NBA: The Difference a Trade Makes
- Thread starter HB62
- Start date
1993 Offseason: Drama in Utah
New
1993 Offseason: Drama in Utah
25th anniversary of the 1993 NBA Draft in Salt Lake: An oral history of the night's top storylines from the Trail Blazers, Jazz, Lakers and Heat
James L. Edwards III
Jun 18, 2018
“Good evening, and welcome to the Delta Center, here in Salt Lake City. And, this year, home of the 1993 NBA Draft.”
Jun 18, 2018
“Good evening, and welcome to the Delta Center, here in Salt Lake City. And, this year, home of the 1993 NBA Draft.”
This month marks the 25th anniversary of those words uttered by then-NBA commissioner David Stern. On June 30, 1993, Stern walked out to the podium in Utah’s Delter Center and kicked off what would be the first and so far only NBA Draft held in Utah.
In the 26 seconds of Stern’s opening remarks, each reference the commissioner made to the hometown team and the city was met with seismic ovations that nearly drowned out the voice of the league’s most powerful person. The people of Utah, the supporters of Jazz basketball, were there to witness history.
As far as NBA Drafts go, this year was as eventful as any. And for the locals, there was a reason to tune in from the very beginning. The three marquee names were Utah native, Brigham Young’s 7-foot-6 big man Shawn Bradley, University of Michigan standout Chris Webber and Memphis guard Penny Hardaway. It was believed going into the night that Webber would go No. 1 in his hometown, but Bradley and his uncoachable height had a case for the top slot, too. Hardaway was expected to fall in line behind the other two.
And that’s exactly what happened. However, the signature moment from the event came when the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers revealed their plan to swap Webber and Blazers legend Clyde Drexler, after Miami took the Michigan star at No. 1. It was a deal that was negotiated earlier that day, and one that was kept quiet until Stern announced the trade over the PA system in the Delta Center.
For the Jazz, they were just a few years removed from the dark days of the 1989 season, where they had picked up just 16 wins. The Jazz had slowly started to pick themselves up since then, though were still trying to find ways to turn themselves back into a playoff team. The 1993 draft was a great opportunity, as Utah held the No. 2 pick despite having more wins than 5 other teams in the regular 1992-93 season. Their success in the lottery meant that the Utah crowd were expecting to see local star Shawn Bradley drafted to his home team, and they would not be disappointed.
Welcome to Salt Lake City
From 1980 to 1991, New York was the home of the NBA Draft. And then, in the early 1990s, the NBA decided to take its draft show on the road. In 1992, Portland became the first city outside of New York to host the annual event. The next year, Utah received the nod. Matt Friedman, floor reporter for CBS Radio during the draft:
The draft used to be in places like the Felt Forum, which was an auditorium connected to Madison Square Garden in New York.
Jerry Sloan, Head Coach of the Jazz (1987-1993):
It was probably just a year before [that we placed the bid]. The league was experimenting. We jumped on board and we knew that Shawn Bradley would be a big factor. We had the new arena, amazing fans, that kind of underdog feeling that I think encapsulates the draft each year. It turned out that it was a pretty special draft.
Scott Layden, former Director of Basketball Operations at Utah Jazz:
We had a lottery for the tickets. We sort of made it into something bigger than it should have been. They sold out, but the tickets were free. We had 20,000 people there for the draft. It was extraordinarily successful, and as it turned out we got the No. 2 pick that year.
Dave Checketts, Utah native who was the New York Knicks President in 1993:
I came back to Detroit for the draft to represent the Knicks. Here you have what is equivalent to a big-time event, and you’ve got a certain buzz in the building. I believe the Center was packed.
Layden:
It was huge, and part of that was because you couldn’t get a ticket. People were scalping them for $20, $30 to get into this draft. From an NBA standpoint, it was as close to the NFL situation, meaning it was a must-see event. It took on a life of its own. It was almost entirely manmade by making it a lottery. We had 40,000 applicants to get the tickets.
Lindsey Hunter:
I got there the day before the draft. I didn’t really go anywhere, I just kind of stayed in my hotel. But I do remember the place was excited.
Penny Hardaway:
I got to Utah the afternoon before the draft. I just remember being very anxious. We went out to eat and you could feel the buzz in the area for the event. Plus, with Shawn Bradley being at BYU, being from the area, it was an exciting time for all of us.
Friedman:
Webber was the biggest high school sports athlete of that era by far. There’s some revisionist history stuff that goes on with him, but you can’t overstate how big of a name Chris Webber was in Detroit in the early 1990s. Leading up to the draft, “Would Webber go No. 1?” was without doubt the biggest story. The Heat, who had won the 1993 draft lottery, already had Larry Johnson at Power Forward and there was definitely that question of whether Miami could get the best out of both Johnson and Webber on the same team. We thought about that story all the time.
Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach in 1993:
I would say there was more talk about Shawn or Chris going No. 1. The consensus was that Penny was going to be a really, really good player, but just didn’t quite have the hype of the other two.
Lewis Schaffel, Miami Heat General Manager in 1993:
Webber, Bradley and Penny were the three top players. We brought them all in and worked them out. We came away convinced that Webber was the guy we were going to take. Our fans were hysterical about the thought of Johnson and Chris Webber together.
Stern walked back to the podium to announce that Webber was the No. 1 pick. As soon as the name “Chris” exited his mouth, the crowd in Auburn Hills canceled out the rest of his words with their standing ovation and overpowering excitement. Everyone thought Webber was headed to Orlando, but Schaffel and Portland head coach Rick Adelman knew that wasn’t the case.
Bob Neal, TNT broadcaster, live on the broadcast as Webber went No. 1:
The celebration begins for the 20-year-old sophomore who played two years at the University of Michigan — consensus All-American. Chris Webber played at Country Day High School in suburban Birmingham, Michigan. A lot of his high school teammates, his childhood friends, are here in Utah tonight to enjoy this big moment for the young man …
Hubie Brown, TNT analyst, live on the broadcast:
You’re talking the presence is the key package here, you’re talking brute strength. He’s going to have to get on the foul line and shoot better than 55 percent, otherwise we’re going to have two guys who are going to be fouled every night. Larry Johnson and Webber, and we’re liable to have a lot of rebounding, offensive board play.
Webber, being interviewed following selection:
First, I’m just happy to be the No. 1 pick. There’s no guarantee that I’m going to get to go to Miami — a lot of things can still happen. I just thank God for blessing me. God gave me the talent, He gave me the ability, and when people doubted me, God still was on my side, so I’m just happy everything worked out OK.
Neal during the broadcast:
I know there’s been a great deal of speculation as to whether or not Webber would in fact go to Miami the last couple of days. Everything from Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway going all the way up to Miami to Shawn Bradley going there and having a duo of Bradley and Larry Johnson.
Schaffel, 25 years later:
The excitement in Miami when we took him was off the charts. He was the most visible of all of those college players.
Meanwhile, across the country in Portland, the Trail Blazers were a year on from the start of a huge franchise rebuild. On the night of the 1992 draft, they’d sent three key players to Golden State in exchange for their No. 2 pick, which they used to take Center Alonzo Mourning. Alongside Mourning was the No. 20 pick from 1992 Latrell Sprewell, who had had an exceptional first season.
Adelman:
At the time, we had the longest playoff streak of any team in the league, but hadn’t even made the Conference final since 1987. We had a great leader in Clyde Drexler, but the West was just stacked during the 80’s and early 90’s. We drafted Clyde in 1983, just as the Lakers were dominating everyone and then Houston got their hands on Barkley and Hakeem. There was maybe a slight opportunity the two years Dallas went back to back, but they had Aguirre, Isiah, Benjamin. We just didn’t have the depth to compete with these teams in the playoffs. I said to Paul (Allen, Portland owner) around the time Houston won ring number 2, we need to change track and get ourselves ready for when Houston and Dallas start to drop off.
Clyde Drexler:
I said to Paul that if we didn’t at least make the Conference Finals in 92 I wanted to move to a contender. He told me about the trade for Alonzo and asked me to give it another year, which I did. Being knocked out by the team we’d made the trade with (Golden State) and seeing three of my old teammates advance to the West Final was kinda the final straw.
Schaffel:
I was in touch with Paul Allen of the Trail Blazers and he was very eager to get Webber. They didn’t have a need for Bradley, but they saw a potential partnership between Webber and Alonzo Mourning. For us, we saw the opportunity of getting one of the greatest players in the league at the time. We knew Drexler wanted out of Portland.
“You can’t teach height” — Jazz general manager Scott Layden
As everyone anticipated, the Utah Jazz took BYU big man and local star Shawn Bradley with the No. 2 pick. The room was met with a noise that drowned out Commissioner David Stern for a good few minutes.
Layden:
He was highly recruited out of high school. There just wasn’t a lot of 7-foot-6 guys then. BYU was never on TV, but we knew who he was and had a pretty good sense of his game due to him being a local lad.
Bernie Bickerstaff, the Utah Jazz Head Coach: I had not long got the job in Utah, and we had the No. 2 pick. I would say we liked all three of those guys (Webber, Bradley, Hardaway). We were content that at the second spot that we’d get a good enough player that we weren’t going to try to move into the first position. We had a decision between Penny and Shawn Bradley. We liked Bradley a lot. Was the decision influenced by him being from Utah? It’s difficult to say.
Hardaway:
I knew Utah wanted their native star. They didn’t want a guard from Tennessee. I knew that I was safe with Utah and that I’d be picked by the Lakers. I was very excited.
Neal during the broadcast after Bradley’s name was announced:
Very clean-cut young man. He spent the last two years in Australia on a church mission for the Mormon church. He last played at BYU in 1990-91. He’s from the small town of Castle Dale, Utah, just over 1,000 population. Now he has the opportunity to become an All Star with his home franchise.
Doug Collins, TNT analyst, during the broadcast:
This is a young man that they can build a new team around. … When you look at the highlights, this is a young man that can run and catch the ball and has moves. He’s just going to have to get bigger and stronger.
Hardaway:
I played against Shawn in college and I faced him in high school. I knew exactly what he was.
Brown during the broadcast:
When you watch him play, he has a game with his back to the basket. He can hit the jump shot, the shot blocking. You say, “Well, five [blocks] a game as a freshman, that’s not so many,” well in ’91 that led the NCAA. He’s blessed, he can really run, he has great eye-and-hand coordination — you can’t bat over .400 in high school baseball unless you have that. Plus, he’s an excellent golfer. He loves to water ski. He’s a very well-rounded individual. You know he’s going to work hard at the game. But you’re talking about a guy that can change everything, the complexion of the paint.
