The 2004–05

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

season was the franchise's third season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

. The Hornets moved from the Eastern Conference's Central Division to the tougher Southwest Division of the Western Conference for the season. Under new head coach

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their S ...

, the Hornets played and suffered their worst basketball ways losing their first eight games, which led to an awful 2–29 start. Many players were traded away during the season. The team traded

David Wesley David Barakau Wesley (born November 14, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the current television color analyst for the New Orleans Pelicans. He is the cous ...

to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in December, then midway through the season dealt

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in s ...

to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, and sent

Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn Sr. (born November 29, 1972) is an American entrepreneur and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed the "Monster Mash", Mashburn was a prolific scorer as a small forward in his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Assoc ...

, who was lost for the entire season with a knee injury, to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

for

Glenn Robinson Glenn Alan Robinson Jr. (born January 10, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dog" and "The Chosen One", he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1994 to 2005 for the Milwaukee Bucks, Atl ...

, who never played for the Hornets and was released to free agency and signed with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. Mashburn would never suit up for the 76ers. The Hornets continued to struggle, losing their final nine games finishing last place in the Southwest Division with a dreadful 18–64 record, which was the same record as the newly-rechristened

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. For this season, they added new yellow road alternate uniform they remained in used until 2008.

Offseason

On June 16, the Hornets claimed Brazilian swingman Alex Garcia on waivers from the

. On June 22, the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft took place, and the Hornets lost guard Maurice Carter to the

. Two days later, the NBA Draft took place.

Draft picks

In the draft, the Hornets drafted

J. R. Smith Earl Joseph "J. R." Smith III (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball at New Jers ...

and

Tim Pickett Timothy Lenard Pickett (born April 18, 1981) is an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately at Florida State University, and was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets. Career In Februar ...

. 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 Christopher Claus Andersen (born July 7, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Birdman", Andersen was born in Long Beach, California, grew up in Iola, Texas, and played one year at Blinn College. Andersen began ...

. 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 The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substitu ...

Rodney Rogers Rodney Ray Rogers (born June 20, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life Rogers was the fourth and youngest child born to Willie Wardsworth ...

. Rogers would be traded to the

, along with

, on February 24 for

. On September 29, the Hornets signed

Tremaine Fowlkes Tremaine J. Fowlkes (born April 11, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position. Fowlkes was drafted out of Fresno State by the Denver Nuggets with the 54th pick of the 1998 NBA draft, though he did n ...

and

Britton Johnsen Britton Weaver Johnsen (born July 8, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played briefly in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He graduated from Murray High School and the University of Utah. Born in Salt Lake C ...

. The following day, the team signed Lorinza "Junior" Harrington and

Lee Nailon Lee Nailon (born February 22, 1975) is an American professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the 2007 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. In 2011, he was the top scorer in the Is ...

. On October 28, the Hornets waived Fowlkes, and three days later, they waived Johnsen.

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

References

New Orleans Hornets on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:2004-05 New Orleans Hornets season New Orleans Hornets seasons