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1998–99 Cleveland Cavaliers season

NBA professional basketball team season


NBA professional basketball team season

FieldValue
teamCleveland Cavaliers
end_year1999
wins22
losses28
divisioncentral
division_place7
conf_place11
coachMike Fratello
televisionFox Sports Ohio WUAB
radioWTAM
arenaGund Arena
playoffsDid not qualify
bbr_teamCLE

The 1998–99 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 29th season for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.

During the off-season, the Cavaliers re-signed free agent Johnny Newman, who previously played for the team during the 1986–87 season. However, after five games into the regular season, second-year star Zydrunas Ilgauskas was out with a season-ending foot injury, averaging 15.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

At mid-season, the team traded Vitaly Potapenko to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Andrew DeClercq, and signed free agent Corie Blount, who was previously released by the Los Angeles Lakers. With a 21–18 record in mid April, the Cavaliers struggled as they posted a 7-game losing streak, and lost ten of their final eleven games of the season, finishing in seventh place in the Central Division with a 22–28 record, and missing the NBA playoffs.

Shawn Kemp averaged 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while Wesley Person averaged 11.2 points per game and led the Cavaliers with 75 three-point field goals, and second-year guard Derek Anderson provided the team with 10.8 points per game off the bench. In addition, second-year guard Brevin Knight contributed 9.6 points, 7.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while second-year forward Cedric Henderson provided with 9.1 points per game, and DeClercq averaged 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 33 games after the trade. Off the bench, Danny Ferry provided with 7.0 points per game, while Newman contributed 6.1 points per game, and Bob Sura averaged 4.3 points and 3.0 assists per game, but only shot .333 in field-goal percentage.

Kemp also finished in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting. However, Kemp was a shell of his former self as he reported to practice, weighing 315 lbs, and according to the team's General Manager Wayne Embry, the league listed him at 280. The Cavaliers finished 25th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 352,992 at the Gund Arena during the regular season, which was the fifth-lowest in the league.

Following the season, head coach Mike Fratello was fired after spending six seasons with the Cavaliers, while Anderson and Newman were both traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, who then dealt Newman back to the New Jersey Nets, and Blount signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns.

Offseason

Free agents

Trades

Draft picks

Main article: 1998 NBA draft

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalitySchool/Club team
248Ryan StackCenterSouth Carolina
  • 1st round pick (#19) traded to Milwaukee in Sherman Douglas deal. Used to draft Pat Garrity.

Roster

  • Mike Fratello
  • Marc Iavaroni
  • Sidney Lowe
  • Ron Rothstein | access-date = April 2, 1999

Regular season

Season standings

Game log

|- style="background:#fcc;" | 1 || February 5, 1999 || @ Atlanta | L 83–100 | | | | Georgia Dome 19,806 | 0–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 || February 6, 1999 || @ Boston | L 73–77 | | | | FleetCenter 18,173 | 0–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 13 || March 2, 1999 || Boston | W 116–99 | | | | Gund Arena 12,906 | 6–7 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 || March 23, 1999 || Boston | W 113–86 | | | | Gund Arena 15,810 | 13–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 35 || April 10, 1999 || Atlanta | W 81–67 | | | | Gund Arena 13,859 | 18–17 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 36 || April 12, 1999 || @ Boston | L 89–103 | | | | FleetCenter 15,622 | 18–18 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 48 || May 2, 1999 || Atlanta | W 65–76 | | | | Gund Arena 12,690 | 22–26

Player stats

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Shawn Kemp424235.148.250.078.99.22.41.11.120.5
Zydrunas Ilgauskas5534.250.90.060.08.80.80.81.415.2
Wesley Person454229.845.337.560.43.21.80.80.411.2
Derek Anderson381325.739.830.483.62.93.81.30.110.8
Brevin Knight393830.442.50.074.53.47.71.80.29.6
Cedric Henderson504830.341.716.781.33.92.31.20.59.1
Andrew DeClercq333125.650.20.067.95.80.61.10.69.0
Vitaly Potapenko171227.543.70.067.35.50.90.60.98.4
Danny Ferry501021.247.639.287.92.01.10.50.27.0
Johnny Newman50219.042.237.781.01.50.80.60.26.1
Mitchell Butler31113.548.237.971.91.40.70.50.15.4
Bob Sura50616.833.320.063.12.03.00.90.34.3
Corie Blount20018.434.30.052.45.30.50.90.63.4
Ryan Stack18011.137.80.095.01.90.30.10.62.6
Earl Boykins17010.034.515.466.70.81.60.30.02.6
Antonio Lang1006.566.70.055.61.60.10.20.11.3
Litterial Green102.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Milestones

All-Star

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Development League

References

References

  1. [https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1999.html 1998-99 Cleveland Cavaliers]
  2. (January 6, 1999). "NBA: Let The Games Begin!". CBS News.
  3. (January 24, 1999). "Cavaliers Sign Free Agent Newman". Associated Press.
  4. Wise, Mike. (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times.
  5. (February 16, 1999). "Cavaliers Thwart Magic". The Ledger.
  6. Roberts, Selena. (February 19, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; Cavaliers Run Past and Over Knicks". The New York Times.
  7. Broussard, Chris. (February 21, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; Cavs' Kemp Throws His Weight Around". The New York Times.
  8. (March 11, 1999). "Cavs Trade Potapenko to Celtics". CBS News.
  9. (March 12, 1999). "Marbury Heads Home". Deseret News.
  10. Greenberg, Alan. (March 17, 1999). "His Strength Is His Power". Hartford Courant.
  11. (March 14, 1999). "Dallas Wins as A.C. Reaches Milestone". Los Angeles Times.
  12. "1998–99 Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
  13. "1998–99 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  14. "1998–99 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
  15. Wise, Mike. (February 7, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; Some Scales Tipping Over as N.B.A. Season Tips Off". The New York Times.
  16. Smith, Sam. (December 8, 1999). "Battle of the Bulge Detracts from Kemp's Performance". Chicago Tribune.
  17. Manfred, Tom. (October 17, 2011). "The Last Time There Was a Lockout, One NBA Star Packed on 35 Pounds". Business Insider.
  18. "1998–99 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.
  19. (June 1, 1999). "Cavs' Front Office Shakeup". CBS News.
  20. (June 2, 1999). "N.B.A.: ROUNDUP -- CLEVELAND; Cavs Fire Fratello; Embry Resigns". The New York Times.
  21. (June 2, 1999). "Cavaliers Fire Fratello as Part of a Shake-Up". Los Angeles Times.
  22. (August 4, 1999). "Cavs Send Anderson to Clips". CBS News.
  23. (August 4, 1999). "Clippers Trade Murray for Anderson". Associated Press News.
  24. White, Lonnie. (August 9, 1999). "Clippers Deal the Lakers a Blow". Los Angeles Times.
  25. (September 16, 1999). "Nets and Clippers Talk Trade". The New York Times.
  26. (September 23, 1999). "Nets Trade Murdock to Clips". CBS News.
  27. White, Lonnie. (September 24, 1999). "Another Pointed Day for Clippers: Pro Basketball: They Get Murdock in Trade with Nets, But Hear from Falk That Taylor Will Leave Team After the Season". Los Angeles Times.
  28. (September 9, 1999). "Studies Raise Issue of Head Blows' Effects on Teens". Los Angeles Times.
  29. [http://www.nba.com/bucks/history/history_transactions.html#1998 BUCKS: Significant Transactions in Bucks History]
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