1978–79 New Orleans Jazz season
| 1978–79 New Orleans Jazz season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Elgin Baylor |
| Arena | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 26–56 (.317) |
| Place | Division: 6th (Central) Conference: 11th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | DNQ |
|
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com |
|
| Local media | |
| Television | WGNO |
| Radio | WWL |
The 1978/79 season was the Jazz 5th season in the NBA and its last in New Orleans. The Jazz averaged 108.3 points per game (ranked 15th in NBA) while allowing an average of 114.6 points per game (ranked 21st in NBA).[1] The attendance was 364,205 (ranked 18th in NBA).
Contents
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | James Hardy |  United States |
University of San Francisco |
Regular season
Season standings
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | - |
| Houston Rockets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 1 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 46 | 36 | .561 | 2 |
| Detroit Pistons | 30 | 52 | .366 | 18 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 30 | 52 | .366 | 18 |
| New Orleans Jazz | 26 | 56 | .317 | 22 |
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim McElroy | 79 | 215 | 453 | 148 | 49 | 1337 |
| Rich Kelley | 80 | 1026 | 285 | 126 | 166 | 1253 |
| Pete Maravich | 79 | 422 | 488 | 120 | 18 | 1700 |
| Truck Robinson | 43 | 577 | 74 | 29 | 63 | 1039 |
| Gail Goodrich | 74 | 183 | 357 | 90 | 13 | 938 |
| Spencer Haywood | 34 | 327 | 71 | 30 | 53 | 816 |
| Aaron James | 73 | 248 | 78 | 28 | 21 | 727 |
| James Hardy | 68 | 310 | 65 | 52 | 61 | 453 |
| Paul Griffin | 77 | 391 | 138 | 54 | 36 | 303 |
| Tommie Green | 59 | 68 | 140 | 61 | 6 | 232 |
| Joe Meriweather | 36 | 184 | 31 | 17 | 41 | 219 |
| Marty Byrnes | 36 | 94 | 43 | 12 | 8 | 189 |
| Ira Terrell | 31 | 109 | 26 | 15 | 22 | 153 |
| Ron Lee | 17 | 55 | 73 | 38 | 2 | 114 |
| Gus Bailey | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Awards and honors
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Relocation to Utah
By 1979, the Jazz were sinking under the weight of $5 million in losses over five years. Original owner Sam Battistone decided to move to Salt Lake City, even though it was a smaller market than New Orleans at the time. However, Salt Lake City had proven it could support a pro basketball team when it played host to the American Basketball Association's Utah Stars from 1970 to 1976.
Transactions
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