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1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies season

NBA professional basketball team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies season was the third season for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association.[1] After finishing with the league's worst record in their first two seasons, the Grizzlies received the fourth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected point guard Antonio Daniels out of Bowling Green State University.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired former All-Star forward Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons,[5][6][7] acquired three-point specialist Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets, and acquired Tony Massenburg from the Boston Celtics.[8][9] The team also hired Brian Hill as their new head coach; Hill previously coached the Orlando Magic, and led them to the 1995 NBA Finals, where they lost to the 6th–seeded Houston Rockets in a four-game sweep.[10][11][12]

Head coachBrian Hill
General managerStu Jackson
OwnersJohn McCaw, Jr.
ArenaGeneral Motors Place
Quick facts Vancouver Grizzlies season, Head coach ...
1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies season
Head coachBrian Hill
General managerStu Jackson
OwnersJohn McCaw, Jr.
ArenaGeneral Motors Place
Results
Record19–63 (.232)
PlaceDivision: 6th (Midwest)
Conference: 11th (Western)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionCHEK-TV
Showcase
RadioCKNW
< 1996–97 1998–99 >
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Under Hill and with the addition of Thorpe, Mack and Daniels, the Grizzlies played slightly below .500 in winning percentage with a 6–7 start to the regular season. However, the team continued to struggle posting a 13-game losing streak between December and January, and later on held a 13–36 record at the All-Star break.[13] At mid-season, the team traded Thorpe along with second-year guard Chris Robinson back to his former team, the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Michael Smith and Bobby Hurley,[14][15][16] and traded Anthony Peeler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Doug West.[17][18][19] Before the trade, Thorpe averaged 11.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 47 games, while Peeler averaged 9.9 points per game in only just eight games;[20] Thorpe and Peeler were both disgruntled in Vancouver, while Peeler spent most of the first half of the season on the Grizzlies' bench, as Hill mainly used Mack and sixth man Blue Edwards at shooting guard.[21][22] Meanwhile, West, who sustained a hip contusion injury before the trade, struggled with substance abuse and depression, and went into rehab for alcohol treatment, as he was out for the remainder of the season; West refused to play for the Grizzlies after suffering from losing in his first seven seasons with the Timberwolves since their inaugural season.[23][24][25]

In late February, the Grizzlies continued to make changes to their starting lineup, as Hill replaced Daniels with Lee Mayberry as the team's starting point guard; Daniels played third-string behind Hurley, the team's backup point guard behind Mayberry, for the remainder of the season.[26] The Grizzlies posted a seven-game losing streak between January and February, posted an eight-game losing streak between February and March, another seven-game losing streak in March, and then posted a six-game losing streak between March and April. The Grizzlies finally escaped last place by finishing in sixth place in the Midwest Division with a 19–63 record, as the Denver Nuggets finished in last place with a league-worst 11–71 record;[27] this was also the first, and only season in which the Grizzlies finished with a better record than their Canadian rival, the Toronto Raptors, who finished with a 16–66 record.

Second-year star Shareef Abdur-Rahim averaged 22.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while Bryant Reeves averaged 16.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and Mack provided the team with 10.8 points per game, and also led them with 110 three-point field goals. In addition, Edwards contributed 10.8 points per game, while Daniels provided with 7.8 points and 4.5 assists per game, George Lynch contributed 7.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, and Massenburg averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Smith averaged 6.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 30 games after the trade, Pete Chilcutt provided with 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, Mayberry contributed 4.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, and Hurley contributed 4.5 points and 3.6 assists per game in 27 games.[20]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Mack participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout,[28][29] while Daniels was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team.[30][31] The Grizzlies finished 19th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 660,457 at General Motors Place during the regular season.[20][32]

Following the season, Daniels was traded to the San Antonio Spurs after only one season with the Grizzlies,[33][34][35] while Edwards signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat during the next season,[36][37] Lynch signed with the Philadelphia 76ers,[38][39] and Hurley was released to free agency. For the season, the Grizzlies added new black alternate road uniforms with turquoise side panels, which would later on become their primary road jerseys for the 2000–01 season.[40]

Draft picks

The Grizzlies first draft pick was Antonio Daniels, which was the fourth overall pick in the draft.

More information Round, Pick ...
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 4 Antonio Daniels PG/SG  United States Bowling Green State University
2 52 C.J. Bruton G  United States Indian Hills Community College
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Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
F 3 Shareef Abdur-Rahim 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) –– California
F/C 23 Pete Chilcutt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) –– North Carolina
G 33 Antonio Daniels 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) –– Bowling Green
G 30 Blue Edwards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) –– East Carolina
G 12 Bobby Hurley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) –– Duke
F 9 George Lynch 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) –– North Carolina
G 7 Sam Mack Injured 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Houston
F/C 44 Tony Massenburg 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) –– Maryland
G 11 Lee Mayberry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 172 lb (78 kg) –– Arkansas
F 40 Ivano Newbill 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) –– Georgia Tech
C 50 Bryant Reeves Injured 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 290 lb (132 kg) –– Oklahoma State
G 6 Larry Robinson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) –– Centenary
F 34 Michael Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) –– Providence
G 2 Doug West Injured (IN) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) –– Villanova
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured Injured

Roster

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Roster Notes

  • Shooting guard Doug West was acquired by the Grizzlies from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a mid-season trade, but was placed on the injured reserve list; West struggled with substance abuse and depression, and went into rehab for alcohol treatment, also sustained a hip contusion injury with the Timberwolves, and did not play for the Grizzlies this season.[23][24][25]

Regular season

The Grizzlies got off to their best start in team history, as thirteen games into the season, the team had a 6–7 record. On October 31, 1997, Violet Palmer made history in Vancouver when she officiated the NBA season opener between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, in British Columbia, Canada. The team would then fall into a slump, which included a thirteen-game losing streak as they fell out of playoff contention. Vancouver would finish the year with a 19–63 record, their best in team history, and finish out of last place for the first time ever.

