New Orleans Pelicans and Proliferation: Difference between pages

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{{wiktionary|proliferation}}
{{current sport-related|image=Basketball current event.png|mini=1|2008-09 New Orleans Hornets season}}
Proliferation means to cause to grow or increase rapidly.
{{NBA team |
1) To grow or multiply by rapidly producing new tissue, parts, cells, or offspring.
color1 = #FFC139 |
2) To increase or spread at a rapid rate: fears that nuclear weapons might proliferate
color2 = #1f90d1 |
name = New Orleans Hornets |
logo = NewOrleansHornets.png |
imagesize = 175px |
conference = [[Western Conference (NBA)|Western Conference]] |
division = [[Southwest Division (NBA)|Southwest Division]] |
founded = 1988 |
history = '''Charlotte Hornets''' <br> 1988&mdash;2002<br> '''New Orleans Hornets''' <br> 2002&mdash;2005; <br> 2007&mdash;present <br> '''New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets''' <br> 2005&mdash;2007 |
arena = '''[[New Orleans Arena]]''' |
city = [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] |
colors = Creole Blue, Purple, Gold, White <BR>{{color box|#048EC4}} {{color box|#24125C}} {{color box|#ECB634}} {{color box|white}} |
coach = [[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]] |
General Manager= Jeff Bower |
owner = George Shinn, Gary Chouest |
affiliate = [[Rio Grande Valley Vipers]] |
league_champs = '''0''' |
conf_champs = '''0''' |
div_champs = '''1''' ([[2007-08 NBA season|2008]]) |
mascot = '''Hugo''' |
web = hornets.com |
}}


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


The word '''proliferation''' can refer to:
==Franchise history==
*[[Nuclear proliferation]]
===Charlotte===
*[[Chemical weapon proliferation]]
====1985-1987: Birth of the Charlotte Hornets====
*[[Cell growth|Cell proliferation]]
In 1985, the NBA announced plans to expand by four teams. [[George Shinn]], an entrepreneur from [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], announced plans to bring an NBA team to the Charlotte area. He assembled a group of prominent local businessmen to head the prospective franchise.
* The proliferative phase of [[wound healing]]]


{{disambig}}
Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County had long been a hotbed for [[college basketball]], home to the [[Charlotte 49ers]], [[Davidson Wildcats]], [[Johnson C. Smith University|Johnson C. Smith Bulls]], and the large and loyal alumni and fan bases from the four North Carolina schools in the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]]. Charlotte was also one of the fastest-growing cities in the [[United States]]. It had also previously been one of the three in-state regional homes to the [[American Basketball Association]]'s [[Carolina Cougars]], from 1969 to 1974.


[[de:Proliferation]]
However, some critics still doubted Charlotte could support an NBA team. In fact, one ''[[Sacramento Bee]]'' columnist joked, "The only franchise Charlotte is going to get is one with [[McDonald's|golden arches]]."<ref>[http://www.jmu.edu/montpelier/issues/winter02/main/hockey.html Montpelier - James Madison University Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, Shinn's [[ace in the hole]] was the [[Charlotte Coliseum]], a state-of-the-art arena under construction that would seat almost 24,000 spectators--the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. On [[April 5]], [[1987]], [[National Basketball Association#Presidents and commissioners|NBA Commissioner]] [[David Stern]] called Shinn to tell him that his group had officially become the 24th member of the NBA, to begin play in [[1988-89 NBA season|1988]]. Franchises were also granted to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]] (the [[Miami Heat|Heat]]), [[Minneapolis-Saint Paul]] (the [[Minnesota Timberwolves|Timberwolves]]) and [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] (the [[Orlando Magic|Magic]]).
[[nl:Proliferatie]]

[[pl:Proliferacja (ujednoznacznienie)]]
Originally, the new team was to be named the '''Charlotte Spirit''', but another name-the-team contest yielded "Hornets" as the winning choice. The name derived from the city's fierce resistance to British occupation during the [[American Revolution|Revolutionary War]], which prompted [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Lord General Cornwallis]] to refer to it as "a veritable nest of hornets." The name had been used for Charlotte teams before; the city's [[minor league baseball]] teams had been called the Hornets from 1901 to 1972; there was a short-lived team in the short-lived [[World Football League]]; and NCAA basketball's Charlotte 49ers and Davidson Wildcats play annually for the Hornets' Nest Trophy.

