1998–99 Charlotte Hornets season

The 1998–99 NBA season was the eleventh season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association.^[1] Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.^[2]

1998–99 Charlotte Hornets season
Head coach	Dave Cowens (resigned) Paul Silas
General manager	Bob Bass
Owner(s)	George Shinn
Arena	Charlotte Coliseum
Results
Record	26–24 (.520)
Place	Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 9th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WAXN-TV Fox Sports South
Radio	WBT
< 1997–98 1999–00 >

During the off-season, the Hornets signed free agents Derrick Coleman,^[3][4][5][6] three-point specialist Chuck Person,^[7] Eldridge Recasner and Chucky Brown.^[8] However, before the regular season began, the team dealt with injuries as Anthony Mason was lost for the entire season due to a biceps injury suffered in practice,^[9][10][11] and All-Star forward Glen Rice was out with an elbow injury.^[12][13][14] The Hornets struggled losing eight of their first nine games, which led to a disappointing 4–11 start to the season, as head coach Dave Cowens resigned and was replaced with assistant Paul Silas.^[15][16][17]

At mid-season, Rice was traded along with J.R. Reid, and B. J. Armstrong to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for All-Star guard Eddie Jones, and Elden Campbell;^{[18][19][20][21]} Armstrong was released by the Lakers, and later signed with the Orlando Magic.^[22][23][24] The Hornets improved under Silas posting a 22–13 record, including a nine-game winning streak in April, as the team finished in fifth place in the Central Division with a 26–24 record.^[25] However, despite their above .500 record, they failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs by finishing just one game behind the 8th-seeded New York Knicks.

Jones averaged 17.0 points and 3.0 steals per game with the team in 30 games after the trade, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Campbell averaged 15.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 32 games. In addition, Bobby Phills provided the team with 14.3 points and 1.4 steals per game, while David Wesley contributed 14.1 points, 6.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game, Coleman averaged 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, Brown provided with 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and Person contributed 6.1 points per game.^[26]

The Hornets finished sixth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 480,807 at the Charlotte Coliseum during the regular season.^[26][27] Following the season, Person signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics,^[28] and Brown signed with the San Antonio Spurs.^[29]

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1998 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	21	Ricky Davis	SF/SG	United States	Iowa
2	50	Andrew Betts	C	United States	California State-Long Beach

Roster

1998–99 Charlotte Hornets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 15 Corey Beck 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1971–05–27 Arkansas F 52 Chucky Brown 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1968–02–29 NC State C 41 Elden Campbell 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1968–07–23 Clemson F/C 44 Derrick Coleman 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1967–06–21 Syracuse G/F 21 Ricky Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1979–09–23 Iowa F 6 Eddie Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1971–10–20 Temple F 14 Anthony Mason  (IN) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1966–12–14 Tennessee State C 40 Brad Miller 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 244 lb (111 kg) 1976–04–12 Purdue F 45 Chuck Person 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1964–06–27 Auburn G 13 Bobby Phills 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1969–12–20 Southern G 3 Eldridge Recasner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1967–12–14 Washington C 33 Charles Shackleford 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–04–22 NC State G 4 David Wesley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–11–14 Baylor

Head coach Paul Silas Assistant(s) Mark Osowski Lee Rose Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster Updated: April 6, 1999

Roster Notes

• Power forward Anthony Mason was on the injured reserve list due to a ruptured biceps injury, and missed the entire regular season.

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
y-Indiana Pacers	33	17	.660	–	18‍–‍7	15‍–‍10	15–7	50
x-Atlanta Hawks	31	19	.620	2.0	16‍–‍9	15‍–‍10	15–8	50
x-Detroit Pistons	29	21	.580	4.0	17‍–‍8	12‍–‍13	13–8	50
x-Milwaukee Bucks	28	22	.560	5.0	17‍–‍8	11‍–‍14	13–11	50
Charlotte Hornets	26	24	.520	7.0	16‍–‍9	10‍–‍15	12–10	50
Toronto Raptors	23	27	.460	10.0	14‍–‍11	9‍–‍16	9–14	50
Cleveland Cavaliers	22	28	.440	11.0	15‍–‍10	7‍–‍18	9–13	50
Chicago Bulls	13	37	.260	20.0	8‍–‍17	5‍–‍20	4–19	50

Eastern Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	c-Miami Heat *	33	17	.660	–	50
2	y-Indiana Pacers *	33	17	.660	–	50
3	x-Orlando Magic	33	17	.660	–	50
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	31	19	.620	2.0	50
5	x-Detroit Pistons	29	21	.580	4.0	50
6	x-Philadelphia 76ers	28	22	.560	5.0	50
7	x-Milwaukee Bucks	28	22	.560	5.0	50
8	x-New York Knicks	27	23	.540	6.0	50
9	Charlotte Hornets	26	24	.520	7.0	50
10	Toronto Raptors	23	27	.460	10.0	50
11	Cleveland Cavaliers	22	28	.440	11.0	50
12	Boston Celtics	19	31	.380	14.0	50
13	Washington Wizards	18	32	.360	15.0	50
14	New Jersey Nets	16	34	.320	17.0	50
15	Chicago Bulls	13	37	.260	20.0	50