Bradley during the live interview:
I’m just a 7-6 kid that loves to have fun and loves to play the game. I feel, at 7-6, being able to play many different sports has been a benefit all my life, and I enjoy the game a lot. My heart’s into it. … I would not trade my missionary experience for anything in the world. It was the best thing to have prepared me for the rest of my life, (more) than anything I could have done at the time.
Layden:
Given his size and athleticism, for a guy that size, it seemed to us that it would translate to a player who would have a big impact on our franchise. We expected a big increase in support.
Now that Bradley was off the board, the team with the No. 3 overall pick, the Los Angeles Lakers had the easy decision of drafting Penny Hardaway.
Hardaway:
I knew pretty much from the start I would go to the Lakers. Utah were always going to take Shawn and I was never being taken over Chris. Honestly, I was very thrilled at the thought of playing for this historic team. And to then find out that Magic Johnson was going to be the new coach, it was like a dream come true.
Neal during the broadcast:
A wonderful moment for Anfernee Hardaway. … The greatest player in the history of Memphis State, certainly while he’s been at college. Some people say they remind him of a young Magic Johnson, well he’s now going to get the opportunity to develop his game under the tutelage of the great himself. He’s a ball-handling point guard at 6-7. He can play two or three positions if he needs to. And now he dons the cap of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Magic Johnson:
The roster was in desperate need of freshening up at Point Guard, which was kind of my own fault because I’d retired so suddenly and not given the team any chance to kind of plan ahead. Anfernee was exactly what we needed, and we hoped he might be the player who could rejuvenate the Franchise.
Brown during the broadcast:
It’s interesting because the scouts that you truly respect in this league feel that he’s the best player in the draft. We’re talking about a tremendously talented individual.
Following the selection of Hardaway, the New Jersey Nets selected Hartford power forward Vin Baker with the No. 4 pick and the Denver Nuggets took Jamal Mashburn at No. 5. Stern once again approached the podium, but this time it was to officially announce the trade, which was hinted at during the entire broadcast.
Schaffel:
A little while later David Stern comes out and says, “I’d like to report a trade.” He broke the news. Our fans were absolutely in rebellion. They were upset.
Stern during the draft:
Miami … (boos ring throughout the Delta Center) … has traded the draft rights to Chris Webber to Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Clyde Drexler and a first-round draft pick, which will be exercised, at the earliest, in the year 1996.
After chatting with someone in his entourage, Webber got up from his table in the green room and headed toward the stage.
Webber during the live interview:
I’m just happy to be the No. 1 pick. I thank God for the ability to play basketball. I’m just happy to be part of the NBA.
Drexler, 25 years later:
I knew (about the trade). I don’t think Chris knew about the trade. I think it was more of a shock to him. He seemed happy though. Moving to Portland meant he could play perimeter alongside Alonzo, whereas in Miami he would almost certainly have been at 5.
Friedman:
The Heat took Webber No. 1 and we never really thought about a trade because there was no tipping picks then. When they announced it, that’s how you found out about it. That trade was announced over a PA.
Neal:
It became a double story. Who trades the first pick in the draft? Usually you make the trade before the draft, but it hadn’t really been done after already making the pick.
Schaffel:
Nobody knew anything. I had a job to do. I had to come out and try to talk to our fans. I tried to explain it to our fans. They didn’t want to hear anything. They drowned me out. The best I could do was, “Fans, you’re booing tonight, but Clyde is going to turn your boos to cheers.’ And then I got off the stage as fast as I could. Nothing I could say that night would appease them. All I could hope was that they would be appeased by the end of the season. We still hadn’t made the playoffs as a franchise, that needed to change.
The 1993 First Round Draft in Full
1 | Chris Webber | Portland Trail Blazers (Via Heat) |
2 | Shawn Bradley | Utah Jazz |
3 | Penny Hardaway | Los Angeles Lakers |
4 | Vin Baker | New Jersey Nets (Via Clippers) |
5 | Jamal Mashburn | Denver Nuggets |
6 | Isiah Rider | New Jersey Nets |
7 | Bobby Hurley | Minnesota Polars |
8 | Calbert Cheaney | Charlotte Hornets |
9 | Lindsay Hunter | Milwaukee Bucks (Via Detroit) |
10 | Allan Houston | Milwaukee Bucks |
11 | Luther Wright | Washington Bullets |
12 | Rodney Rogers | Seattle SuperSonics |
13 | Terry Dehere | Los Angeles Clippers (Via Atlanta) |
14 | Scott Haskin | Toronto Huskies |
15 | George Lynch | Golden State Warriors (Via Portland) |
16 | Sam Cassell | Tampa Bay Bandits (Via Philadelphia) |
17 | Doug Edwards | Phoenix Suns |
18 | Gheorghe Muresan | Detroit Pistons (Via Indiana) |
19 | Acie Earl | Boston Celtics |
20 | Corie Blount | Sacramento Kings |
21 | Rex Walters | Golden State Warriors |
22 | Lucious Harris | Chicago Bulls |
23 | Ervin Johnson | Denver Nuggets (Via Tampa Bay) |
24 | Chris Mills | Dallas Mavericks |
25 | James Robinson | Houston Rockets |
26 | Bruce Bowen | Cleveland Cavaliers |
27 | Nick Van Exel | Washington Bullets (Via New York) |
Notable Trades - 1993 Offseason
1st Pick | Miami Heat |
Clyde Drexler, 96 1 Rd Pick | Portland Trail Blazers |
| |
Cliff Robinson | Portland Trail Blazers |
Willie Anderson | Atlanta Hawks |
| |
Charles Oakley, Bobby Phills | Charlotte Hornets |
Kendall Gill, Tom Gugliotta | Philadelphia 76ers |
| |
Kendall Gill, J.R Reid | Charlotte Hornets |
94 1st Rd Pick, John Williams | Los Angeles Clippers |
| |
Mark Aguirre | Dallas Mavericks |
95 1 Rd Pick, Tim Perry | New Jersey Nets |
| |
Wayman Tisdale | Golden State Warriors |
Jim Jackson | Toronto Huskies |
| |
Glen Rice, Stanley Roberts | Utah Jazz |
Christian Laettner, Walt Williams, 95 1 Rd Pick | Denver Nuggets |
Up Next: The 10 Year Recap
**This post was inspired the real article about the 1993 draft under the same name, I've just rehashed it to reflect ITTL events.**
NBA: The Difference a Trade Makes - 10 Year Recap
New
NBA: The Difference a Trade Makes - 10 Year Recap
Season by Season
Season by Season
| Champions | Runner Up | Finals MVP | Season MVP | Leading Points Scorer | Rookie of the Year | Len Bias Sixth Man of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Most Improved Player |
1983-84 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Magic Johnson (PG) (Lakers) | Larry Bird (SF) (26.7) (Celtics) | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) | Kevin McHale (Celtics) | Tree Rollins (Hawks) | Sleepy Floyd (Warriors) |
1984-85 | Dallas Mavericks | Boston Celtics | Mark Aguirre | Magic Johnson (PG) (Lakers) | Dominique Wilkins (SF) (28.7) (Hawks) | Michael Jordan (Knicks) | Larry Drew (Hawks) | Ralph Sampson (Bulls) | James Worthy (Lakers) |
1985-86 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | Magic Johnson | Magic Johnson (PG) (Lakers) | Dominique Wilkins (SF) (29.0) (Hawks) | Patrick Ewing (Kings) | Reggie Theus (Spurs) | Akeem Olajuwon (Rockets) | Clyde Drexler (Trail Blazers) |
1986-87 | Los Angeles Lakers | Detroit Pistons | Magic Johnson | Magic Johnson (PG) (Lakers) | Dominique Wilkins (SF) (27.4) (Hawks) | Len Bias (Rockets) | Len Bias (Rockets) | Akeem Olajuwon (Rockets) | Kenny Fields (Bucks) |
1987-88 | Houston Rockets | Tampa Bay Bandits | Charles Barkley | Michael Jordan (SG) (Knicks) | Michael Jordan (SG) (28.0) (Knicks) | David Robinson (Bandits) | Len Bias (Rockets) | David Robinson (Bandits) | William Bedford (Bullets) |
1988-89 | Dallas Mavericks | Indiana Pacers | Mark Aguirre | Magic Johnson (PG) (Lakers) | Magic Johnson (PG) (28.8) (Lakers) | Mitch Richmond (Cavaliers) | Hot Rod Williams (SuperSonics) | Akeem Olajuwon (Rockets) | Marvis Fresh (Heat) |
1989-90 | Dallas Mavericks | Detroit Pistons | Mark Aguirre | Akeem Olajuwon (C) (Rockets) | Alex English (SF) (26.8) (Heat) | Tim Hardaway (Warriors) | Clark Kellogg (Celtics) | Akeem Olajuwon (Rockets) | Gary Grant (Huskies) |
1990-91 | New York Knicks | Sacramento Kings | Michael Jordan | Magic Johnson (PG) (Lakers) | Magic Johnson (PG) (28.0) (Lakers) | Derrick Coleman (Bullets) | Clark Kellogg (Celtics) | Patrick Ewing (Kings) | Dino Radja (Knicks) |
1991-92 | Houston Rockets | New York Knicks | Dominique Wilkins | Michael Jordan (SG) (Knicks) | Tim Hardaway (PG) (27.2) (Warriors) | Larry Johnson (Heat) | Billy Owens (Pacers) | Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets) | Doug West (Lakers) |
1992-93 | New York Knicks | Houston Rockets | Michael Jordan | Michael Jordan (SG) (Knicks) | Michael Jordan (SG) (26.1) (Knicks) | Shaquille O'Neal (76ers) | Dee Brown (Nuggets) | Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets) | Kendall Gill (76ers) |
Team Wins by Season
| 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | Total |
Atlanta Hawks | 39 | 31 | 36 | 35 | 45 | 51 | 50 | 43 | 39 | 39 | 408 |
Boston Celtics | 72 | 57 | 56 | 53 | 50 | 31 | 49 | 62 | 38 | 46 | 514 |
Charlotte Hornets | | | | | | 22 | 27 | 28 | 41 | 33 | 151 |
Chicago Bulls | 26 | 33 | 47 | 37 | 45 | 53 | 52 | 42 | 42 | 56 | 433 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 37 | 30 | 35 | 18 | 19 | 33 | 37 | 46 | 49 | 63 | 367 |
Dallas Mavericks | 44 | 54 | 41 | 50 | 46 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 53 | 58 | 511 |
Denver Nuggets | 51 | 40 | 40 | 36 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 40 | 15 | 31 | 335 |
Detroit Pistons | 55 | 50 | 53 | 50 | 46 | 31 | 48 | 42 | 29 | 34 | 438 |
Golden State Warriors | 32 | 38 | 43 | 27 | 18 | 21 | 32 | 37 | 34 | 51 | 333 |
Houston Rockets | 26 | 42 | 33 | 61 | 59 | 59 | 57 | 56 | 62 | 61 | 516 |
Indiana Pacers | 28 | 30 | 37 | 36 | 38 | 57 | 50 | 29 | 41 | 45 | 391 |