The team received a lot of attention when they chose teal as their primary color, setting off a fashion craze in sports in the late 1980s-early 90s. The [[San Jose Sharks]], [[Jacksonville Jaguars]], [[Florida Marlins]], and other pro and amateur clubs soon followed with similar colors. Even the [[Detroit Pistons]] briefly switched to teal, away from their traditional blue and red, in the mid 90s. The Grizzlies also used it as their primary color during their days in Vancouver.

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

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

====1988&mdash;1992: Growing pains====
The 1988&mdash;89 team was led by ex-Pistons guard [[Kelly Tripucka]], who provided instant offense. Tripucka was Charlotte's top scorer for the franchise's first two seasons. The team also had sharpshooting rookie - and first-ever draft choice - [[Rex Chapman]], who was a long-distance scoring threat. The team's floor general was [[Muggsy Bogues]], the shortest player in NBA history. However, as is typical for most NBA expansion teams, the Hornets struggled, finishing with a 20&mdash;62 record--never winning more than two games in a row.

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

For the [[1990-91 NBA season|1990-91 season]], the team picked up guard [[Kendall Gill]] in the [[NBA Draft]], and got slightly better, but still managed to win the draft lottery and the rights to the number one overall pick in the following year's draft. The Hornets also hosted the [[1991 NBA All-Star Game|All-Star Game]]. Littles was fired at the end of the season and replaced by general manager [[Allan Bristow]].

For the [[1991-92 NBA season|1991-92 season]], the Hornets drafted [[power forward (basketball)|power forward]] [[Larry Johnson (basketball)|Larry Johnson]] from [[University of Nevada, Las Vegas|UNLV]] with the number one overall pick. Johnson had an impact season, finishing among league leaders in points and rebounds, and winning the 1992 [[NBA Rookie of the Year Award]]. Kendall Gill led the club in scoring, with over 20 points per game. The team stayed in contention for a playoff spot until March.

====1992&mdash;1999: Rise to prominence====
In [[1992-93 NBA season|1992-93]], the team won the second pick in the draft, using it to select [[Georgetown Hoyas|Georgetown]] center [[Alonzo Mourning]]. The Hornets now had two 20&mdash;10 threats in Johnson and Mourning, who with Gill formed perhaps the league's top young trio. It was good enough for the team's first-ever winning record, at 44&mdash;38, and the first [[1993 NBA Playoffs|playoff berth]] in franchise history. They finished fifth in the [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern Conference]] and upset the [[Boston Celtics]] in the first round. Mourning won the series with a 20-footer<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/news/story?page=add_mourning_alonzo ESPN - The Mourning After - Classic<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in game four. However, they lacked the experience and depth to defeat the [[New York Knicks]].

The next few years were marked by injuries to Johnson and Mourning, though they did get back to [[1995 NBA Playoffs|the playoffs]] in [[1994-95 NBA season|1994-95]], notching the first 50-win season in franchise history--only to be beaten by the [[Chicago Bulls]].

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

The offseason was again marked by vast changes: Anderson declined to re-sign, Johnson was shipped to the Knicks for power forward [[Anthony Mason (basketball)|Anthony Mason]], and center [[Vlade Divac]] was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers for the 13th pick in the draft ([[Kobe Bryant]]). The new-look Hornets were apparently even better, with Divac and Geiger providing the center combo, Mason averaging a double-double and all-NBA third team honors, Bogues back at the point, and Rice having the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring and earning all-NBA second team honors. Rice was also the All-Star game MVP, setting several scoring records. The team also sported the second best season in their history to date (54 victories), making it [[1997 NBA Playoffs|back to the playoffs]]. However, they went down rather meekly to the Knicks in three straight games.

