1989–90 New Jersey Nets season

1989–90 New Jersey Nets season
Head coachBill Fitch
ArenaBrendan Byrne Arena
Results
Record17–65 (.207)
PlaceDivision: 6th (Atlantic)
Conference: 13th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionWWOR-TV
SportsChannel New York
RadioWNEW

The 1989–90 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 23rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 14th season in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[1] The Nets received the twelfth overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, and selected point guard Mookie Blaylock from the University of Oklahoma.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Sam Bowie from the Portland Trail Blazers on draft day,[5][6][7] signed free agent Purvis Short, and also hired Bill Fitch as their new head coach. In December, the Nets signed free agent Jack Haley.

Under Fitch, and with the addition of Bowie, Short and Blaylock, the Nets got off to a 3–2 start to the regular season, but then posted a nine-game losing streak afterwards. The team continued to struggle posting a 14-game losing streak between January and February, and holding a 12–35 record at the All-Star break.[8] At mid-season, the team traded Joe Barry Carroll to the Denver Nuggets, acquired Chris Dudley from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and signed free agent, and undrafted rookie power forward Derrick Gervin.[9][10] The Nets posted an 11-game losing streak in March, and lost their final seven games of the season, finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division with a league-worst 17–65 record.[11]

Dennis Hopson averaged 15.8 points and 1.3 steals per game, while Roy Hinson averaged 15.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, but only played just 25 games due to injury, and second-year star Chris Morris provided the team with 14.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. In addition, Bowie provided with 14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, but only shot .416 in field-goal percentage, while Short contributed 13.1 points per game, Gervin averaged 12.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 21 games, and Blaylock contributed 10.1 points, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, but only appeared in just 50 games also due to injury. Meanwhile, second-year center Charles Shackleford averaged 8.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, Lester Conner provided with 7.9 points, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game, Dudley contributed 6.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 27 games after the trade, and Haley averaged 6.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.[12]

The Nets finished 25th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 473,760 at the Brendan Byrne Arena during the regular season, which was the third-lowest in the league.[12][13] Following the season, Hopson was traded to the Chicago Bulls,[14][15] and Short retired.

Draft picks

Main article: 1989 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 12 Mookie Blaylock PG  United States Oklahoma
2 32 Stanley Brundy F  United States DePaul

Roster

1989–90 New Jersey Nets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 10 Mookie Blaylock 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1967-03-20 Oklahoma
C 31 Sam Bowie 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1961-03-17 Kentucky
F 21 Stanley Brundy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1967-11-13 DePaul
G 15 Lester Conner 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1959-09-17 Oregon State
C 22 Chris Dudley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1965-02-22 Yale
F 24 Derrick Gervin 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1963-03-28 Texas–San Antonio
F/C 44 Jack Haley 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1964-01-27 UCLA
F 23 Roy Hinson  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1961-05-02 Rutgers
G/F 2 Dennis Hopson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1965-04-22 Ohio State
F/C 42 Anthony Mason 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1966-12-14 Tennessee State
G/F 34 Chris Morris 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966-01-20 Auburn
G 7 Pete Myers 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1963-09-15 Little Rock
F/C 33 Charles Shackleford 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966-04-22 NC State
G/F 45 Purvis Short 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957-07-02 Jackson State
G 5 Leon Wood 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1962-03-25 Cal State Fullerton
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers 53 29 .646 – 34–7 19–22 19–7
x-Boston Celtics 52 30 .634 1 30–11 22–19 19–7
x-New York Knicks 45 37 .549 8 29–12 16–25 17–9
Washington Bullets 31 51 .378 22 20–21 11–30 10–16
Miami Heat 18 64 .220 35 11–30 7–34 4–22
New Jersey Nets 17 65 .207 36 13–28 4–37 9–17
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Detroit Pistons 59 23 .720 –
2 y-Philadelphia 76ers 53 29 .646 6
3 x-Chicago Bulls 55 27 .671 4
4 x-Boston Celtics 52 30 .634 7
5 x-New York Knicks 45 37 .549 14
6 x-Milwaukee Bucks 44 38 .537 15
7 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 42 40 .512 17
8 x-Indiana Pacers 42 40 .512 17
9 Atlanta Hawks 41 41 .500 18
10 Washington Bullets 31 51 .378 28
11 Miami Heat 18 64 .220 41
12 Orlando Magic 18 64 .220 41
13 New Jersey Nets 17 65 .207 42