Kansas City / Sacramento Kings | 30 | 29 | 37 | 52 | 54 | 57 | 55 | 61 | 50 | 49 | 474 |
Los Angeles Lakers | 66 | 65 | 70 | 71 | 56 | 55 | 56 | 55 | 39 | 28 | 561 |
Miami Heat | | | | | | 27 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 27 | 150 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 45 | 36 | 41 | 34 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 53 | 39 | 34 | 384 |
Minnesota Polars | | | | | | | 10 | 33 | 30 | 24 | 97 |
New Jersey Nets | 44 | 42 | 34 | 43 | 48 | 44 | 39 | 40 | 42 | 20 | 396 |
New York Knicks | 25 | 35 | 50 | 57 | 62 | 60 | 48 | 46 | 64 | 57 | 504 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 40 | 54 | 35 | 35 | 28 | 26 | 40 | 41 | 23 | 43 | 365 |
Phoenix Suns | 47 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 31 | 37 | 42 | 39 | 40 | 43 | 383 |
Portland Trail Blazers | 50 | 48 | 47 | 56 | 41 | 52 | 47 | 44 | 49 | 41 | 475 |
San Antonio Spurs / Tampa Bay Bandits | 30 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 39 | 51 | 55 | 50 | 59 | 57 | 387 |
San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers | 34 | 36 | 41 | 36 | 46 | 54 | 29 | 24 | 39 | 23 | 362 |
Seattle SuperSonics | 46 | 47 | 47 | 43 | 36 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 40 | 35 | 384 |
Toronto Huskies | | | | | | | 17 | 18 | 29 | 40 | 104 |
Utah Jazz | 46 | 56 | 40 | 24 | 40 | 16 | 36 | 32 | 39 | 31 | 360 |
Washington Bullets | 29 | 36 | 33 | 40 | 45 | 47 | 39 | 45 | 50 | 38 | 402 |
Team Playoff History
| 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 |
Atlanta Hawks | SF (Pistons) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Pistons) | 1 Rd (Knicks) | East Final (Bandits) | SF (Pacers) | East Final (Pistons) | East Final (Knicks) | 1 Rd (Knicks) | SF (Pacers) |
Boston Celtics | NBA Final (Lakers) | NBA Final (Mavericks) | NBA Final (Lakers) | SF (Pistons) | 1 Rd (Bullets) | DNQ | SF (Hawks) | SF (Knicks) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Pacers) |
Charlotte Hornets | | | | | | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Bullets) | DNQ |
Chicago Bulls | DNQ | 1 Rd (Celtics) | 1 Rd (Bucks) | 1 Rd (Celtics) | 1 Rd (Nets) | West Final (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Kings) | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Trail Blazers) | 1 Rd (Kings) |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 1 Rd (Pistons) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Pacers) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Hawks) | SF (Knicks) | 1 Rd (Hawks) |
Dallas Mavericks | SF (Trail Blazers) | W | 1 Rd (Jazz) | SF (Lakers) | SF (Rockets) | W | W | SF (Rockets) | West Final (Rockets) | 1 Rd (Suns) |
Denver Nuggets | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Jazz) | 1 Rd (Lakers) | 1 Rd (Rockets) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Kings) | DNQ | DNQ |
Detroit Pistons | East Final (Celtics) | SF (76ers) | East Final (Celtics) | NBA Final (Lakers) | 1 Rd (Hawks) | 1 Rd (Knicks) | NBA Final (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Bandits) | DNQ | DNQ |
Golden State Warriors | DNQ | SF (Trail Blazers) | 1 Rd (Trail Blazers) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | West Final (Rockets) |
Houston Rockets | DNQ | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | DNQ | SF (Trail Blazers) | W | 1 Rd (Suns) | SF (Kings) | West Final (Kings) | W | NBA Final (Knicks) |
Indiana Pacers | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Knicks) | 1 Rd (Pistons) | DNQ | NBA Final (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Pistons) | DNQ | East Final (Knicks) | East Final (Knicks) |
Kansas City / Sacramento Kings | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Trail Blazers) | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | West Final (Mavericks) | NBA Final (Knicks) | 1 Rd (Suns) | SF (Rockets) |
Los Angeles Lakers | W | 1 Rd (Warriors) | W | W | West Final (Rockets) | SF (Mavericks) | SF (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Bucks) | DNQ | DNQ |
Miami Heat | | | | | | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ |
Milwaukee Bucks | 1 Rd (Hawks) | 1 Rd (76ers) | SF (Celtics) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Lakers) | SF (Kings) | DNQ | DNQ |
Minnesota Polars | | | | | | | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ |
New Jersey Nets | 1 Rd (76ers) | SF (Celtics) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Bullets) | SF (Bandits) | 1 Rd (Hawks) | 1 Rd (Bandits) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Cavaliers) | DNQ |
New York Knicks | DNQ | 1 Rd (Pistons) | SF (Pistons) | East Final (Pistons) | 1 Rd (Bandits) | East Final (Pacers) | 1 Rd (Hawks) | W | NBA Final (Rockets) | W |
Philadelphia 76ers | SF (Celtics) | East Final (Celtics) | 1 Rd (Celtics) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Celtics) | 1 Rd (Celtics) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Bandits) |
Phoenix Suns | SF (Lakers) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | SF (Bulls) | 1 Rd (Rockets) | DNQ | SF (Mavericks) | SF (Warriors) |
Portland Trail Blazers | West Final (Lakers) | West Final (Mavericks) | SF (Lakers) | West Final (Lakers) | SF (Lakers) | 1 Rd (Lakers) | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Rockets) | SF (Rockets) | 1 Rd (Warriors) |
San Antonio Spurs / Tampa Bay Bandits | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | NBA Final (Rockets) | SF (Knicks) | SF (Pistons) | SF (Hawks) | 1 Rd (Pacers) | SF (Knicks) |
San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers | 1 Rd (Lakers) | DNQ | West Final (Lakers) | 1 Rd (Lakers) | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Bulls) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ |
Seattle SuperSonics | 1 Rd (Suns) | 1 Rd (Trail Blazers) | 1 Rd (Clippers) | 1 Rd (Trail Blazers) | 1 Rd (Rockets) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Mavericks) | 1 Rd (Rockets) |
Toronto Huskies | | | | | | | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Knicks) |
Utah Jazz | 1 Rd (Trail Blazers) | SF (Mavericks) | SF (Clippers) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Lakers) | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1 Rd (Rockets) | DNQ |
Washington Bullets | 1 Rd (Celtics) | 1 Rd (Nets) | DNQ | SF (Knicks) | SF (Hawks) | 1 Rd (Bandits) | DNQ | 1 Rd (Knicks) | SF (Pacers) | DNQ |
Division and Conference Champions:
| 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 |
Atlantic | Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics | New York Knicks | New York Knicks | New York Knicks | Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics | New York Knicks | New York Knicks |
Central | Detroit Pistons | Detroit Pistons | Detroit Pistons | Detroit Pistons | Detroit Pistons | Indiana Pacers | Tampa Bay Bandits | Tampa Bay Bandits | Tampa Bay Bandits | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Midwest | Denver Nuggets | Utah Jazz | Dallas Mavericks | Houston Rockets | Houston Rockets | Houston Rockets | Houston Rockets | Dallas Mavericks | Houston Rockets | Houston Rockets |
Pacific | Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Lakers | Sacramento Kings | Sacramento Kings | Los Angeles Lakers | Sacramento Kings | Sacramento Kings | Golden State Warriors |
East | Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics | Detroit Pistons | Tampa Bay Bandits | Indiana Pacers | Detroit Pistons | New York Knicks | New York Knicks | New York Knicks |
West | Los Angeles Lakers | Dallas Mavericks | Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Lakers | Houston Rockets | Dallas Mavericks | Dallas Mavericks | Sacramento Kings | Houston Rockets | Houston Rockets |
Coach History (Head Coach at start of each season shown)
| 1983/84 | 1984/85 | 1985/86 | 1986/87 | 1987/88 | 1988/89 | 1989/90 | 1990/91 | 1991/92 | 1992/93 | 1993/94 |
Atlanta Hawks | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello | Mike Fratello |
Boston Celtics | K.C. Jones | K.C. Jones | K.C. Jones | K.C. Jones | K.C. Jones | Jack Ramsay | Chris Ford | Chris Ford | Chris Ford | Chris Ford | Larry Bird |
Charlotte Hornets | | | | | | Dick Harter | Dick Harter | Gene Littles | Allan Bristow | Allan Bristow | Allan Bristow |
Chicago Bulls | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | George Karl | George Karl | Mike Dunleavy | Phil Jackson | Phil Jackson | Phil Jackson | Bob Weiss | Bob Weiss |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Tom Nissalke | Tom Nissalke | Gene Littles | Mike Schuler | Mike Schuler | Don Nelson | Don Nelson | Don Nelson | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly |
Dallas Mavericks | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Dick Motta | Don Chaney |
Denver Nuggets | Doug Moe | Doug Moe | Doug Moe | Doug Moe | Doug Moe | Jimmy Rodgers | Jimmy Rodgers | Don Casey | Don Casey | Dan Issel | Dan Issel |
Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly | K.C. Jones | K.C. Jones | K.C. Jones | K.C. Jones | Chris Ford |
Golden State Warriors | Johnny Bach | Johnny Bach | Johnny Bach | Stan Albeck | Stan Albeck | Bernie Bickerstaff | Bernie Bickerstaff | Bernie Bickerstaff | Don Nelson | Don Nelson | Don Nelson |
Houston Rockets | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch | Bill Fitch |
Indiana Pacers | Jack McKinney | George Irvine | George Irvine | Doug Collins | Doug Collins | George Irvine | George Irvine | George Irvine | Bob Hill | Bob Hill | Bob Hill |
Los Angeles Clippers | Jim Lynam | Jim Lynam | Don Chaney | Don Chaney | Don Casey | Don Casey | Mike Schuler | Paul Westhead | Larry Brown | Larry Brown | Larry Brown |
Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | Pat Riley | Pat Riley | Pat Riley | Pat Riley | Pat Riley | Mike Dunleavy | Mike Dunleavy | Mike Dunleavy | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Magic Johnson |
Miami Heat | | | | | | Ron Rothstein | Ron Rothstein | Ron Rothstein | Ron Rothstein | Gregg Popovich | Gregg Popovich |
Milwaukee Bucks | Don Nelson | Don Nelson | Don Nelson | Don Nelson | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens | Chuck Daly | Chuck Daly | Frank Hamblen | Mike Dunleavy | Mike Dunleavy |