Record vs. opponents

1998-99 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	VAN	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–0	3–0	3–1	2–1	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	1–0	3–1	1–0	0–0	0–3	1–2	0–0	1–2	2–1	2–2	2–1	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	2–1
Boston	0–3	—	1–2	2–1	2–2	0–0	1–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–0	0–0	3–0	0–3	0–1	1–2	1–2	1–2	1–2	0–0	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	1–0	3–1
Charlotte	0–3	2–1	—	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	3–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–1	1–2	2–2	0–0	3–0	1–3	1–2	1–2	1–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	2–1
Chicago	1–3	1–2	1–2	—	0–3	0–1	0–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–0	0–0	1–2	1–3	0–0	2–1	1–2	0–3	1–2	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	0–1	1–2	0–1	1–0	1–2
Cleveland	1–2	2–2	1–2	3–0	—	0–0	0–0	1–2	1–0	0–1	0–3	0–0	1–0	0–3	1–2	0–0	3–0	1–2	1–2	1–2	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	2–2	0–1	0–0	1–2
Dallas	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	—	2–1	0–1	2–2	2–2	0–0	3–0	0–3	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–1	0–0	1–0	0–0	1–3	0–3	2–2	1–3	0–3	0–0	0–3	2–1	0–0
Denver	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–2	—	0–0	1–3	0–4	0–1	3–0	1–2	0–1	1–0	0–3	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–3	0–3	0–3	0–4	2–2	0–0	1–2	3–1	0–1
Detroit	2–1	3–0	0–3	3–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	—	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	0–0	2–1	2–1	0–1	2–1	2–1	0–4	1–3	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	1–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	2–1
Golden State	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–1	2–2	3–1	0–0	—	0–3	1–0	2–1	1–2	0–0	0–1	2–2	0–0	0–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	2–2	1–2	0–3	1–2	0–0	0–4	4–0	0–0
Houston	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	2–2	4–0	0–0	3–0	—	0–0	3–1	1–2	0–1	0–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	0–1	0–0	2–2	2–1	3–0	0–3	2–1	1–0	0–3	4–0	0–0
Indiana	1–2	3–0	2–1	3–0	3–0	0–0	1–0	1–2	0–1	0–0	—	0–0	1–0	2–2	3–0	0–0	3–1	2–1	1–2	1–2	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	3–0
L.A. Clippers	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–3	0–3	0–0	1–2	1–3	0–0	—	0–4	0–0	0–0	2–2	1–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–2	1–2	0–3	0–3	0–1	1–3	1–3	0–0
L.A. Lakers	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–1	3–0	2–1	0–0	2–1	2–1	0–1	4–0	—	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–0	0–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	2–1	2–2	0–0	1–3	2–1	0–0
Miami	3–0	0–3	2–1	2–1	3–0	1–0	1–0	1–2	0–0	1–0	2–2	0–0	0–0	—	2–1	0–1	3–1	2–2	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	3–0	0–1	0–0	3–0
Milwaukee	2–1	3–0	2–2	3–1	2–1	0–0	0–1	1–2	1–0	0–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	1–2	—	1–0	2–1	2–1	1–2	1–2	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	3–1	0–0	0–0	2–1
Minnesota	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	3–0	1–0	2–2	1–2	0–0	2–2	1–2	1–0	0–1	—	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–3	3–1	2–2	2–1	0–1	0–3	3–1	0–0
New Jersey	2–1	2–1	0–3	1–2	0–3	1–0	0–1	1–2	0–0	0–1	1–3	0–1	0–0	1–3	1–2	0–0	—	0–3	0–3	1–2	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–0	2–1	0–0	0–0	2–1
New York	1–2	2–1	3–1	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	1–2	1–0	0–1	2–2	1–2	1–0	3–0	—	0–3	3–1	1–0	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	2–1
Orlando	2–2	2–1	2–1	3–0	2–1	0–1	0–0	4–0	1–0	1–0	2–1	0–0	0–1	1–2	2–1	0–0	3–0	3–0	—	1–2	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	2–1
Philadelphia	1–2	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	3–1	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–2	2–1	0–0	2–1	1–3	2–1	—	0–0	0–1	1–0	0–1	0–1	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–2
Phoenix	0–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–1	3–1	3–0	0–1	2–1	2–2	0–0	3–0	1–3	0–0	1–0	2–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	—	0–3	0–3	2–2	3–0	0–0	2–2	3–0	0–0
Portland	0–0	1–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	3–0	3–0	0–0	2–2	1–2	1–0	2–1	2–2	0–0	0–0	3–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	3–0	—	4–0	1–3	2–2	0–0	1–2	4–0	0–0
Sacramento	0–0	1–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	2–2	3–0	0–0	2–1	0–3	0–0	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	1–3	0–0	1–0	0–1	0–1	3–0	0–4	—	1–2	2–2	0–0	1–2	4–0	1–0
San Antonio	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–1	3–1	4–0	1–0	3–0	3–0	0–0	3–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	2–2	0–0	0–0	1–0	1–0	2–2	3–1	2–1	—	2–1	0–1	2–1	3–0	0–0
Seattle	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	3–0	2–2	0–1	2–1	1–2	0–0	3–0	2–2	0–0	0–1	1–2	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–3	2–2	2–2	1–2	—	0–0	2–2	2–1	0–1
Toronto	1–2	2–1	1–2	2–1	2–2	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–1	1–2	1–0	0–0	0–3	1–3	1–0	1–2	2–1	2–1	1–2	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	—	0–0	1–0	2–2
Utah	0–0	0–0	0–1	1–0	1–0	3–0	2–1	0–1	4–0	3–0	0–0	3–1	3–1	1–0	0–0	3–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–2	2–1	2–1	1–2	2–2	0–0	—	3–0	1–0
Vancouver	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	1–3	0–0	0–3	0–4	0–1	3–1	1–2	0–0	0–0	1–3	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	0–3	0–3	0–4	0–3	1–2	0–1	0–3	—	0–0
Washington	1–2	1–3	1–2	2–1	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–2	0–1	0–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–2	0–0	1–2	1–2	1–2	2–1	0–0	0–1	0–1	0–0	1–0	2–2	0–1	0–0	—

