1996–97 New Jersey Nets season

The 1996–97 NBA season was the Nets' 30th season in the National Basketball Association, and 21st season in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[1] In the 1996 NBA draft, the Nets selected Kerry Kittles out of Villanova with the eighth pick.[2] In the off-season, the team acquired Robert Pack from the Washington Bullets,[3] and signed free agents Tony Massenburg, Xavier McDaniel and David Benoit, who missed the entire season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Under new head coach John Calipari, the Nets continued to struggle losing their first five games of the season, which included two games against the Orlando Magic in Tokyo, Japan.[4]

1996–97 New Jersey Nets season
Head coachJohn Calipari
ArenaContinental Airlines Arena
Results
Record26–56 (.317)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Atlantic)
Conference: 13th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWBIS-TV
SportsChannel New York
RadioWOR

At midseason, the Nets traded Pack along with Shawn Bradley, Khalid Reeves and second-year forward Ed O'Bannon to the Dallas Mavericks for Sam Cassell, Jim Jackson, Chris Gatling, Eric Montross and George McCloud, who never played with the Nets and was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for Joe Kleine.[5] Gatling only played just three games after the trade due to an ear infection, and was out for the rest of the season.[6] The Nets ended their season with a 26–56 record, finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division.[7]

Kendall Gill averaged 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, while Kittles averaged 16.4 points and 1.9 steals per game, and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In addition, Jayson Williams continued to show improvement averaging 13.4 points, and leading the team with 13.5 rebounds per game, before sitting out the remainder of the season with a thumb injury after 41 games, and Massenburg contributed 7.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.[8] Following the season, Jackson and Montross were both dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers,[9] while Massenburg signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics, but was then traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies, and Kleine signed with the Chicago Bulls.

Draft picks
Main article: 1996 NBA Draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
18Kerry KittlesSG United StatesVillanova

Roster
1996–97 New Jersey Nets roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
F 2 Benoit, David  (IN) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Alabama
G 10 Cassell, Sam  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) –– Florida State
C 33 Dare, Yinka 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 265 lb (120 kg) –– George Washington
G 21 Edwards, Kevin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) –– DePaul
F 15 Gatling, Chris  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Old Dominion
G/F 13 Gill, Kendall 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) –– Illinois
F 54 Haley, Jack 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) –– UCLA
F 22 Jackson, Jim 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Ohio State
G 30 Kittles, Kerry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 179 lb (81 kg) –– Villanova
C 35 Kleine, Joe 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) –– Arkansas
F 44 Massenburg, Tony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Maryland
F 34 McDaniel, Xavier 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) –– Wichita State
C 00 Montross, Eric 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 270 lb (122 kg) –– North Carolina
F 55 Williams, Jayson  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) –– St. John's
F 7 Williams, Reggie  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) –– Georgetown
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured

Roster

Roster Notes
  • Small forward David Benoit missed the entire season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Regular season