Minnesota Polars | | | | | | | Bill Musselman | Larry Brown | Jimmy Rodgers | Jimmy Rodgers | Sidney Lowe |
New Jersey Nets | Stan Albeck | Stan Albeck | Stan Albeck | Dave Wohl | Dave Wohl | Dave Wohl | Del Harris | Del Harris | Del Harris | Del Harris | John Lucas II |
New York Knicks | Hubie Brown | Hubie Brown | Hubie Brown | Hubie Brown | Hubie Brown | Hubie Brown | Hubie Brown | Pat Riley | Pat Riley | Pat Riley | Pat Riley |
Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham | Billy Cunningham | Billy Cunningham | Matt Guokas | Jim Lynam | Jim Lynam | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens |
Phoenix Suns | John MacLeod | John MacLeod | John MacLeod | Bernie Bickerstaff | Bernie Bickerstaff | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Paul Westphal | Paul Westphal |
Portland Trail Blazers | Jack Ramsay | Jack Ramsay | Jack Ramsay | Jack Ramsay | Jack Ramsay | Rick Adelman | Rick Adelman | Rick Adelman | Rick Adelman | Rick Adelman | Rick Adelman |
Sacramento Kings | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Jack McKinney | Phil Johnson | Billy Cunningham | Billy Cunningham | Billy Cunningham | Don Chaney | Don Chaney | Don Chaney | Don Chaney | Rudy Tomjanovich |
Seattle SuperSonics | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens | Lenny Wilkens | Cotton Fitzsimmons | John MacLeod | John MacLeod | John MacLeod | George Karl | George Karl | George Karl |
Tampa Bay Bandits | Morris McHone | Bob Bass | Bob Bass | Bob Weiss | Bob Weiss | Bob Weiss | Bob Weiss | Bob Weiss | Bob Weiss | Phil Jackson | Phil Jackson |
Toronto Huskies | | | | | | | Matt Guokas | Matt Guokas | Jim Lynam | Jim Lynam | Jim Lynam |
Utah Jazz | Frank Layden | Frank Layden | Frank Layden | Frank Layden | Jerry Sloan | Jerry Sloan | Jerry Sloan | Jerry Sloan | Jerry Sloan | Jerry Sloan | Bernie Bickerstaff |
Washington Bullets | Gene Shue | Gene Shue | Gene Shue | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery | Kevin Loughery |
1993/94 Starting Line Ups
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C | 6 |
Atlanta Hawks | Derek Harper | Reggie Miller | Noel Teague | Cliff Robinson | Nick Vanos | Kenny Smith |
Boston Celtics | Mark Price | Byron Scott | Clark Kellogg | Kevin McHale | Vlade Divac | Chris Gatling |
Charlotte Hornets | Muggsy Bogues | Rex Chapman | Tracy Murray | Tom Gugliotta | Dikembe Mutombo | John Williams |
Chicago Bulls | Michael Adams | Dan Mejerle | Orlando Woolridge | Karl Malone | Bill Laimbeer | Chris Morris |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Gary Payton | Mitch Richmond | Kenny Payne | Buck Williams | Pervis Ellison | Thurl Bailey |
Dallas Mavericks | Isiah Thomas | Joe Dumars | Toni Kukoc | Antoine Carr | Benoit Benjamin | Tim Perry |
Denver Nuggets | Dee Brown | Hersey Hawkins | Glen Rice | Laphonso Ellis | Jon Koncak | Stanley Roberts |
Detroit Pistons | Scott Skiles | Rolando Blackman | Scottie Pippen | Horace Grant | Tree Rollins | Greg Anthony |
Golden State Warriors | Fat Lever | Jeff Hornacek | Dale Ellis | A.C. Green | Rik Smits | Dale Davis |
Houston Rockets | Jon Sundvold | Ricky Pierce | Dominique Wilkins | Charles Barkley | Hakeem Olajuwon | George McCloud |
Indiana Pacers | Dana Barros | Blue Edwards | Billy Owens | Danny Manning | Herb Williams | Eddie Johnson |
Los Angeles Clippers | Kevin Johnson | Kendall Gill | Sam Mitchell | Tyrone Hill | Brad Daugherty | Donald Royal |
Los Angeles Lakers | Penny Hardaway | Kevin Edwards | Kelly Tripucka | James Worthy | Rony Seikaly | Kenny Walker |
Miami Heat | Rod Strickland | Clyde Drexler | Rodney McCray | Larry Johnson | Elden Campbell | Kevin Brooks |
Milwaukee Bucks | Kenny Fields | Allan Houston | Bernard King | Terry Mills | Victor Alexander | William Bedford |
Minnesota Polars | Pooh Richardson | Vinny Del Negro | Marvis Fresh | Kevin Willis | Kevin Duckworth | Vernon Maxwell |
New Jersey Nets | Brian Shaw | Isaiah Rider | Mark Aguirre | Vin Baker | Blair Rasmussen | Mark Macon |
New York Knicks | Tim Hardaway | Michael Jordan | Terry Cummings | Dino Radja | Stacey King | Ed Pinckney |
Phildadelphia 76ers | Michael Williams | Bobby Phills | Sean Elliot | Charles Oakley | Shaquille O'Neal | Michael Cage |
Phoenix Suns | Sleepy Floyd | Steve Smith | Detlef Schrempf | Randy White | Bison Dele | Jeff Malone |
Portland Trail Blazers | Terry Porter | Willie Anderson | Latrell Sprewell | Chris Webber | Alonzo Mourning | Arvydas Sabonis |
Sacramento Kings | John Stockton | Drazen Petrovic | Chuck Person | Otis Thorpe | Patrick Ewing | Danny Ferry |
Seattle SuperSonics | Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf | Craig Ehlo | Dennis Scott | Purvis Short | Manute Bol | Hot Rod Williams |
Tampa Bay Bandits | Mookie Blaylock | Dell Curry | Chris Mullin | Shawn Kemp | David Robinson | Kenneth Griffith |
Toronto Huskies | Kenny Anderson | Nick Anderson | Kiki Vandeweghe | Wayman Tisdale | Bill Cartwright | Reggie Williams |
Utah Jazz | Doc Rivers | Lancaster Gordon | Walt Williams | Christian Laettner | Shawn Bradley | Tim McCormick |
Washington Bullets | Ennis Whatley | Doug West | Armen Gilliam | Derrick Coleman | Olden Polynice | J.R. Reid |
Up Next: A team by team guide to the 1993/94 season
1993-94 Season Preview: A Team by Team Guide
New
1993-94 Season Preview: A Team by Team Guide
A look at all 27 teams competing in the 48th NBA season, in predicted order of finish.
East:
1. New York Knicks
Owner: Paramount Communications
Arena: Madison Square Gardens
Coach: Pat Riley
Last Season Record: 57-25
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Champion)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 9
It’s fair to say the Knicks decision to go all out to get Tim Hardaway was one that was rewarded almost instantly. Hardaway was instrumental in taking some of the load off Michael Jordan through the regular season which allowed Jordan to be fresh and ready for the playoffs. Both posted excellent numbers throughout, and were the stars of the show as the Knicks launched that spectacular Conference finals comeback against Indiana. Injury to Gary Payton means Cleveland should be less of a threat this time around in the East, and you’d back the Knicks to finish above Tampa in a two horse race.
2. Tampa Bay Bandits
Owner: Thomas Pritzker
Arena: St. Pete Times Forum
Coach: Phil Jackson
Last Season Record: 57-25
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 6
It’s now 6 seasons since the Bandits’ incredible 8th seed run to the NBA final, and since then the expectation has grown year on year but they again failed to return to that stage after a defeat to eventual champions New York in the semi finals. They’ve now posted 55 or more regular season wins 4 seasons in a row, so there’s no doubt this is a team that should be contending deep into the playoffs. Will this be the year for Tampa?
3. Philadelphia 76ers
Owner: Ed Snider
Arena: Wachovia Spectrum
Coach: Lenny Wilkens
Last Season Record: 43-39
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Tampa Bay Bandits)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
A possibly bold prediction, given the recent downturn in fortunes in Philly, but there’s no doubt things are now looking back upwards for the 1983 champs. The arrival of Shaquille O’Neal and the emergence of Michael Williams and Sean Elliot has given them a mighty strong starting roster for the upcoming season. Philly improved by 20 wins last season, almost doubling their total from the season before. Whilst a similar improvement is unlikely, even winning 10 more games would pretty much guarantee them a home tie in the first round of the playoffs. Philly are one to watch this season for sure.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
Owner: Gordon Gund
Arena: Richfield Coliseum
Coach: Chuck Daly
Last Season Record: 63-19
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Atlanta Hawks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 3
The Cavs’ incredible regular season performance was tainted by their disappointing first round exit in the playoffs to the Hawks. Both the Knicks and the Rockets looked beatable last season and Cleveland may feel they might not get a better chance for a while at a ring. This season has already started badly, with Gary Payton ruled out for most if not all of it with an ACL injury picked up this week. The Cavs still have a strong enough line up to comfortably make the playoffs without Payton, but a repeat of last seasons 63 wins feels unlikely.
5. Boston Celtics
Owner: Don Gatson
Arena: Boston Gardens
Coach: Larry Bird
Last Season Record: 46-36
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Indiana Pacers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
It’s been a while since everyone’s first look at the fixture calendar is to the Lakers vs the Celtics but this year that’s where most people’s eyes would have gone first. As it happens, fans won’t have to wait too long for the return of Magic vs Bird, with the two now respective Head Coaches meeting on December 6th. It’s difficult to know how Larry Bird will get on in his new role, but sources indicate he has impressed many during the offseason and that Boston could surprise some this season. They had a more than solid regular season last time around, but fell to a disappointing playoff loss to Indiana. Playoff improvement is the name of the game for Bird this season.
6. Miami Heat
Owner: Micky Arison
Arena: Miami Arena
Coach: Gregg Popovic
Last Season Record: 27-55
Last Playoff Appearance: N/A
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
If not now, then when? The Heat have picked up Clyde Drexler from Portland in the offseason forming a pretty stacked trio alongside Rod Strickland and Larry Johnson. Miami now have more than enough quality to make the playoffs for the first team, and coach Gregg Popovic will be under big pressure to deliver. Don’t be surprised to see an early coach change if the Heat find themselves outside that top 8 after the first couple of months. The fixture list hasn’t helped Popovic much, with the Heat’s opening 4 games coming against Tampa, Dallas, New York and Cleveland.
