1997–98 Detroit Pistons season

The 1997–98 Detroit Pistons season was the 50th season for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association, and their 41st season in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] During the off-season, the Pistons signed free agents Brian Williams,^[2][3][4] and Malik Sealy.^[5][6][7]

With the addition of Brian Williams and Sealy, the Pistons won their first two games of the regular season, but then posted a five-game losing streak afterwards. The team struggled with a 6–11 start, as Joe Dumars missed ten games due to a shoulder injury during the first month of the season.^[8][9][10] In late December, the Pistons traded Theo Ratliff, and Aaron McKie to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jerry Stackhouse, and Eric Montross.^[11][12][13] At mid-season, head coach Doug Collins was fired after a 21–24 start to the season, and was replaced with assistant coach Alvin Gentry;^[14][15][16] Collins would later on get a job as a color analyst for the NBA on NBC.^[17][18][19] The Pistons held a 22–25 record at the All-Star break,^[20] and later on posted a seven-game losing streak between March and April, finishing in sixth place in the Central Division with a disappointing 37–45 record, and missing the NBA playoffs.^[21]

Grant Hill had another stellar season, averaging 21.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Brian Williams averaged 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and Stackhouse mostly played off the bench as the team's sixth man, averaging 15.7 points per game in 57 games after the trade; Stackhouse struggled as he only shot .208 in three-point field-goal percentage. In addition, Dumars contributed 13.1 points and 3.5 assists per game, and led the Pistons with 158 three-point field goals, while Lindsey Hunter provided with 12.1 points, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Off the bench, Sealy contributed 7.7 points per game, while second-year forward Jerome Williams averaged 5.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, Grant Long provided with 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, and starting power forward Don Reid contributed 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.^[22]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Hill was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.^[23][24][25] Hill also finished in ninth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Stackhouse finished in fifth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.^[26] The Pistons finished seventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 794,567 at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the regular season.^[22][27]

Following the season, Sealy signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves,^[28][29][30] while Long re-signed with his former team, the Atlanta Hawks,^[31][32] and Rick Mahorn re-signed with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers.^[33][34]