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

====1999&mdash;2002: New era====
[[1999-2000 NBA season|1999-2000]] was a return to prominence, with the addition of free agent [[Derrick Coleman]] and third overall draft pick, point guard [[Baron Davis]]. The lineup of Wesley, Jones, Mason, Coleman and Campbell tore through much of the season, but on [[January 12]], [[2000]] [[Bobby Phills]] was killed in an automobile accident. His number was retired on [[February 9]]. The team returned to the playoffs, where they succumbed to the [[Philadelphia 76ers]]. Jones led the league in steals, but in the offseason he and Mason were shipped to the Heat in exchange for [[Jamal Mashburn]] and [[P.J. Brown]].

The season, however, was overshadowed by events off the court. The team's popularity had begun to sag due to fan discontent with Shinn's personnel moves; he had reportedly traded Mourning and several other stars out of an unwillingness to pay them market value. [[Michael Jordan]], a North Carolina native, began negotiations to become part-owner of the team, but talks collapsed when Shinn refused to grant Jordan total control over the basketball side of the operation.

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

In [[2000-01 NBA season|2000-01]] the Hornets, with the lineup of Davis, Wesley, Mashburn, Brown and Campbell made it back to the playoffs, where they upset the third-seeded Heat and made it to the conference semifinals for the third time in franchise history, before losing to the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] in seven games. They returned the following season by beating the [[Orlando Magic]], but were upended by the [[New Jersey Nets]]. Many thought this was because of Jamal Mashburn missing the playoffs.

====Leaving Charlotte====
While the Hornets continued to put a competitive team on the court, the team's attendance fell dramatically, in large part because Shinn was now a pariah in the city.<ref>[http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/charhorn/charhornets.html Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> For much of the early part of the 21st century, the Hornets ranked at or near the bottom of the league in attendance--a marked contrast to their first years in the league.

Shinn had become increasingly discontented with the Coliseum, which had a limited number of luxury boxes. He finally issued an ultimatum--unless the city built a new arena at no cost to him, the Hornets would leave town. The city initially refused, leading Shinn to consider moving the team to either [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] or [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]. It should be noted that of the four cities, only St. Louis was a larger media market than Charlotte at the time.

Finally, a new arena in [[Uptown Charlotte|Uptown]] (what would eventually become the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, at the time known as [[Time Warner Cable Arena]]) was included in a nonbinding referendum for a larger arts-related package, and Shinn withdrew his application to move the team. Polls showed the referendum on its way to passage. However, just days before the referendum, Mayor [[Pat McCrory]] vetoed a [[living wage]] ordinance. The veto prompted many of the city's black ministers to oppose the referendum; they felt it was immoral for the city to build a new arena when city employees couldn't afford to make a living.<ref>[http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A535&comments=yes World Class City, Third World Paycheck]. [[Creative Loafing]], 2001-12-29</ref>

After the failed referendum, city leaders then devised a way to build a new arena in a way that didn't require voter support, but let it be known that they would not even consider building it unless Shinn sold the team. While even the NBA acknowledged that Shinn had alienated fans, league officials felt such a demand would anger owners.<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1334984&type=news ESPN.com - Council willing to amend 'new owner' statement<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The city council refused to remove the statement, leading the Hornets to seriously consider a move to New Orleans. Although New Orleans was a smaller television market, a deal was quickly made to play at the [[New Orleans Arena]], next door to the [[Louisiana Superdome]]. Before the Hornets were eliminated from the playoffs, the NBA approved the deal. As part of a deal with the city, the NBA promised that Charlotte would get a new team, which took the court two years later as the [[Charlotte Bobcats]].

===New Orleans (pre-Katrina)===
====2002-2004: NBA returns to the Big Easy====
The Hornets opened their inaugural season in New Orleans on October 30, 2002, against the [[Utah Jazz]], who were originally in New Orleans and called the '''New Orleans Jazz''', with a 100-75 win; [[Pete Maravich|"Pistol" Pete Maravich]] had his number posthumously retired during halftime. It was the first regular season NBA game played in New Orleans in over 17 years<ref>[http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014103.html ESPN.com: Eye for victory<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> (there were a few exhibition games played through the years including the then Charlotte Hornets in New Orleans in 2000). They qualified for [[2003 NBA Playoffs|the playoffs]] for the fourth straight year in [[2002-03 NBA season|2002-03]], but were beaten by Philadelphia again. Jamal Mashburn also missed most of these playoffs.