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
David Wesley	PG	50	50	1,848	161	322	100	10	706	37.0	3.2	6.4	2.0	.2	14.1
Chuck Person	SF	50	21	990	132	60	20	8	303	19.8	2.6	1.2	.4	.2	6.1
Chucky Brown	PF	48	21	1,192	174	57	16	19	407	24.8	3.6	1.2	.3	.4	8.5
Ricky Davis	SG	46	1	557	84	58	30	7	209	12.1	1.8	1.3	.7	.2	4.5
Eldridge Recasner	PG	44	2	708	77	91	17	1	222	16.1	1.8	2.1	.4	.0	5.0
Bobby Phills	SG	43	43	1,574	174	149	60	25	613	36.6	4.0	3.5	1.4	.6	14.3
Brad Miller	C	38	0	469	117	22	9	18	238	12.3	3.1	.6	.2	.5	6.3
Derrick Coleman	PF	37	29	1,178	328	78	24	42	486	31.8	8.9	2.1	.6	1.1	13.1
Elden Campbell†	C	32	32	1,134	301	61	38	57	490	35.4	9.4	1.9	1.2	1.8	15.3
Charles Shackleford	C	32	4	367	129	13	5	13	107	11.5	4.0	.4	.2	.4	3.3
Eddie Jones†	SF	30	30	1,157	118	125	90	34	509	38.6	3.9	4.2	3.0	1.1	17.0
J. R. Reid†	PF	16	16	556	113	25	22	10	243	34.8	7.1	1.6	1.4	.6	15.2
Corey Beck†	PG	16	0	150	23	20	7	2	35	9.4	1.4	1.3	.4	.1	2.2
B. J. Armstrong†	PG	10	1	178	16	27	3	0	57	17.8	1.6	2.7	.3	.0	5.7
Travis Williams	SF	8	0	62	19	2	2	1	15	7.8	2.4	.3	.3	.1	1.9
Willie Burton	SF	3	0	18	6	0	0	0	4	6.0	2.0	.0	.0	.0	1.3
Joe Wolf	PF	3	0	12	1	0	0	0	0	4.0	.3	.0	.0	.0	.0

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Hornets only.

Awards and records

• Eddie Jones, NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Transactions

• January 21, 1999

Signed Brad Miller as a free agent.

Signed Eldridge Recasner as a free agent.

Signed Charles Shackleford as a free agent.

Signed Chucky Brown as a free agent.

Signed Derrick Coleman as a free agent.

• January 26, 1999

Signed Chuck Person as a free agent.

• February 3, 1999

Signed Joe Wolf as a free agent.

• February 28, 1999

Signed Willie Burton as a free agent.

• March 8, 1999

Waived Willie Burton.

• March 10, 1999

Waived Joe Wolf.

Traded B. J. Armstrong, J. R. Reid and Glen Rice to the Los Angeles Lakers for Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones.

• March 16, 1999

Waived Travis Williams.

• March 17, 1999

Signed Corey Beck to the first of two 10-day contracts.

• April 6, 1999

Signed Corey Beck to a contract for the rest of the season.

Player Transactions Citation:^[30]