Season standings
Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 6121.744–29–1232–916–8
x-New York Knicks 5725.695431–1026–1519–6
x-Orlando Magic 4537.5491626–1519–2213–11
x-Washington Bullets 4438.5371725–1619–2214–10
New Jersey Nets 2656.3173516–2510–3111–13
Philadelphia 76ers 2260.2683911–3011–3011–14
Boston Celtics 1567.1834611–304–371–23
1996–97 NBA East standings
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Chicago Bulls6913.841–
2 y-Miami Heat6121.7448
3 x-New York Knicks5725.69512
4 x-Atlanta Hawks5626.68313
5 x-Detroit Pistons5428.65915
6 x-Charlotte Hornets5428.65915
7 x-Orlando Magic4537.54924
8 x-Washington Bullets4438.53725
9 Cleveland Cavaliers4240.51227
10 Indiana Pacers3943.47630
11 Milwaukee Bucks3349.40236
12 Toronto Raptors3052.36639
13 New Jersey Nets2656.31743
14 Philadelphia 76ers2260.26847
15 Boston Celtics1567.18354
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents
1996-97 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 –3–11–31–33–12–01–11–32–01–13–12–01–11–24–02–03–11–33–14–01–12–02–02–01–14–01–12–02–1
Boston 1–3–0–40–41–21–11–10–41–10–21–20–21–10–41–30–20–40–40–41–31–11–10–21–10–23–10–20–20–4
Charlotte 3–14–0–0–43–11–12–02–22–02–02–21–11–11–22–22–04–03–11–24–01–10–22–02–02–02–20–22–03–1
Chicago 3–14–04–0–3–12–02–03–12–01–14–02–01–12–24–02–03–12–23–04–02–02–02–02–02–03–11–12–02–1
Cleveland 1–32–11–31–3–2–01–12–21–10–23–12–01–10–42–22–04–01–32–23–01–11–12–00–20–23–11–12–01–3
Dallas 0–21–11–10–20–2–3–10–20–40–41–12–20–40–20–21–31–11–11–12–01–31–32–21–31–30–21–33–10–2
Denver 1–11–10–20–21–11–3–0–21–31–30–21–30–40–21–10–41–10–20–21–12–20–42–22–20–41–10–43–11–1
Detroit 3–14–02–21–32–22–02–0–2–01–13–12–01–10–43–12–04–01–22–22–10–21–11–12–01–13–11–12–04–0
Golden State 0–21–10–20–21–14–03–10–2–0–41–11–30–40–21–11–32–00–21–12–00–42–21–34–00–42–00–43–10–2
Houston 1–12–00–21–12–04–03–11–14–0–1–13–13–10–21–14–02–01–10–22–02–22–24–03–13–11–12–23–12–0
Indiana 1–32–12–20–41–31–12–01–31–11–1–2–01–11–32–22–02–21–31–33–01–11–11–11–11–14–00–22–01–3
L.A. Clippers 0–22–01–10–20–22–23–10–23–11–30–2–2–20–22–01–31–10–21–11–12–20–42–24–01–32–01–34–00–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–11–11–11–14–04–01–14–01–31–12–2–1–12–03–12–01–11–12–04–01–34–02–23–11–11–34–02–0
Miami 2–14–02–12–24–02–02–04–02–02–03–12–01–1–4–01–13–11–32–23–12–01–12–02–00–23–10–22–03–1
Milwaukee 0–43–12–20–42–22–01–11–31–11–12–20–20–20–4–0–22–11–22–23–11–10–20–21–11–13–11–12–01–3
Minnesota 0–22–00–20–20–23–14–00–23–10–40–23–11–31–12–0–2–01–11–11–13–12–20–44–00–41–11–34–01–1
New Jersey 1–34–00–41–30–41–11–10–40–20–22–21–10–21–31–20–2–2–21–32–21–10–21–12–01–10–30–22–01–3
New York 3–14–01–32–23–11–12–02–12–01–13–12–01–13–12–11–12–2–3–13–21–11–12–02–00–23–01–12–04–0
Orlando 1–34–02–10–32–21–12–02–21–12–03–11–11–12–22–21–13–11–3–2–21–12–01–11–11–14–00–21–11–3
Philadelphia 0–43–10–40–40–30–21–11–20–20–20–31–10–21–31–31–12–22–32–2–1–11–10–21–10–21–30–22–01–3
Phoenix 1–11–11–10–21–13–12–22–04–02–21–12–20–40–21–11–31–11–11–11–1–1–34–03–12–20–21–32–21–1
Portland 0–21–12–00–21–13–14–01–12–22–21–14–03–11–12–02–22–01–10–21–13–1–2–24–01–30–22–24–00–2
Sacramento 0–22–00–20–20–22–22–21–13–10–41–12–20–40–22–04–01–10–21–12–00–42–2–3–11–31–10–44–00–2
San Antonio 0–21–10–20–22–03–12–20–20–41–31–10–42–20–21–10–40–20–21–11–11–30–41–3–0–41–11–31–30–2
Seattle 1–12–00–20–22–03–14–01–14–01–31–13–11–32–01–14–01–12–01–12–02–23–13–14–0–2–01–34–02–0
Toronto 0–41–32–21–31–32–01–11–30–21–10–40–21–11–31–31–13–00–30–43–12–02–01–11–10–2–1–11–12–2
Utah 1–12–02–01–11–13–14–01–14–02–22–03–13–12–01–13–12–01–12–02–03–12–24–03–13–11–1–4–02–0
Vancouver 0–22–00–20–20–21–31–30–21–31–30–20–40–40–20–20–40–20–21–10–22–20–40–43–10–41–10–4–1–1
Washington 1–24–01–31–23–12–01–10–42–00–23–12–00–21–33–11–13–10–43–13–11–12–02–02–00–22–20–21–1—