7. Indiana Pacers
Owner: Herb Simon
Arena: Market Square Arena
Coach: Bob Hill
Last Season Record: 45-37
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in East Final to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 2
It’s now two consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference final for Indiana, who continuously seem to peak just in time for the playoffs. It’s helped by the fact they have no real weak links in that starting line up, and a few guys who can come off the bench and slot in seamlessly. The East just seems to be getting stronger and stronger at the minute, so the Pacers can’t let the past couple of seasons make them complacent, but they should have more than enough to make another playoff appearance. A third consecutive conference final would be an extraordinary achievement.
8. Atlanta Hawks
Owner: Ted Turner
Coach: Mike Fratello
Last Season Record: 39-43
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to Indiana Pacers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 8
Atlanta’s incredible playoff streak almost came to an end last season, finishing above Washington by one win to clinch that final spot. They then shocked 1st seed Cleveland in the first round, one of many shocks Atlanta have pulled off in the playoffs other the last 8 years. Even though there are teams below Atlanta that you just feel should without doubt be above them, it’s impossible to predict the Hawks anywhere other than the top 8 given they always seem to find a way of getting to the postseason. Reggie Miller’s numbers will need to stay impressively high for them to have a chance this season.
9. Detroit Pistons
Owner: Bill Davidson
Arena: The Palace of Auburn Hills
Coach: Chris Ford
Last Season Record: 34-48
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in First Round to Tampa Bay Bandits)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Detroit’s end of season collapse in form was enough to spell the end for coach K.C. Jones. In comes Chris Ford, who many feel was harshly treated at Boston. Ford will need to do what Jones couldn’t, and that’s get the best out of a group of players who have massively underperformed for a few years now. Unless things are greatly improved this campaign, it may be time for Detroit to go through a rebuild whilst their assets still have value.
10. Charlotte Hornets
Owner: Richard DeVos
Arena: Charlotte Coliseum II
Coach: Allan Bristow
Last Season Record: 33-49
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in First Round to Washington Bullets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
A busy summer for the Hornets, who at the end of it ended up with Tom Gugliotta and John Williams plus a potentially highly valuable first round pick from the Clippers for next year's draft. The Hornet’s team is one of the youngest in the league, but they’re building nicely and whilst a playoff appearance feels a little way off this season, don’t be surprised to see them comfortably in the top 8 within a few years.
11. Washington Bullets
Owner: Abe Pollin
Arena: US Airways Arena
Coach: Kevin Loughery
Last Season Record: 38-44
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in Semi Final to Indiana Pacers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
The Bullets just missed out on a playoff spot last campaign, falling one win short to Atlanta. Their offseason trades don’t seem to have added much to the top of the roster, rather adding a little strength to the middle of it. With other teams improving heavily, it’s difficult to see how Washington improve on last season’s 9th place finish.
12. Toronto Huskies
Owner: Allan Slaight
Arena: Toronto Eaton Centre
Coach: Jim Lynam
Last Season Record: 40-42
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
People are still scratching their heads at how the Huskies managed to finish 7th in the East last season. They seemed to be getting battered every time a Toronto score flashed up on the screen, and yet every game they competed in that was close they seemed to find a way to win it. In the end, they got to 40 wins which was enough to see the Huskies make their first ever playoffs, and they even secured a famous win over the Knicks during the first round series. Toronto have managed to pick up Kiki Vandeweghe in free agency, but even that signing doesn’t do much to persuade us from the assumption that last seasons postseason appearance won’t be repeated this season.
13. New Jersey Nets
Owner: The Secaucus Seven
Arena: Meadowlands Arena
Coach: John Lucas II
Last Season Record: 20-62
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in First Round to Cleveland Cavaliers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
As far as seasons go, it doesn’t get much worse than the one the Nets endured last campaign. They managed just 20 wins, remarkable considering they had a winning record the season before. On top of that, they lost their two star players to trades that both seemed weighted heavily in favor of the other franchise in the deal. The Nets have managed to get hold of 3 time NBA Champion Mark Aguirre over the offseason, although perhaps about two years too late to get much use out of him. The two draft picks, Vin Baker and Isaiah Rider, are both expected to be starters almost straight away for the Nets which pretty much tells you enough about the state of the rest of the roster right now.
West:
1. Houston Rockets
Owner: Charlie Thomas
Arena: Compaq Center
Coach: Bill Fitch
Last Season Record: 61-21
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in NBA final to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 7
With the Mavericks' time at the top seemingly fading, the Rockets are now the undisputed team to beat in the West. It’s now their turn to want revenge on New York, after the Knicks got revenge on them in the most recent NBA final. It’s difficult to see how anyone in the West gets close to stopping the Rockets reaching a third consecutive final, although the Warriors did get them a little worried in the West final last season.
2. Sacramento Kings
Owner: James Thomas
Arena: Sleep Train Arena
Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
Last Season Record: 49-33
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 7
The rumored unrest inside the Kings dressing room didn’t materialize to anything during the offseason, possibly due to the departure of coach Don Chaney who leaves for Dallas. Replacing Chaney is former Houston assistant Rudy Tomjanovich. It will be interesting to see if Tomjanovich can bring what he will have learnt working with legendary coach Bill Fitch to Sacramento, and bridge that gap between the two teams. The Kings may not get many more opportunities as a contender with Stockton, Ewing and Petrovic.
3. Golden State Warriors
Owner: Chris Cohan
Arena: Oakland Arena
Coach: Don Nelson
Last Season Record: 51-31
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in West Final to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
Given how the Warriors finished last season, it would be wrong to have them any lower than third here. They surprised everyone by taking second seed by virtue of winning the Pacific Division, ending their long playoff drought and then cruising all the way to the West Final. They caused the Rockets a scare early on in the series before eventually falling short to the dominant side in the West. The difference between this and last season is that there is now an expectation on the Warriors, and it will be interesting to see how they handle that.
4. Dallas Mavericks
Owner: Don Carter
Arena: Reunion Arena
Coach: Don Chaney
Last Season Record: 58-24
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Phoenix Suns)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 10
The Mavs look to have begun a rebuilding process with the departure of franchise legend Mark Aguirre. Aguirre departs for the worst side in the East in New Jersey, giving the Mavericks a potential great few draft picks down the line. They still have the likes of Isiah Thomas and Benoit Benjamin, so no need to think they’ll be falling down the order too quickly, but the dynasty era is definitely now moving towards the rear view mirror.
5. Portland Trail Blazers
Owner: Paul Allen
Arena: Rose Garden Arena
Coach: Rick Adelman
Last Season Record: 41-41
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Golden State Warriors)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 11
Portland made another big move in the Summer, ditching franchise player Clyde Drexler for the No 1 pick in Chris Webber. It’s a move that allows Portland to pair Webber with last year’s no 2 pick Alonzo Mourning in what could be a duo for the next decade or more. It may be a very young Portland side now, but it’s still full of quality and doesn’t look like losing that long playoff streak any time soon.
6. Phoenix Suns
Owner: Jerry Colangelo
Arena: America West Arena
Coach: Paul Westphal
Last Season Record: 43-39
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to Golden State Warriors)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 2
It’s been a good few years for the Suns, reaching the semi finals in 3 of the last 5 seasons in the West. They would have seen last season as a good opportunity to go even further, but eventually came unstuck to an inform Warriors team. There’s no reason to expect anything else than more of the same for Phoenix this campaign, with no major additions to the side but also the teams below them in the West not looking much stronger than last season.
7. Denver Nuggets
Owner: Comsat Denver Inc
Arena: McNichols Sports Arena
Coach: Dan Issel
Last Season Record: 31-52
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in First Round to Sacramento Kings)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
It’s been a tough period for Denver, making the playoffs just once in the last 6 seasons as trades and drafts have consistently been gotten wrong. They look to have steadied the ship now though, and the acquisition of Glen Rice from Utah was a big play in the off season that might just allow them to make that step back towards being a solid playoff team.
8. Los Angeles Lakers
Owner: Jerry Buss
Arena: Great Western Forum
Coach: Magic Johnson
Last Season Record: 28-54
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in First Round to Milwaukee Bucks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Never have the Lakers been such an unknown as they head into the 1993-94 season. It’s unthinkable to believe they can be anywhere worse than the car crash of last season but of course as legendary as Magic was as a player we don’t know what his skills as a Head Coach are just yet. They were able to get hot prospect Penny Hardaway in the draft though, and have acquired Kelly Tripucka who becomes the latest line of old stars to grab one last paycheck from the Lakers. And poor James Worthy is still there, still waiting for his old teammates to show up. At least he has Magic back with him this season.
9. Chicago Bulls
Owner: Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena: Chicago Stadium
Coach: Bob Weiss
Last Season Record: 56-26
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Sacramento Kings)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 9
The Bulls had a superb regular season last campaign, notching 56 regular season wins. It was only good enough for 4th seed in the playoffs however, and Chicago then lost in the first round to 5th seed Sacramento meaning the excellent regular season again counted for nil. In the current 9 season playoff streak, the Bulls have advanced past the first round just once. At this point, a rebuild is surely necessary but the Bulls seem to insist on running with the same failing top roster. We’re predicting a playoff hangover for Chicago this season that might finally force that rebuild.
10. Seattle SuperSonics
Owner: Barry Ackerly
Arena: Sonics Arena
Coach: George Karl
Last Season Record: 35-47
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 2
A couple of solid years for Seattle by sneaking into the playoffs for two years in a row. Mostly due to the exploits of Abdul-Rauf who continues to perform at an All-Star level. Alongside Abdul-Rauf is an inconsistent Manute Bol and an aging Purvis Short, which just doesn’t seem like enough to get it done this time around for Seattle. Expect them to be close if they do miss out however.
11. Milwaukee Bucks
Owner: Herb Kohl
Arena: The Bradley Center
Coach: Mike Dunleavy
Last Season Record: 34-48
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in Semi Final to Sacramento Kings)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Milwaukee have just started to drift away from playoff contenders, missing out the last two seasons. It’s also just two playoff appearances in the last seven years for a Bucks side that has seen top quality players come and go. Right now Bernard King is the franchise guy, which is a bit worrying for the Bucks given he’s 35. Expect a couple more years of pain for Milwaukee as recent first round draft picks Allan Houston and Lindsay Hunter work on becoming the new top guys for the Bucks.
12. Minnesota Polars
Owner: Marv Wolfenson & Harvey Ratner
Arena: Target Center
Coach: Sidney Lowe
Last Season Record: 24-58
Last Playoff Appearance: N/A
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
The Polars awful draft lottery luck continued this offseason, being drawn out first of the seven teams involved meaning they picked seventh despite managing just 24 wins all season. It means after 4 years the Polars are still struggling to build an even semi competitive roster in what has been a testing start to life in the NBA. Minnesota may have to start looking towards pulling something out of the bag in free agency, because the draft lottery Gods seem to have taken a disliking to the Polars for some reason.