After the season, the team unexpectedly fired Silas. He was replaced by [[Tim Floyd]]. The Hornets got off to a 17-7 start, but sputtered at the end and finished 41-41, narrowly missing out on home court advantage in the first round of the [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern Conference]] [[2004 NBA Playoffs|playoffs]]. They played the Miami Heat in the first round, but [[Dwyane Wade]]'s last second shot sunk the Hornets in Game One of the series. The teams ended up winning all their respective home games after that, but Wade's shot was the difference as the Heat won 4-3.

====2004&mdash;2005: Early struggles in the West====
After the season, Floyd was fired and the team hired [[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]] to be their head coach. Because of the expansion, the Hornets were now forced to play in the Southwest Division of the [[Western Conference (NBA)|Western Conference]] which included four playoff teams in the [[San Antonio Spurs]], [[Dallas Mavericks]], [[Houston Rockets]], and [[Memphis Grizzlies]]. The team was not expected to compete for a playoff spot with such tough competition. In a season marred by injury to the team's three all-stars ([[Baron Davis]], [[Jamaal Magloire]], and [[Jamal Mashburn]]) an 0-8 start quickly became a 2-29 record (including a one-point loss in overtime to their replacements, the expansion [[Charlotte Bobcats]], in the team's first game back in Charlotte since relocating). This started a watch of how bad their record could get, threatening the Philadelphia 76ers' record of a 9-73 season. The team performed better in January and February with the emerging play of fan favorite [[Dan Dickau]], but the season was essentially over before it started with the horrendous start. As a result of the lack of success, the team's roster was reshaped, with older veterans [[Baron Davis]] and [[Jamal Mashburn]] traded to facilitate a rebuilding process. The team found stronger support for their younger, scrappier players than they did the previous year. They also acquired [[Jim Jackson (basketball)|Jimmy Jackson]] from the [[Houston Rockets]], but Jackson never reported to the team (which surprisingly was supported by leading NBA analysts on radio shows and TV networks) and was traded again, this time to the [[Phoenix Suns]] for [[Maciej Lampe]], [[Casey Jacobsen]], and [[Jackson Vroman]], none of whom made a significant impact. The Hornets finished 18-64--tied for the second-worst record in the league, and the franchise's first losing season in 15 years. They were initially in the NBA draft lottery when their pick slid to fourth. Despite the bad luck, the Hornets got their man in [[Chris Paul]].

===Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans/Oklahoma City===
Due to the catastrophic devastation brought by [[Hurricane Katrina]] upon the communities of southeastern [[Louisiana]], the Hornets franchise temporarily relocated their base of operations to [[Oklahoma City]] in 2005-06 and 2006-07. During this time, the franchise was known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. In these two seasons, the vast majority of home games were played at the [[Ford Center]] in Oklahoma City, while a few remained at [[New Orleans Arena]]. Their practice facility while in Oklahoma City was the [[Sawyer Center]] <ref>[http://sports.snu.edu/facilities_sawyer.asp Sawyer Center]</ref> on the campus of [[Southern Nazarene University|Southern Nazarene University (SNU)]].<ref>http://snu.edu/?p={E4161849-E79C-4F0C-AD27-33DC07C3ED45}&sc=-1&ni=761&fr=news 1</ref> and the team held its 2006 training camp at their New Orleans practice facility, the [[Alario Center]], in [[Westwego, Louisiana]].

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

The Hornets started off the [[2005-06 NBA season]] better than expected, but did not make the playoffs. Backup center [[Chris Andersen]] received a two-year ban due to a drug violation, it seemed to spark the Hornets to a hot streak, and shortly after the Hornets briefly held the sixth seed in the West. Eventually, however, the team went cold, losing 12 out of 13 games to drop out of the playoff race, setting an ignominious NBA record in the process when they scored 16 points in the second half of a game in [[Los Angeles]] versus the [[Clippers]]. The Hornets rebounded to make one final push at the end of the season for a playoff spot, but finished 38-44, 10th place in the [[Western Conference]] and 6 games out of a playoff spot.
Despite the losing record, [[Chris Paul]] won the [[NBA Rookie of the Year Award]] in a landslide, and several Hornets were also in contention for other individual awards.

