1997–98 Denver Nuggets season

Off-season

The Nuggets received the fifth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected power forward Tony Battie out of Texas Tech University; the team also acquired Johnny Newman, Joe Wolf, and rookie power forward, and first-round draft pick Danny Fortson out of the University of Cincinnati from the Milwaukee Bucks on draft day.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the Nuggets acquired Eric Williams from the Boston Celtics,^[5][6][7] acquired rookie point guard, and first-round draft pick Bobby Jackson out of the University of Minnesota from the Seattle SuperSonics,^[8] acquired rookie shooting guard, and second-round draft pick Eric Washington out of the University of Alabama from the Orlando Magic,^[8] and signed free agent and second-year center Dean Garrett.^[9][10][11] The team also hired former Nuggets player Bill Hanzlik as their new head coach.^[12][13]

Regular season

Under Hanzlik and despite the addition of Williams, Garrett, Jackson, Battie and Fortson, the Nuggets set numerous unwanted records during this season, which started off with the team losing their first twelve games of the regular season.^[14][15] Williams suffered a devastating knee injury after only just four games, and was out for the remainder of the season, averaging 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game,^[16][17][18] while Bryant Stith only played just 31 games due to ankle and foot injuries.^[19] After 40 games and a dreadful 23-game losing streak, which was tied with the 1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies, the Nuggets had a 2–38 record (.050 in winning percentage), a mark equalled only by the 1993–94 Dallas Mavericks.^[20][21][22] With the team holding a 4–42 record at the All-Star break,^[23] General Manager Allan Bristow was fired.^[24][25]

At mid-season, the Nuggets signed free agent Cory Alexander, who was previously released by the San Antonio Spurs.^[26][27][28] The team later on posted a 16-game losing streak between February and March,^[29] before finally avoiding a possibility of the worst-ever NBA record against the Golden State Warriors on March 27, 1998.^[30] The Nuggets finished in last place in the Midwest Division with the league's worst record at 11–71, which was also the team's worst record in franchise history.^[29] Their eleven wins equaled the third-fewest in an 82-game NBA season along with the 1992–93 Dallas Mavericks, and just like the Mavericks were for a long time viewed as likely to beat the 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers record of winning only nine games in a full season, and the 2015–16 76ers, who only won just ten games. Incidentally, the NFL's Denver Broncos had won the Super Bowl earlier in 1998 and would go towards the Super Bowl again in the same year when this occurred.^[31][32]

Newman played a sixth man role off the bench, leading the Nuggets in scoring with 14.7 points per game, while LaPhonso Ellis averaged 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and Alexander provided the team with 14.0 points, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in 23 games. In addition, Jackson contributed 11.6 points, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, while Fortson provided with 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, Anthony Goldwire contributed 9.2 points and 3.4 assists per game, and Battie averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Garrett averaged 7.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, Washington contributed 7.7 points per game, and Stith contributed 7.6 points per game.^[33] The Nuggets had the worst team defensive rating in the NBA.^[34]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Jackson and Fortson were both selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as members of the Western Conference Rookie team. Jackson scored 15 points along with 7 assists and 4 steals, despite the Western Conference losing to the Eastern Conference, 85–80.^[35][36] The Nuggets finished 28th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 380,590 at the McNichols Sports Arena during the regular season, which was the second-lowest in the league.^[33][37]

Aftermath

The unfortunate season meant Hanzlik was fired after a single season in charge of the team.^[38][39][40] Following the season, Ellis signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks after six seasons with the Nuggets,^[41][42][43] while Newman re-signed with his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers,^[44] and Garrett and Jackson were both traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Meanwhile, Battie was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft day,^[45][46] who then traded him to the Boston Celtics several months later,^[47] and Goldwire and Wolf were both released to free agency.^[48]

In his 2007 study The NBA from Top to Bottom, basketball enthusiast Kyle Wright argued that in fact the 1997–98 Nuggets were a worse team than the 1972–73 76ers, saying that they played a worse schedule in the Midwest Division than the 1972–73 76ers did in their Atlantic Division where a dominant Boston Celtics team was played seven times by the 76ers.^[49] In contrast, Wright says, "the Nuggets got to play the 62–20 Utah Jazz only four times".

Season standings

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Game log