13. Los Angeles Clippers
Owner: Donald Sterling
Arena: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Coach: Larry Brown
Last Season Record: 23-59
Last Playoff Appearance: 1989 (Lost in 1st Round to Chicago Bulls)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
It’s a slightly better Clippers lineup than the last few seasons, mostly due to being able to get a full season from Brad Daugherty. Still there’s unlikely to be enough quality to mount any sort of playoff push unless coach Larry Brown can unleash the same sort of form that almost got them a shock playoff spot two years ago.
14. Utah Jazz
Owner: Larry H. Miller
Arena: Delta Center
Coach: Bernie Bickerstaff
Last Season Record: 31-51
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in First Round to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Whilst Utah earned second pick in the draft and therefore were able to draft local star Shawn Bradley as well as pick up young prospect Christian Laettner from Denver, they’ve also lost franchise leader Glen Rice the other way to the Nuggets. Rice has been the one keeping Utah semi-competitive over the last few seasons, and unless Laettner and Bradley become top NBA level players overnight, there’s just not enough to suggest anything other than a difficult season for the Jazz. Things may look better in a few seasons, if it’s any consolation to the Utah faithful out there.
A look at all 27 teams competing in the 48th NBA season, in predicted order of finish.
East:
1. New York Knicks
Owner: Paramount Communications
Arena: Madison Square Gardens
Coach: Pat Riley
Last Season Record: 57-25
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Champion)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 9
It’s fair to say the Knicks decision to go all out to get Tim Hardaway was one that was rewarded almost instantly. Hardaway was instrumental in taking some of the load off Michael Jordan through the regular season which allowed Jordan to be fresh and ready for the playoffs. Both posted excellent numbers throughout, and were the stars of the show as the Knicks launched that spectacular Conference finals comeback against Indiana. Injury to Gary Payton means Cleveland should be less of a threat this time around in the East, and you’d back the Knicks to finish above Tampa in a two horse race.
2. Tampa Bay Bandits
Owner: Thomas Pritzker
Arena: St. Pete Times Forum
Coach: Phil Jackson
Last Season Record: 57-25
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 6
It’s now 6 seasons since the Bandits’ incredible 8th seed run to the NBA final, and since then the expectation has grown year on year but they again failed to return to that stage after a defeat to eventual champions New York in the semi finals. They’ve now posted 55 or more regular season wins 4 seasons in a row, so there’s no doubt this is a team that should be contending deep into the playoffs. Will this be the year for Tampa?
3. Philadelphia 76ers
Owner: Ed Snider
Arena: Wachovia Spectrum
Coach: Lenny Wilkens
Last Season Record: 43-39
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Tampa Bay Bandits)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
A possibly bold prediction, given the recent downturn in fortunes in Philly, but there’s no doubt things are now looking back upwards for the 1983 champs. The arrival of Shaquille O’Neal and the emergence of Michael Williams and Sean Elliot has given them a mighty strong starting roster for the upcoming season. Philly improved by 20 wins last season, almost doubling their total from the season before. Whilst a similar improvement is unlikely, even winning 10 more games would pretty much guarantee them a home tie in the first round of the playoffs. Philly are one to watch this season for sure.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
Owner: Gordon Gund
Arena: Richfield Coliseum
Coach: Chuck Daly
Last Season Record: 63-19
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Atlanta Hawks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 3
The Cavs’ incredible regular season performance was tainted by their disappointing first round exit in the playoffs to the Hawks. Both the Knicks and the Rockets looked beatable last season and Cleveland may feel they might not get a better chance for a while at a ring. This season has already started badly, with Gary Payton ruled out for most if not all of it with an ACL injury picked up this week. The Cavs still have a strong enough line up to comfortably make the playoffs without Payton, but a repeat of last seasons 63 wins feels unlikely.
5. Boston Celtics
Owner: Don Gatson
Arena: Boston Gardens
Coach: Larry Bird
Last Season Record: 46-36
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Indiana Pacers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
It’s been a while since everyone’s first look at the fixture calendar is to the Lakers vs the Celtics but this year that’s where most people’s eyes would have gone first. As it happens, fans won’t have to wait too long for the return of Magic vs Bird, with the two now respective Head Coaches meeting on December 6th. It’s difficult to know how Larry Bird will get on in his new role, but sources indicate he has impressed many during the offseason and that Boston could surprise some this season. They had a more than solid regular season last time around, but fell to a disappointing playoff loss to Indiana. Playoff improvement is the name of the game for Bird this season.
6. Miami Heat
Owner: Micky Arison
Arena: Miami Arena
Coach: Gregg Popovic
Last Season Record: 27-55
Last Playoff Appearance: N/A
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
If not now, then when? The Heat have picked up Clyde Drexler from Portland in the offseason forming a pretty stacked trio alongside Rod Strickland and Larry Johnson. Miami now have more than enough quality to make the playoffs for the first team, and coach Gregg Popovic will be under big pressure to deliver. Don’t be surprised to see an early coach change if the Heat find themselves outside that top 8 after the first couple of months. The fixture list hasn’t helped Popovic much, with the Heat’s opening 4 games coming against Tampa, Dallas, New York and Cleveland.
7. Indiana Pacers
Owner: Herb Simon
Arena: Market Square Arena
Coach: Bob Hill
Last Season Record: 45-37
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in East Final to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 2
It’s now two consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference final for Indiana, who continuously seem to peak just in time for the playoffs. It’s helped by the fact they have no real weak links in that starting line up, and a few guys who can come off the bench and slot in seamlessly. The East just seems to be getting stronger and stronger at the minute, so the Pacers can’t let the past couple of seasons make them complacent, but they should have more than enough to make another playoff appearance. A third consecutive conference final would be an extraordinary achievement.
8. Atlanta Hawks
Owner: Ted Turner
Coach: Mike Fratello
Last Season Record: 39-43
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to Indiana Pacers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 8
Atlanta’s incredible playoff streak almost came to an end last season, finishing above Washington by one win to clinch that final spot. They then shocked 1st seed Cleveland in the first round, one of many shocks Atlanta have pulled off in the playoffs other the last 8 years. Even though there are teams below Atlanta that you just feel should without doubt be above them, it’s impossible to predict the Hawks anywhere other than the top 8 given they always seem to find a way of getting to the postseason. Reggie Miller’s numbers will need to stay impressively high for them to have a chance this season.
9. Detroit Pistons
Owner: Bill Davidson
Arena: The Palace of Auburn Hills
Coach: Chris Ford
Last Season Record: 34-48
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in First Round to Tampa Bay Bandits)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Detroit’s end of season collapse in form was enough to spell the end for coach K.C. Jones. In comes Chris Ford, who many feel was harshly treated at Boston. Ford will need to do what Jones couldn’t, and that’s get the best out of a group of players who have massively underperformed for a few years now. Unless things are greatly improved this campaign, it may be time for Detroit to go through a rebuild whilst their assets still have value.
10. Charlotte Hornets
Owner: Richard DeVos
Arena: Charlotte Coliseum II
Coach: Allan Bristow
Last Season Record: 33-49
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in First Round to Washington Bullets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
A busy summer for the Hornets, who at the end of it ended up with Tom Gugliotta and John Williams plus a potentially highly valuable first round pick from the Clippers for next year's draft. The Hornet’s team is one of the youngest in the league, but they’re building nicely and whilst a playoff appearance feels a little way off this season, don’t be surprised to see them comfortably in the top 8 within a few years.
11. Washington Bullets
Owner: Abe Pollin
Arena: US Airways Arena
Coach: Kevin Loughery
Last Season Record: 38-44
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in Semi Final to Indiana Pacers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
The Bullets just missed out on a playoff spot last campaign, falling one win short to Atlanta. Their offseason trades don’t seem to have added much to the top of the roster, rather adding a little strength to the middle of it. With other teams improving heavily, it’s difficult to see how Washington improve on last season’s 9th place finish.
12. Toronto Huskies
Owner: Allan Slaight
Arena: Toronto Eaton Centre
Coach: Jim Lynam
Last Season Record: 40-42
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
People are still scratching their heads at how the Huskies managed to finish 7th in the East last season. They seemed to be getting battered every time a Toronto score flashed up on the screen, and yet every game they competed in that was close they seemed to find a way to win it. In the end, they got to 40 wins which was enough to see the Huskies make their first ever playoffs, and they even secured a famous win over the Knicks during the first round series. Toronto have managed to pick up Kiki Vandeweghe in free agency, but even that signing doesn’t do much to persuade us from the assumption that last seasons postseason appearance won’t be repeated this season.
13. New Jersey Nets
Owner: The Secaucus Seven
Arena: Meadowlands Arena
Coach: John Lucas II
Last Season Record: 20-62
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in First Round to Cleveland Cavaliers)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
As far as seasons go, it doesn’t get much worse than the one the Nets endured last campaign. They managed just 20 wins, remarkable considering they had a winning record the season before. On top of that, they lost their two star players to trades that both seemed weighted heavily in favor of the other franchise in the deal. The Nets have managed to get hold of 3 time NBA Champion Mark Aguirre over the offseason, although perhaps about two years too late to get much use out of him. The two draft picks, Vin Baker and Isaiah Rider, are both expected to be starters almost straight away for the Nets which pretty much tells you enough about the state of the rest of the roster right now.
West:
1. Houston Rockets
Owner: Charlie Thomas
Arena: Compaq Center
Coach: Bill Fitch
Last Season Record: 61-21
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in NBA final to New York Knicks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 7
With the Mavericks' time at the top seemingly fading, the Rockets are now the undisputed team to beat in the West. It’s now their turn to want revenge on New York, after the Knicks got revenge on them in the most recent NBA final. It’s difficult to see how anyone in the West gets close to stopping the Rockets reaching a third consecutive final, although the Warriors did get them a little worried in the West final last season.
2. Sacramento Kings
Owner: James Thomas
Arena: Sleep Train Arena
Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
Last Season Record: 49-33
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 7
The rumored unrest inside the Kings dressing room didn’t materialize to anything during the offseason, possibly due to the departure of coach Don Chaney who leaves for Dallas. Replacing Chaney is former Houston assistant Rudy Tomjanovich. It will be interesting to see if Tomjanovich can bring what he will have learnt working with legendary coach Bill Fitch to Sacramento, and bridge that gap between the two teams. The Kings may not get many more opportunities as a contender with Stockton, Ewing and Petrovic.
3. Golden State Warriors
Owner: Chris Cohan
Arena: Oakland Arena
Coach: Don Nelson
Last Season Record: 51-31
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in West Final to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 1
Given how the Warriors finished last season, it would be wrong to have them any lower than third here. They surprised everyone by taking second seed by virtue of winning the Pacific Division, ending their long playoff drought and then cruising all the way to the West Final. They caused the Rockets a scare early on in the series before eventually falling short to the dominant side in the West. The difference between this and last season is that there is now an expectation on the Warriors, and it will be interesting to see how they handle that.