On [[June 28]], the Hornets selected [[Hilton Armstrong]] and [[Cedric Simmons]] in the first round of the [[2006 NBA Draft]]. They also selected [[Marcus Vinicius de Souza|Marcus Vinicius]] from [[Brazil]] in the 2nd round.

The Hornets opted to keep their base of operations in Oklahoma City for the [[2006-07 NBA season|2006-07 season]] due to the continued recovery efforts in New Orleans but promised to return to New Orleans full time, possibly as early as 2007.

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

During the 2006-2007 season, the Hornets played 35 home games in Oklahoma City and 6 in New Orleans during the season. The team finished the regular season with a 39-43 record, one more win than the 2005-2006 season.

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

===New Orleans (post-Katrina)===
====2007&mdash;present: March back to the Big Easy====
{{main|2007-08 New Orleans Hornets season}}
Personnel-wise, the Hornets stood largely pat heading into the 2007-2008 season. They did however sign free agents [[Morris Peterson]] and [[Melvin Ely]], while letting go of former first round draft pick [[Cedric Simmons]]. Further, the club extended the contract of reserve guard [[Jannero Pargo]], and selected Kansas forward [[Julian Wright]] with the 13th pick in the [[2007 NBA Draft]].

Healthier than previous seasons, the Hornets stormed to a 29&mdash;12 record at the halfway mark. Having the best record in the Western Conference on February 3rd meant that [[Byron Scott]] would coach the 2008 Western Conference All-Stars at home in the New Orleans Arena. Scott was joined by two of his players, as both [[Chris Paul]] and [[David West (basketball)|David West]] were selected as All-Star reserves. Chris Paul was nominated for NBA MVP 2008 and placed 2nd in voting. On February 21st the Hornets made an in-season trade with the [[Houston Rockets]] acquiring swingman [[Bonzi Wells]] and backup point guard [[Mike James]] for veteran guard [[Bobby Jackson]].

The Hornets completed the regular season with a record of 56&mdash;26, marking the season the most successful ever in terms of number of wins. The Hornets also won their first ever division title, winning the [[Southwest Division (NBA)|Southwest Division]] ahead of the [[San Antonio Spurs]]. Having clinched the 2nd overall seed for the Western Conference, the Hornets beat the [[Dallas Mavericks]] in the first round. The Hornets posted decisive wins against the 3rd seed [[San Antonio Spurs]] in the first two games of their first ever Western Conference Semi-finals since the move to New Orleans, but eventually lost to the defending champion Spurs 3 games to 4 in a tightly contested series.

In August 2008, the Hornets unveiled a modified logo and new uniforms with the colors of Creole blue, purple, and Mardi Gras gold. The script was changed as an allusion to the wrought iron architecture of New Orleans. An additional third logo was introduced, with the "NOLA" abbreviation and a trumpet.
<ref>[http://www.nba.com/hornets/news/Hornets_Display_Rebirth_with_U-280578-2057.html Hornets new uniforms and logos]</ref>

====Progress on the business side====
The Hornets franchise returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007&mdash;2008 season, with all 41 home games played in the New Orleans Arena. League officials had stressed from the beginning the desire for the franchise to return to New Orleans once it proved feasible and that they would make a good-faith effort to assist with the recovery. To that end, the 2008 [[NBA All-Star Game]] and its accompanying festivities were awarded to New Orleans and a serious marketing campaign was commenced in February 2007. Subsequently, various corporate sponsorship agreements were signed (under the umbrella of the Crescent City Champions), with [[Dr Pepper Snapple Group]], [[Capital One]], and [[Cox Communications]] among them.

Attendance at the [[New Orleans Arena]], while tepid at first, picked up considerably in the months of March and April 2008 with the team registering sell-outs in 12 of its last 17 regular season home games, and the final 13 total games (including playoffs). The team has also publicly announced the sale of over 10,000 season tickets for the 2008-2009 season, a record total since the relocation from Charlotte.