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kendall Gill 82 81 39.0 .443 .336 .797 6.1 4.0 1.9 0.6 21.8
Sam Cassell 23 22 33.8 .443 .392 .831 3.6 6.5 1.6 0.3 19.3
Chris Gatling 3 0 30.7 .419 .938 7.3 1.0 1.3 0.0 17.0
Jim Jackson 31 31 37.3 .417 .370 .852 5.9 5.2 0.9 0.5 16.5
Kerry Kittles 82 57 36.7 .426 .377 .771 3.9 3.0 1.9 0.4 16.4
Robert Pack 34 31 34.9 .407 .297 .788 2.5 9.6 1.7 0.1 15.9
Jayson Williams 41 40 34.9 .409 .000 .590 13.5 1.2 0.6 0.9 13.4
Shawn Bradley 40 38 30.7 .436 .000 .664 8.1 0.5 0.6 4.0 12.0
Khalid Reeves 50 18 21.0 .393 .396 .747 1.8 3.4 0.5 0.1 8.3
Tony Massenburg 79 49 24.7 .485 .000 .631 6.5 0.3 0.5 0.6 7.2
Reggie Williams 11 0 15.2 .403 .273 .800 2.2 0.7 0.7 0.4 6.5
Kevin Edwards 32 0 14.9 .377 .349 .860 1.3 1.8 0.5 0.1 5.9
Xavier McDaniel 62 5 18.9 .389 .200 .730 5.1 1.0 0.6 0.3 5.6
Lloyd Daniels 17 0 16.6 .330 .322 .833 2.3 1.5 0.5 0.2 5.4
Eric Montross 31 31 27.2 .451 .393 9.1 0.9 0.4 1.3 5.1
Ed O'Bannon 45 5 14.1 .367 .283 .870 2.5 0.6 0.5 0.2 4.2
Joe Kleine 28 0 16.2 .427 .500 .722 4.1 0.8 0.3 0.4 3.0
Evric Gray 5 0 8.4 .267 .250 1.000 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 2.6
Jack Haley 20 0 3.7 .351 .737 1.6 0.3 0.1 0.1 2.0
Adrian Caldwell 18 0 11.3 .286 .000 .529 3.1 0.3 0.4 0.1 1.6
Robert Werdann 6 0 5.2 .429 1.000 1.0 0.0 0.3 0.2 1.5
Yinka Dare 41 2 7.6 .352 .514 2.0 0.1 0.1 0.7 1.4
Vincent Askew 1 0 7.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Player Statistics Citation:[8]

Awards and records

References
  1. 1996–97 New Jersey Nets
  2. "For 76ers, Iverson Is No. 1 Choice". Washington Post. June 27, 1996. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  3. "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets and Pack Agree on Deal". New York Times. July 25, 1996. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  4. "Before 38,600 Fans in Tokyo, Nets Run Out of Luck". New York Times. November 8, 1996. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  5. "Nets and Mavericks Clean House and Start Over". New York Times. February 18, 1997. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  6. "As Scary Ailment Heals, Gatling Finds a Smile". New York Times. March 28, 1997. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  7. "1996–97 New Jersey Nets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  8. "1996–97 New Jersey Nets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  9. "Nets Pick Thomas but May End Up With Van Horn". New York Times. June 26, 1997. Retrieved January 1, 2022.

See also
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