4. Dallas Mavericks
Owner: Don Carter
Arena: Reunion Arena
Coach: Don Chaney
Last Season Record: 58-24
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Phoenix Suns)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 10
The Mavs look to have begun a rebuilding process with the departure of franchise legend Mark Aguirre. Aguirre departs for the worst side in the East in New Jersey, giving the Mavericks a potential great few draft picks down the line. They still have the likes of Isiah Thomas and Benoit Benjamin, so no need to think they’ll be falling down the order too quickly, but the dynasty era is definitely now moving towards the rear view mirror.
5. Portland Trail Blazers
Owner: Paul Allen
Arena: Rose Garden Arena
Coach: Rick Adelman
Last Season Record: 41-41
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Golden State Warriors)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 11
Portland made another big move in the Summer, ditching franchise player Clyde Drexler for the No 1 pick in Chris Webber. It’s a move that allows Portland to pair Webber with last year’s no 2 pick Alonzo Mourning in what could be a duo for the next decade or more. It may be a very young Portland side now, but it’s still full of quality and doesn’t look like losing that long playoff streak any time soon.
6. Phoenix Suns
Owner: Jerry Colangelo
Arena: America West Arena
Coach: Paul Westphal
Last Season Record: 43-39
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in Semi Final to Golden State Warriors)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 2
It’s been a good few years for the Suns, reaching the semi finals in 3 of the last 5 seasons in the West. They would have seen last season as a good opportunity to go even further, but eventually came unstuck to an inform Warriors team. There’s no reason to expect anything else than more of the same for Phoenix this campaign, with no major additions to the side but also the teams below them in the West not looking much stronger than last season.
7. Denver Nuggets
Owner: Comsat Denver Inc
Arena: McNichols Sports Arena
Coach: Dan Issel
Last Season Record: 31-52
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in First Round to Sacramento Kings)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
It’s been a tough period for Denver, making the playoffs just once in the last 6 seasons as trades and drafts have consistently been gotten wrong. They look to have steadied the ship now though, and the acquisition of Glen Rice from Utah was a big play in the off season that might just allow them to make that step back towards being a solid playoff team.
8. Los Angeles Lakers
Owner: Jerry Buss
Arena: Great Western Forum
Coach: Magic Johnson
Last Season Record: 28-54
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in First Round to Milwaukee Bucks)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Never have the Lakers been such an unknown as they head into the 1993-94 season. It’s unthinkable to believe they can be anywhere worse than the car crash of last season but of course as legendary as Magic was as a player we don’t know what his skills as a Head Coach are just yet. They were able to get hot prospect Penny Hardaway in the draft though, and have acquired Kelly Tripucka who becomes the latest line of old stars to grab one last paycheck from the Lakers. And poor James Worthy is still there, still waiting for his old teammates to show up. At least he has Magic back with him this season.
9. Chicago Bulls
Owner: Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena: Chicago Stadium
Coach: Bob Weiss
Last Season Record: 56-26
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Sacramento Kings)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 9
The Bulls had a superb regular season last campaign, notching 56 regular season wins. It was only good enough for 4th seed in the playoffs however, and Chicago then lost in the first round to 5th seed Sacramento meaning the excellent regular season again counted for nil. In the current 9 season playoff streak, the Bulls have advanced past the first round just once. At this point, a rebuild is surely necessary but the Bulls seem to insist on running with the same failing top roster. We’re predicting a playoff hangover for Chicago this season that might finally force that rebuild.
10. Seattle SuperSonics
Owner: Barry Ackerly
Arena: Sonics Arena
Coach: George Karl
Last Season Record: 35-47
Last Playoff Appearance: 1993 (Lost in First Round to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 2
A couple of solid years for Seattle by sneaking into the playoffs for two years in a row. Mostly due to the exploits of Abdul-Rauf who continues to perform at an All-Star level. Alongside Abdul-Rauf is an inconsistent Manute Bol and an aging Purvis Short, which just doesn’t seem like enough to get it done this time around for Seattle. Expect them to be close if they do miss out however.
11. Milwaukee Bucks
Owner: Herb Kohl
Arena: The Bradley Center
Coach: Mike Dunleavy
Last Season Record: 34-48
Last Playoff Appearance: 1991 (Lost in Semi Final to Sacramento Kings)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Milwaukee have just started to drift away from playoff contenders, missing out the last two seasons. It’s also just two playoff appearances in the last seven years for a Bucks side that has seen top quality players come and go. Right now Bernard King is the franchise guy, which is a bit worrying for the Bucks given he’s 35. Expect a couple more years of pain for Milwaukee as recent first round draft picks Allan Houston and Lindsay Hunter work on becoming the new top guys for the Bucks.
12. Minnesota Polars
Owner: Marv Wolfenson & Harvey Ratner
Arena: Target Center
Coach: Sidney Lowe
Last Season Record: 24-58
Last Playoff Appearance: N/A
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
The Polars awful draft lottery luck continued this offseason, being drawn out first of the seven teams involved meaning they picked seventh despite managing just 24 wins all season. It means after 4 years the Polars are still struggling to build an even semi competitive roster in what has been a testing start to life in the NBA. Minnesota may have to start looking towards pulling something out of the bag in free agency, because the draft lottery Gods seem to have taken a disliking to the Polars for some reason.
13. Los Angeles Clippers
Owner: Donald Sterling
Arena: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Coach: Larry Brown
Last Season Record: 23-59
Last Playoff Appearance: 1989 (Lost in 1st Round to Chicago Bulls)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
It’s a slightly better Clippers lineup than the last few seasons, mostly due to being able to get a full season from Brad Daugherty. Still there’s unlikely to be enough quality to mount any sort of playoff push unless coach Larry Brown can unleash the same sort of form that almost got them a shock playoff spot two years ago.
14. Utah Jazz
Owner: Larry H. Miller
Arena: Delta Center
Coach: Bernie Bickerstaff
Last Season Record: 31-51
Last Playoff Appearance: 1992 (Lost in First Round to Houston Rockets)
Playoff Appearance Streak: 0
Whilst Utah earned second pick in the draft and therefore were able to draft local star Shawn Bradley as well as pick up young prospect Christian Laettner from Denver, they’ve also lost franchise leader Glen Rice the other way to the Nuggets. Rice has been the one keeping Utah semi-competitive over the last few seasons, and unless Laettner and Bradley become top NBA level players overnight, there’s just not enough to suggest anything other than a difficult season for the Jazz. Things may look better in a few seasons, if it’s any consolation to the Utah faithful out there.
Up Next: The 1993-94 Season
1993-94 Season - November: A Familiar Tale
New
1993-94 Season - November: A Familiar Tale
The 1993-94 season began on the 5th November, with 20 of the 27 NBA teams in action. The reigning champions New York Knicks kicked off the new season against the team that had finished top of the Eastern Conference in the regular season, Cleveland. This was a different Cleveland this season though, one missing Gary Peyton. It was now up to Mitch Richmond to carry the weight of expectation for Cleveland on his shoulders alone, and 41 points on the opening night was a pretty good way to go about that. Unfortunately for Richmond and Cleveland, it still wasn't enough as the Knicks cruised to a 89-103 win at MSG to start their championship defense with a win. The young Portland side got off to an impressive start with a 124-99 win in Seattle. Number one pick Chris Webber scored 28 points with 13 rebounds on his NBA debut, whilst 1992 Number 2 pick Alonzo Mourning backed him up with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Rod Strickland was on form for Miami, scoring 40 points at home to Tampa. It wasn't enough to secure a win though, with Tampa earning a 96-88 win at the home of their Florida neighbours. Larry Bird's first game in charge of Boston was successful, as the Celtics picked up an excellent win in Dallas. Mark Price top scored with 20 whilst Vlade Divac had 16 points and 14 rebounds in a 102-93 win for Boston. Hakeem Olajuwon started the season in fine form, with 33 points and 21 rebounds in a dominant 85-105 win for Houston at home to Phoenix.
Opening Night Results:
Cleveland Cavaliers 89-103 New York Knicks
Charlotte Hornets 114-98 Detroit Pistons
Tampa Bay Bantis 96-88 Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers 109-110 Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics 102-93 Dallas Mavericks
Chicago Bulls 105-103 Milwaukee Bucks
Portland Trail Blazers 124-99 Seattle SuperSonics
Los Angeles Clippers 87-117 Golden State Warriors
Phoenix Suns 85-105 Houston Rockets
Philadelphia 76ers 98-109 Sacramento Kings
Magic Johnson's coaching career began with a good win for the Lakers in Denver. Despite 43 points from Glen Rice, the Lakers were able to secure a 107-99 win with Worthy getting 34 and Rony Seikaly collecting 19 rebounds. Penny Hardaway began his career scoring 15 points and registering 8 assists on his debut. Cleveland's tough start continued with defeat at home to Tampa, mostly thanks to Shawn Kemp and David Robinson combining for 69 points and 32 rebounds. Atlanta and Indiana's first three games were all against each other, with Indiana winning the mini best of 3 series by 2 games to 1. Indiana would also play Cleveland and Tampa 3 times over the course of the first month, beating Cleveland twice and Tampa just the once. The Charlotte Hornets got off to a fast start, winning their opening 3. Rex Chapman in particular was on good form and would end the month averaging 24.6 PPG. Also starting well was Tampa Bay, who returned home for the first time after good wins on the road in Miami and Cleveland to face Philly. The Bandits were victorious again, thanks to another imperious performance from the Kemp / Robinson duo. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson both lost for the first time as a coach on the same night. The Celtics went down 113-90 at home to Washington whilst the Lakers were beaten at 103-81 by Cleveland. There was an impressive win on the same night for Minnesota, who won 128-96 in Utah. The Polars would back that up two nights later by beating Sacramento 121-126 at home to make it three wins on the spin to start the season. Enduring a stuttering start was the Golden State Warriors. Last season's Western Conference runners up went on an eight game losing run after being the Clippers on the opening night. Defeats included a loss on the road to Toronto and revenge for the Clippers in LA. They would eventually secure a win when Toronto came to the Oakland Arena, delivering a 79-123 thrashing on their struggling opponents. Still, the Warriors were well off the pace of last seasons exploits.
One team that very much wasn't well off the pace was Houston. Last years defeated finalists were in no mood to mess around this season as they batted away every challenge they faced in the opening month, winning all 12. Hakeem, Wilkins and Barkley all ended the month averaging over 22 PPG whilst Hakeem and Barkley also averaged over 12 RPB each. It was difficult to see who might stop Houston on current form, especially in the West.