==Team logos==
<gallery>
Image:Charlotte Hornets.PNG|'''1989–2002''', original Charlotte Hornets logo
Image:NewOrleansHornets_2002-08.png|'''2002–2008''', primary logo
Image:OKCHornetsalternate.jpg|'''2002-2008''', secondary logo
Image:NewOrleansHornets.png|'''2008-present''', primary logo
Image:Fleur-de-Bee.PNG|'''2007-present''', secondary logo (''"[[Fleur-de-lis|Fleur-de-bee]]"'')
Image:NOLA.PNG|'''2008-present''', secondary logo ([[New Orleans, Louisiana]] abbreviation)
</gallery>

==Season-by-season records==
''This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Hornets. For the full season-by-season history, see [[New Orleans Hornets seasons]].''

{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|<small>'''League Champions''' </small>
|bgcolor="#ddffdd"|<small>'''Conference Champions'''</small>
|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|<small>'''Division Champions'''</small>
|bgcolor="#96CDCD"|<small>'''Playoff Berth'''</small>
|}

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Season
!rowspan="2"|League
!rowspan="2"|Conference
!rowspan="2"|Division
!colspan="4"|Regular season
!rowspan="2"|[[NBA Playoffs|Post Season]] Results
!rowspan="2"|Awards
|-
!Finish
!Wins
!Losses
!Pct.
|-
|colspan="10" align=center bgcolor="#0093b1" | <font color="#Fdb827">'''New Orleans Hornets'''
|-align="center"
|2003-04 || [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] || [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]] || [[Central Division (NBA)|Central]] || bgcolor="#96CDCD"|3rd || 41 || 41 || .500 || Lost First Round ([[Miami Heat|Miami]]) 4-3 ||
|-align="center"
|2004-05 || NBA || [[Western Conference (NBA)|Western]] || [[Southwest Division (NBA)|Southwest]] || 5th || 18 || 64 || .220 || ||
|-
|colspan="10" align=center bgcolor="#0093b1" | <font color="#Fdb827">'''New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets'''
|-align="center"
|[[2005-06 New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets season|2005-06]] || NBA || Western || Southwest || 4th || 38 || 44 || .463 || || [[Chris Paul]] ([[NBA Rookie of the Year Award|ROY]])
|-align="center"
|2006-07 || NBA || Western || Southwest || 4th || 39 || 43 || .476 || ||
|-
|colspan="10" align=center bgcolor="#048EC4" | <font color="#ECB634">'''New Orleans Hornets'''
|-align="center"
|[[2007-08 New Orleans Hornets season|2007-08]] || NBA || Western || bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Southwest || bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|1st || 56 || 26 || .683 || '''Won''' First Round ([[Dallas Mavericks|Dallas]]) 4-1<br>Lost Conference Semifinals ([[San Antonio Spurs|San Antonio]]) 4-3 || [[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]] ([[NBA All-Star Game|ASG Coach]], [[NBA Coach of the Year Award|COY]])
|-
! colspan="5"|Playoffs || 32 || 41 || .438 || colspan="2"| Playoff series record: 5-10 (Charlotte, 4-7; New Orleans, 1-3)
{{end box}}

==Home arenas==
* [[Charlotte Coliseum]] (1988&mdash;2002)
* [[New Orleans Arena]] (2002&mdash;present)

*Other Temporary Stadiums due to the effects of [[Hurricane Katrina]]:
** [[Pete Maravich Assembly Center]] (2005-2006)
** [[Ford Center]] (2005&mdash;2007)
** [[Lloyd Noble Center]] (2005&mdash;2006)

==Players ==
{{main|New Orleans Hornets all-time roster}}
{{seealso|New Orleans Hornets draft history}}

===[[Basketball Hall of Fame]]rs===
*[[Robert Parish]]

===Individual awards===
{{columns-start|num=3}}
'''[[NBA Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]]'''
*[[Larry Johnson (basketball)|Larry Johnson]] - 1992
*[[Chris Paul]] - 2006

'''[[NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award|Sixth Man of the Year]]'''
*[[Dell Curry]] - 1994

'''[[NBA Coach of the Year Award|Coach of the Year]]'''
*[[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]] - 2008

'''[[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star Game MVP]]'''
*[[Glen Rice]] - 1997

'''[[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star West Head Coach]]'''
*Byron Scott - 2008