Game log

Regular season

1989–90 game log
Total: 17–65 (Home: 13–28; Road: 4–37)
November: 3–11 (home: 1–4; road: 2–7)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 November 3, 1989 @ Miami W 110–90 Hopson (19) Shackleford (16) Blaylock,
Conner (5) 		Miami Arena
15,008 		1–0
2 November 4, 1989 @ Orlando W 111–106 Hopson (24) Shackleford (12) Blaylock (5) Orlando Arena
15,077 		2–0
3 November 7, 1989 Miami L 77–83 Hopson (17) Shackleford (14) Conner (3) Brendan Byrne Arena
11,999 		2–1
4 November 9, 1989 @ New York L 105–107 Morris (21) Hopson (9) Blaylock,
Morris (6) 		Madison Square Garden
13,482 		2–2
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
December: 5–9 (home: 3–5; road: 2–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
15 December 1, 1989 Miami W 101–77 Shackleford (19) Bowie (16) Blaylock (3) Brendan Byrne Arena
10,240 		4–11
16
17
18
19
20
21
22 December 19, 1989 @ Miami W 100–98 Hopson (20) Bowie (6) Conner,
Morris (5) 		Miami Arena
15,008 		7–15
23
24
25 December 23, 1989 @ New York L 85–94 Hinson,
Morris (22) 		Carroll (10) Conner (6) Madison Square Garden
17,047 		7–18
26
27 December 28, 1989 New York L 104–106 Hopson (21) Hinson (12) Blaylock (6) Brendan Byrne Arena
20,049 		8–19
28
January: 4–11 (home: 4–3; road: 0–8)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38 January 19, 1990 @ Orlando L 105–120 Carroll (22) Carroll (11) Conner (6) Orlando Arena
15,077 		12–26
39
40 January 25, 1990 Orlando L 112–117 Shackleford (22) Bowie (11) Conner (6) Brendan Byrne Arena
8,356 		12–28
41
42
43
February: 1–11 (home: 1–5; road: 0–6)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
44
45
46
47
All-Star Break
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
March: 3–13 (home: 3–5; road: 0–8)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
56
57
58
59
60
61 March 10, 1990 @ New York L 91–110 Gervin (24) Haley (11) Myers,
Shackleford (5) 		Madison Square Garden
18,212 		15–46
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70 March 28, 1990 New York W 106–101 Morris (24) Morris (15) Conner,
Myers (6) 		Brendan Byrne Arena
18,438 		16–54
71
April: 1–10 (home: 1–6; road: 0–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
72
73
74
75 April 8, 1990 Miami W 102–101 Morris (23) Bowie,
Morris (11) 		Wood (3) Brendan Byrne Arena
7,821 		17–58
76
77
78
79
80
81
82 April 22, 1990 Orlando L 102–110 Short (23) Dudley (20) Conner (5) Brendan Byrne Arena
12,248 		17–65
1989–90 schedule

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% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Mookie Blaylock 50 17 25.3 .371 .225 .778 2.8 4.2 1.6 .3 10.1
Sam Bowie 68 54 32.5 .416 .323 .776 10.1 1.3 .6 1.8 14.7
Stanley Brundy 16 0 8.0 .500 .389 1.6 .2 .4 .3 2.3
Rick Carlisle 5 0 4.2 .143 .000 .0 1.0 .2 .2 .4
Joe Barry Carroll† 46 20 21.8 .393 .000 .794 5.4 .9 .4 1.2 8.8
Lester Conner 82 61 28.7 .414 .154 .804 3.2 4.7 2.1 .1 7.9
Chris Dudley† 27 8 24.9 .441 .305 8.1 .7 .8 1.1 6.1
Derrick Gervin 21 0 16.1 .472 .000 .730 3.1 .4 1.0 .3 12.0
Jack Haley† 56 26 18.3 .394 .000 .661 5.0 .4 .3 .2 6.0
Roy Hinson 25 19 31.7 .507 .869 6.9 .9 .6 1.1 15.0
Dennis Hopson 79 64 32.3 .434 .317 .792 3.5 1.9 1.3 .6 15.8
Jaren Jackson 28 0 5.7 .362 .000 .810 .9 .5 .5 .0 2.4
Anthony Mason 21 0 5.1 .350 .600 1.6 .3 .1 .1 1.8
Chris Morris 80 76 30.6 .422 .316 .722 5.3 1.8 1.6 1.0 14.8
Pete Myers† 28 2 19.4 .411 .000 .725 2.4 3.6 .7 .3 7.1
Charles Shackleford 70 37 22.2 .462 .000 .687 6.8 .8 .6 .5 8.2
Purvis Short 82 24 27.0 .455 .286 .835 3.0 1.8 .8 .2 13.1
Jay Taylor 17 0 6.7 .404 .231 .667 .6 .3 .3 .2 3.0
Leon Wood 28 2 7.1 .327 .190 .875 .4 1.7 .2 .0 1.8
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Nets only.

Player statistics citation:[12]

References

  1. ^ 1989–90 New Jersey Nets
  2. ^ Goldaper, Sam (June 28, 1989). "Kings Take Ellison First in N.B.A. Draft; Clippers Pick Ferry". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  3. ^ McManis, Sam (June 28, 1989). "THE NBA DRAFT: The Other Teams: Sacramento's Secret Is Out: It's Ellison". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  4. ^ "1989 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  5. ^ Brown, Clifton (June 25, 1989). "PRO-BASKETBALL; Nets Get Bowie for Buck Williams". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "Trail Blazers Trade Bowie, No. 12 Pick in Draft to Nets for Buck Williams". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 25, 1989. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Blazers Trade Bowie, No. 12 Pick for Williams". Deseret News. Associated Press. June 25, 1989. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  8. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  9. ^ Goldaper, Sam (February 22, 1990). "Knicks Trade Strickland to Spurs for Cheeks". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  10. ^ "NBA WEDNESDAY'S TRADES: Cheeks Dealt for Strickland; Carroll to Nuggets". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 22, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  11. ^ "1989–90 New Jersey Nets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c "1989–90 New Jersey Nets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  13. ^ "1989–90 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  14. ^ Brown, Clifton (June 27, 1990). "Nets Continue to Deal, Trading Hopson to Bulls". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  15. ^ "2 Dennis Hopson". Chicago Tribune. November 2, 1990. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
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