Houston Rockets Results - November
The 1993-94 season began on the 5th November, with 20 of the 27 NBA teams in action. The reigning champions New York Knicks kicked off the new season against the team that had finished top of the Eastern Conference in the regular season, Cleveland. This was a different Cleveland this season though, one missing Gary Peyton. It was now up to Mitch Richmond to carry the weight of expectation for Cleveland on his shoulders alone, and 41 points on the opening night was a pretty good way to go about that. Unfortunately for Richmond and Cleveland, it still wasn't enough as the Knicks cruised to a 89-103 win at MSG to start their championship defense with a win. The young Portland side got off to an impressive start with a 124-99 win in Seattle. Number one pick Chris Webber scored 28 points with 13 rebounds on his NBA debut, whilst 1992 Number 2 pick Alonzo Mourning backed him up with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Rod Strickland was on form for Miami, scoring 40 points at home to Tampa. It wasn't enough to secure a win though, with Tampa earning a 96-88 win at the home of their Florida neighbours. Larry Bird's first game in charge of Boston was successful, as the Celtics picked up an excellent win in Dallas. Mark Price top scored with 20 whilst Vlade Divac had 16 points and 14 rebounds in a 102-93 win for Boston. Hakeem Olajuwon started the season in fine form, with 33 points and 21 rebounds in a dominant 85-105 win for Houston at home to Phoenix.
Opening Night Results:
Cleveland Cavaliers 89-103 New York Knicks
Charlotte Hornets 114-98 Detroit Pistons
Tampa Bay Bantis 96-88 Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers 109-110 Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics 102-93 Dallas Mavericks
Chicago Bulls 105-103 Milwaukee Bucks
Portland Trail Blazers 124-99 Seattle SuperSonics
Los Angeles Clippers 87-117 Golden State Warriors
Phoenix Suns 85-105 Houston Rockets
Philadelphia 76ers 98-109 Sacramento Kings
Magic Johnson's coaching career began with a good win for the Lakers in Denver. Despite 43 points from Glen Rice, the Lakers were able to secure a 107-99 win with Worthy getting 34 and Rony Seikaly collecting 19 rebounds. Penny Hardaway began his career scoring 15 points and registering 8 assists on his debut. Cleveland's tough start continued with defeat at home to Tampa, mostly thanks to Shawn Kemp and David Robinson combining for 69 points and 32 rebounds. Atlanta and Indiana's first three games were all against each other, with Indiana winning the mini best of 3 series by 2 games to 1. Indiana would also play Cleveland and Tampa 3 times over the course of the first month, beating Cleveland twice and Tampa just the once. The Charlotte Hornets got off to a fast start, winning their opening 3. Rex Chapman in particular was on good form and would end the month averaging 24.6 PPG. Also starting well was Tampa Bay, who returned home for the first time after good wins on the road in Miami and Cleveland to face Philly. The Bandits were victorious again, thanks to another imperious performance from the Kemp / Robinson duo. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson both lost for the first time as a coach on the same night. The Celtics went down 113-90 at home to Washington whilst the Lakers were beaten at 103-81 by Cleveland. There was an impressive win on the same night for Minnesota, who won 128-96 in Utah. The Polars would back that up two nights later by beating Sacramento 121-126 at home to make it three wins on the spin to start the season. Enduring a stuttering start was the Golden State Warriors. Last season's Western Conference runners up went on an eight game losing run after being the Clippers on the opening night. Defeats included a loss on the road to Toronto and revenge for the Clippers in LA. They would eventually secure a win when Toronto came to the Oakland Arena, delivering a 79-123 thrashing on their struggling opponents. Still, the Warriors were well off the pace of last seasons exploits.
One team that very much wasn't well off the pace was Houston. Last years defeated finalists were in no mood to mess around this season as they batted away every challenge they faced in the opening month, winning all 12. Hakeem, Wilkins and Barkley all ended the month averaging over 22 PPG whilst Hakeem and Barkley also averaged over 12 RPB each. It was difficult to see who might stop Houston on current form, especially in the West.
Houston Rockets Results - November
Opponent | Result | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|
Phoenix Suns (H) | 85-105 | Hakeem Olajuwon 33 |
Cleveland Cavaliers (H) | 107-120 | Dominique Wilkins 31 |
Chicago Bulls (H) | 93-119 | Dominique Wilkins 36 |
Los Angeles Lakers (A) | 110-94 | Hakeem Olajuwon 28 |
Seattle SuperSonics (H) | 104-117 | Hakeem Olajuwon 30 |
Golden State Warriors (A) | 96-79 | Dominique Wilkins 24 |
Atlanta Hawks (A) | 119-101 | Charles Barkley 32 |
Atlanta Hawks (H) | 92-114 | Charles Barkley 38 |
Seattle SuperSonics (A) | 116-93 | Charles Barkley 34 |
Dallas Mavericks (H) | 89-115 | Charles Barkley 27 |
Los Angeles Lakers (A) | 136-93 | Charles Barkley 39 |
Miami Heat (H) | 108-116 | Ricky Pierce 25 |
Also starting well was Michael Jordan and the Knicks. Terry Hardaway picked up a minor knock in game 4 against the Kings, putting him out for a couple of weeks. It was during these couple of weeks that Jordan posted a series of insane numbers now that he wasn't sharing the scoring with Hardaway. In the next game against Miami, Jordan posted 49 points and 11 assists, although the Knicks did fall to their first defeat of the season. The next night he would score 49 points again, in a comfortable win at home to Washington. In his next game in Toronto, he made his first triple double of the season with a 28 / 10 / 19 game in another dominant win. The next night, in their second match against Sacramento, Jordan lit up MSG with 57 points in a 107-124 victory. It was a remarkable four game run that left a few wondering just what sort of numbers Jordan would post for a season if he wasn't sharing the load with Hardaway. New York would lose just twice in November, strangely enough both against a Miami side who picked up just two other wins all month. The two sides with the lowest win totals were both in the East. The woeful Nets sat at the bottom of the conference, still searching for their first win after 10 games. They were barely averaging 90 points per game, despite the best efforts of Mark Aguirre who must have been wondering what he'd done to deserve such a change of scenery. The Nets scored over 100 just once in November, a 112-101 loss at home to Boston on the opening night. Also struggling were Toronto, although they did at least manage wins at home to the Warriors and the Nuggets but had also suffered six losses by a margin of 14 or more. Going into December, Houston had the only flawless record. The 76ers were still unbeaten at home, and so, unexpectedly, were the Los Angeles Clippers.
1st December Division Standings
Atlantic
Position | Team | W-L | PCT | GB | Division Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York Knicks | 11-2 | .846 | -- | 6-0 |
2 | Philadelphia 76ers | 10-2 | .833 | 0.5 | 2-0 |
3 | Charlotte Hornets | 9-6 | .600 | 3.0 | 4-3 |
4 | Boston Celtics | 6-6 | .500 | 4.5 | 3-2 |
5 | Washington Bullets | 4-6 | .400 | 5.5 | 2-3 |
6 | Toronto Huskies | 2-8 | .200 | 7.5 | 0-3 |
7 | New Jersey Nets | 0-10 | .000 | 9.5 | 0-6 |
Central
Position | Team | W-L | PCT | GB | Division Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Indiana Pacers | 8-4 | .667 | -- | 5-4 |
2 | Tampa Bay Bandits | 8-5 | .615 | 0.5 | 3-3 |
3 | Atlanta Hawks | 7-5 | .583 | 1.0 | 4-2 |
4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 6-7 | .462 | 2.5 | 3-3 |
5 | Miami Heat | 4-7 | .364 | 3.5 | 0-2 |
6 | Detroit Pistons | 4-10 | .286 | 5.0 | 1-2 |
Midwest
Position | Team | W-L | PCT | GB | Division Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Houston Rockets | 12-0 | 1.000 | -- | 2-0 |
2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 7-3 | .700 | 4.0 | 2-1 |
3 | Dallas Mavericks | 6-5 | .545 | 5.5 | 1-1 |
4 | Minnesota Polars | 6-5 | .545 | 5.5 | 1-3 |
5 | Chicago Bulls | 6-6 | .500 | 6.0 | 4-2 |
6 | Denver Nuggets | 5-7 | .417 | 7.0 | 0-1 |
7 | Utah Jazz | 3-10 | .231 | 9.5 | 0-2 |
Pacific
Position | Team | W-L | PCT | GB | Division Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portland Trail Blazers | 8-4 | .667 | -- | 4-2 |
2 | Los Angeles Clippers | 6-4 | .600 | 1.0 | 3-1 |
3 | Phoenix Suns | 7-7 | .500 | 2.0 | 2-3 |
4 | Sacramento Kings | 5-7 | .417 | 3.0 | 2-0 |
5 | Seattle SuperSonics | 5-9 | .357 | 4.0 | 2-2 |
6 | Golden State Warriors | 4-8 | .333 | 4.0 | 1-2 |
7 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-10 | .286 | 5.0 | 0-4 |
1st December Conference Standings
East:
1. New York Knicks - 11-2
2. Indiana Pacers - 8-4
3. Philadelphia 76ers - 10-2
4. Charlotte Hornets - 9-6
5. Tampa Bay Bandits - 8-5
6. Atlanta Hawks - 7-5
7. Boston Celtics - 6-6
8. Cleveland Cavaliers - 6-7
------------------------------------
9. Washington Bullets - 4-6
10. Miami Heat - 4-7
11. Detroit Pistons - 4-10
12. Toronto Huskies - 2-8
13. New Jersey Nets - 0-10
West:
1. Houston Rockets - 12-0
2. Portland Trail Blazers - 8-4
3. Milwaukee Bucks - 7-3
4. Los Angeles Clippers - 6-4
5. Dallas Mavericks - 6-5
6. Minnesota Polars - 6-5
7. Phoenix Suns - 7-7
8. Chicago Bulls - 6-6
-------------------------------------
9. Sacramento Kings - 5-7
10. Denver Nuggets - 5-7
11. Seattle Supersonics - 5-9
12. Golden State Warriors - 4-8
13. Los Angeles Lakers - 4-10
14. Utah Jazz - 3-10
League Leaders:
PPG:
1. Michael Jordan (30.1)
2. Mitch Richmond (27.2)
3. Rod Strickland (26.5)
RPG:
1. Hakeem Olajuwon (14.0)
2. Shawn Kemp (12.9)
3. David Robinson (12.3)
APG:
1. John Stockton (11.8)
2. Ennis Whatley (10.5)
3. Jon Sundvold (9.5)
SPG:
1. Michael Jordan (2.6)
2. Kevin Duckworth (2.4)
3. Michael Williams (2.1)
BPG:
1. Benoit Benjamin (3.2)
2. David Robinson (3.0)
3. Patrick Ewing (2.8)
Player of the Month:
Michael Jordan (East) / Charles Barkley (West)