1994–95 New Jersey Nets season
| 1994–95 New Jersey Nets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Butch Beard |
| General manager | Willis Reed |
| Arena | Brendan Byrne Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 30–52 (.366) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Atlantic) Conference: 11th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WWOR-TV SportsChannel New York |
| Radio | WQEW |
The 1994–95 NBA season was the 28th season for the New Jersey Nets in the National Basketball Association, and their 19th season in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During the off-season, the Nets re-signed free agent Sleepy Floyd, signed Sean Higgins, and undrafted rookie point guard Chris Childs. Under new head coach Butch Beard, the Nets fell apart like a cheap suit losing five of their first six games of the regular season, then after a 12–15 start, the team lost eight of their next nine games and played below .500 basketball for the entire season, holding a 19–31 record at the All-Star break.
Derrick Coleman missed 26 games with assorted aches and pains, and a wrist injury, while Kevin Edwards only played just 14 games before sitting out the remainder of the season with a partly torn Achilles tendon, Benoit Benjamin missed 21 games with a lower back injury, and top draft pick Yinka Dare missed all but one game due to knee injuries. Both Coleman and Kenny Anderson had a public feud with their new coach, as the Nets lost 15 of their final 19 games and missed the NBA playoffs, finishing in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a disappointing 30–52 record.
Coleman led the team with 20.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, while Anderson averaged 17.6 points, 9.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Armen Gilliam provided the team with 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and finished in ninth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting. In addition, Edwards contributed 14.0 points and 1.4 steals per game, while Chris Morris provided with 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and also led the Nets with 106 three-point field goals, Benjamin averaged 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, second-year forward P.J. Brown contributed 8.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and second-year guard Rex Walters contributed 6.5 points per game.
Following the season, Morris signed as a free agent with the Utah Jazz, while Benjamin was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the newly expansion Vancouver Grizzlies, and Floyd retired.