster. Several of the trades made could probably be seen in the dual perspective of a new philosophy given the new coach and GM, and a desire to appease Chris Paul while getting younger, more athletic, and stronger defensively. As soon as the 2010 NBA Draft, this process started. Lottery pick Cole Aldrich and disappointing guard Morris Peterson were shipped to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 21st and 26th picks in the draft. Those picks were subsequently used on forwards Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter. On August 11, the Hornets shipped out surprising rookie Darren Collison and swing man James Posey to the Indiana Pacers for small forward Trevor Ariza from the Houston Rockets in a four team trade. In a separate trade on the same day, another disappointment, former lottery pick Julian Wright was traded to the Toronto Raptors for shooting guard Marco Belinelli. On September 23, 2010, the Hornets sent rookie Craig Brackins and power forward Darius Songaila to the Philadelphia 76ers for guard Willie Green and center Jason Smith. Finally, just before the start of the regular season on October 23rd, the Hornets acquired point guard Jerryd Bayless from the Portland Trail Blazers for a conditional first round draft pick.

With this drastic overhaul of the roster, the Hornets seemingly accomplished getting younger, more athletic and potentially a lot better defensively. Several earlier mistakes were corrected in shipping out Peterson, Posey and Wright. The cost primarily was the loss of Collison and potentially the future first round draft pick. When the 2010-11 NBA season started only three players (Paul, West and Stojakovic) were left from the team that won the Southwest Division just over two years prior. Despite all the efforts toward reshaping the roster competitively, most pundits predicted a difficult season for the Hornets, with only few considering even an 8th seed possible. However, the team got off to an impressive start. On November 5, the Hornets broke a team record with 5 straight wins to begin the season. The team then extended the streak to 8 straight wins to begin the season. The team also held their first 10 opponents to below 100 points.

On the ownership side, the buyout by Chouest fell through in early December 2010. Because Shinn is not in a financial position to continue to run the team, the NBA is expected to purchase and run the team while looking for an owner. After losing a bid to buy the Golden State Warriors, Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, has noted that he is willing to buy the Hornets and move them to San Jose, California.

In January 2011, the Hornets ownership plans to examine a possible relocation to Kansas City, one of Larry Ellison's two future sites for the Hornets. The troubled California economy may not be suitable, though Kansas City should have a state-of-the-art arena ready for a NBA and a NHL franchise in 2012-13.

Season-by-season records

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Hornets. For the full season-by-season history, see List of New Orleans Hornets seasons.

League Champions

Conference Champions

Division Champions

Playoff Berth

Season	League	Conference	Division	Regular season				Post Season Results	Awards
				Finish	Wins	Losses	Pct.
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
2005–06	NBA	Western	Southwest	4th	38	44	.463		Chris Paul (ROY)
2006–07	NBA	Western	Southwest	4th	39	43	.476
New Orleans Hornets
2007–08	NBA	Western	Southwest	1st	56	26	.683	Won First Round (Dallas) 4–1 Lost Conference Semifinals (San Antonio) 3–4	Byron Scott (ASG Coach, COY)
2008–09	NBA	Western	Southwest	4th	49	33	.598	Lost First Round (Denver) 1–4
2009–10	NBA	Western	Southwest	5th	37	45	.451
Playoffs					32	41	.438	Playoff series record: 5–11 (Charlotte, 4–7; New Orleans, 1–4)

Home arenas

• Charlotte Coliseum (1988–2002)
• New Orleans Arena (2002–present)

• Other temporary stadiums due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina:
  • Ford Center (2005–2007)
  • Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2005, one game)
  • Lloyd Noble Center (2006, one game)