'''[[NBA Executive of the Year Award|Executive of the Year]]
*[[Bob Bass]] - 1997
{{column}}
'''[[All-NBA First Team]]'''
*[[Chris Paul]] - 2008

'''[[All-NBA Second Team]]'''
*[[Larry Johnson (basketball)|Larry Johnson]] - 1993
*Glen Rice - 1997

'''[[All-NBA Third Team]]'''
*[[Anthony Mason (basketball)|Anthony Mason]] - 1997
*Glen Rice - 1998
*[[Eddie Jones (basketball)|Eddie Jones]] - 2000
*[[Jamal Mashburn]] - 2003
*[[Baron Davis]] - 2004
{{column}}
'''[[NBA All-Defensive Second Team]]'''
*Anthony Mason - 1997
*Eddie Jones - 1999, 2000
*[[P.J. Brown]] - 2001
*[[Chris Paul]] - 2008
'''[[NBA All-Rookie Team|NBA Rookie First Team]]'''
*[[Kendall Gill]] - 1991
*[[Larry Johnson (basketball)|Larry Johnson]] - 1992
*[[Alonzo Mourning]] - 1993
*Chris Paul - 2006

'''[[NBA All-Rookie Team|NBA Rookie Second Team]]'''
*[[Rex Chapman]] - 1989
*[[J.R. Reid]] - 1990
{{columns-end}}

===Retired numbers===
*7 [[Pete Maravich|"Pistol" Pete Maravich]], G, [[Utah Jazz|New Orleans Jazz]] 1974&ndash;79 (note: The Hornets retired Maravich's number during their first game in New Orleans in honor of his basketball contributions to the area at LSU and with the city's former NBA team, the [[Utah Jazz|New Orleans Jazz]])
*13 [[Bobby Phills]], G, Charlotte Hornets 1997&ndash;2000

===Current roster===
{{New Orleans Hornets roster}}

==Head coaches==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" <!-- As of December 17, 2007. -->
|-
!rowspan="2"|Name
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="2"|Regular Season
!colspan="2"|Postseason
!rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
!W!!L!!W!!L
|-
| [[Dick Harter]] || 1988 || 1990 || 28 || 94 || -- || -- || 8-32 for 1989-90 season; Final game on January 27, 1990
|-
| [[Gene Littles]] || 1990 || 1991 || 37 || 87 || -- || -- || 11-31 for 1989-90 season after firing of [[Dick Harter]]
|-
| [[Allan Bristow]] || 1991 || 1996 || 207 || 203 || 5 || 8 || Earned first playoff berth and playoff series win in franchise history
|-
| [[Dave Cowens]] || 1996 || 1999 || 109 || 70 || 4 || 8 || 4-11 for 1998-99 season; Final game on March 5, 1999
|-
| [[Paul Silas]] || 1999 || 2003 || 208 || 155 || 13 || 14 || 22-13 for 1998-99 season after firing of [[Dave Cowens]]
|-
| [[Tim Floyd]] || 2003 || 2004 || 41 || 41 || 3 || 4 ||
|-
| [[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]] || 2004 || Present || 139 || 172 || 7 || 5 || <!-- 95–151 prior to the 2007-08 season. -->
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.nba.com/hornets/ New Orleans Hornets official web site]
*[http://www.atthehive.com At the Hive - New Orleans Hornets blog]
*[http://www.hornets247.com Hornets247.com - New Orleans Hornets blog]
*[http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-hornets-neworleans&prov=ap&type=lgns Hornets owner pledges full commitment to New Orleans] -- [[December 14]], [[2006]]

{{New Orleans Hornets}}
{{NBA}}

[[Category:National Basketball Association teams]]
[[Category:Effects of Hurricane Katrina]]
[[Category:New Orleans Hornets]]
[[Category:Sports clubs established in 1988]]
[[Category:Sports in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|H]]
[[Category:Sports in New Orleans, Louisiana]]

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Revision as of 06:52, 13 October 2008

Look up proliferation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Proliferation means to cause to grow or increase rapidly. 1) To grow or multiply by rapidly producing new tissue, parts, cells, or offspring. 2) To increase or spread at a rapid rate: fears that nuclear weapons might proliferate


The word proliferation can refer to:

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