Players

Main article: New Orleans Hornets all-time roster

See also: New Orleans Hornets draft history

Hornets Hall of Famers

None

Individual awards

Rookie of the Year

• Larry Johnson – 1992
• Chris Paul – 2006

Sixth Man of the Year

• Dell Curry – 1994

Coach of the Year

• Byron Scott – 2008

All-Star Game MVP

• Glen Rice – 1997

All-Star West Head Coach

• Byron Scott – 2008

Executive of the Year

• Bob Bass – 1997

All-NBA First Team

• Chris Paul – 2008

All-NBA Second Team

• Larry Johnson – 1993
• Glen Rice – 1997
• Chris Paul – 2009

All-NBA Third Team

• Anthony Mason – 1997
• Glen Rice – 1998
• Eddie Jones – 2000
• Jamal Mashburn – 2003
• Baron Davis – 2004

NBA All-Defensive First Team

• Chris Paul – 2009

NBA All-Defensive Second Team

• Anthony Mason – 1997
• Eddie Jones – 1999, 2000
• P.J. Brown – 2001
• Chris Paul – 2008

NBA Rookie First Team

• Kendall Gill – 1991
• Larry Johnson – 1992
• Alonzo Mourning – 1993
• Chris Paul – 2006
• Darren Collison – 2010

NBA Rookie Second Team

• Rex Chapman – 1989
• J.R. Reid – 1990
• Marcus Thornton – 2010

Retired numbers

• 7 "Pistol" Pete Maravich, G, New Orleans Jazz 1974–79 (note: The Hornets retired Maravich's number during their first game in New Orleans in honor of his basketball contributions to the area at LSU and with the city's former NBA team, the New Orleans Jazz)
• 13 Bobby Phills, G, Charlotte Hornets 1997–2000

Current roster

New Orleans Pelicans roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G 15 Alvarado, Jose (FA) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 1998-04-12 Georgia Tech G 24 Hawkins, Jordan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-04-29 Connecticut F 33 Hill, Malcolm (TW) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1995-10-26 Illinois F 14 Ingram, Brandon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-09-02 Duke F 2 Jones, Herbert 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1998-10-06 Alabama G 3 McCollum, CJ 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1991-09-19 Lehigh C 21 Missi, Yves (DP) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 2004-05-14 Baylor F 25 Murphy, Trey III 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 2000-06-18 Virginia G 5 Murray, Dejounte 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-09-19 Washington G/F 12 Reeves, Antonio (DP) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-11-20 Kentucky F/C 50 Robinson-Earl, Jeremiah (FA) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 2000-11-03 Villanova F 37 Ryan, Matt 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1997-04-17 Chattanooga G 0 Seabron, Dereon (TW, FA) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-05-26 NC State F 1 Williamson, Zion  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 284 lb (129 kg) 2000-07-06 Duke

Head coach Willie Green Assistant coach(es) James Borrego (associate HC) Jarron Collins Casey Hill Aaron Miles Fred Vinson Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (GL) On assignment to G League (TW) Two-way affiliate player Injured Roster Last transaction: July 6, 2024

Head coaches

Main article: List of New Orleans Hornets head coaches

Name	From	To	Regular Season		Postseason		Notes
			W	L	W	L
Dick Harter	1988	1990	28	94	--	--	8–32 for 1989–90 season; Final game on January 27, 1990
Gene Littles	1990	1991	37	87	--	--	11–31 for 1989–90 season after firing of Dick Harter
Allan Bristow	1991	1996	207	203	5	8	Earned first playoff berth and playoff series win in franchise history
Dave Cowens	1996	1999	109	70	4	8	4–11 for 1998–99 season; Final game on March 5, 1999
Paul Silas	1999	2003	208	155	13	14	22–13 for 1998–99 season after firing of Dave Cowens
Tim Floyd	2003	2004	41	41	3	4
Byron Scott	2004	2009	203	216	8	9	3–6 for 2009–10 season; Final game on November 11, 2009
Jeff Bower	2009	2010	34	39	--	--
Monty Williams	2010	Present	13	5	--	--	Record 8 straight wins to begin season

External links

• New Orleans Hornets official site
• New Orleans Hornets Fan Forum
• At the Hive - New Orleans Hornets blog
• Hornets247.com - New Orleans Hornets blog
• New Orleans Hornets Tickets
• Hornets owner pledges full commitment to New Orleans -- December 14, 2006