Highs

  • Vancouver recorded their first ever three game winning streak, as on January 20, they defeated the Denver Nuggets, followed by sweeping a home and home series against the Golden State Warriors.
  • On March 23, 1998, Vancouver defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 106–95 to earn their sixteenth win of the season, a team record. Vancouver finished with nineteen wins, four higher than their previous high of fifteen, set in 1995–96.
  • The Grizzlies finished out of the Midwest Division cellar for the first time in team history, as they had a 19–63 record, eight games better than the Denver Nuggets, who finished the year 11–71.

Lows

  • On January 15, 1998, the Washington Wizards defeat Vancouver 112–110, sending the Grizzlies to their thirteenth consecutive loss.
  • From January 27 to April 5, the Grizzlies win only 3 of 31 games.

Season standings

More information W, L ...
Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-Utah Jazz 6220.756–36–526–1522–2
x-San Antonio Spurs 5626.683631–1025–1618–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 4537.5491726–1519–2214–10
x-Houston Rockets 4141.5002124–1717–2414–10
Dallas Mavericks 2062.2444213–287–349–15
Vancouver Grizzlies 1963.2324314–275–364–20
Denver Nuggets 1171.134519–322–393–21
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More information #, Team ...
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Utah Jazz6220.756–
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics6121.7441
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers6121.7441
4 x-Phoenix Suns5626.6836
5 x-San Antonio Spurs5626.6836
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4636.56116
7 x-Minnesota Timberwolves4537.54917
8 x-Houston Rockets4141.50021
9 Sacramento Kings2755.32935
10 Dallas Mavericks2062.24442
11 Vancouver Grizzlies1963.23243
12 Golden State Warriors1963.23243
13 Los Angeles Clippers1765.20745
14 Denver Nuggets1171.13451
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Game log

#DateOpponentScoreRecordAttendance
1October 31Dallas Mavericks88–900–117,021
2November 1Sacramento Kings97–961–115,460
3November 4@ Dallas Mavericks87–921–214,285
4November 5@ San Antonio Spurs79–871–314,523
5November 7Minnesota Timberwolves97–1081–415,302
6November 9Detroit Pistons104–96 (OT)2–414,925
7November 11Los Angeles Clippers119–1133–415,160
8November 12@ Utah Jazz80–983–519,851
9November 15Milwaukee Bucks109–944–517,666
10November 16@ Los Angeles Lakers95–1214–617,139
11November 18@ Denver Nuggets100–875–69,718
12November 19@ Seattle SuperSonics87–1075–717,072
13November 21Denver Nuggets99–966–715,988
14November 23@ New York Knicks84–1046–819,763
15November 26@ Milwaukee Bucks82–1016–915,126
16November 27@ Indiana Pacers85–1066–1014,391
17November 29@ Minnesota Timberwolves87–1066–1117,494
18November 30@ Detroit Pistons97–957–1116,030
19December 3Orlando Magic97–1017–1215,069
20December 5Cleveland Cavaliers98–1077–1315,558
21December 9@ Phoenix Suns85–1077–1419,023
22December 12Golden State Warriors95–888–1414,810
23December 14Houston Rockets110–1059–1414,411
24December 16@ Houston Rockets91–1189–1516,285
25December 17@ San Antonio Spurs87–989–1613,576
26December 19@ Portland Trail Blazers91–969–1719,863
27December 21Portland Trail Blazers88–8610–1715,174
28December 26Phoenix Suns100–11810–1817,023
29December 28Utah Jazz88–8910–1916,488
30December 30San Antonio Spurs115–12410–2015,872
31January 1Philadelphia 76ers104–11510–2115,495
32January 2@ Sacramento Kings80–9410–2213,925
33January 4Seattle SuperSonics108–12010–2315,122
34January 6Los Angeles Lakers87–10010–2415,837
35January 7@ Los Angeles Clippers102–11010–254,107
36January 9Charlotte Hornets90–9810–2615,251
37January 11Miami Heat90–9610–2715,186
38January 13@ Philadelphia 76ers89–10710–2810,838
39January 15@ Boston Celtics93–9710–2916,855
40January 16@ Washington Wizards110–11210–3016,763
41January 20Denver Nuggets88–7711–3015,852
42January 23@ Golden State Warriors88–8012–3012,359
43January 24Golden State Warriors107–9613–3016,223
44January 27Chicago Bulls85–10313–3119,193
45January 29Minnesota Timberwolves106–11213–3215,111
46January 31New Jersey Nets106–11613–3317,094
47February 2@ Dallas Mavericks90–10413–3411,049
48February 3@ Houston Rockets97–11013–3516,285
49February 5@ Charlotte Hornets93–10813–3621,984
50February 12Houston Rockets103–11213–3715,620
51February 14Washington Wizards110–10814–3716,105
52February 18Boston Celtics105–11414–3816,703
53February 20@ Atlanta Hawks92–11514–399,022
54February 22@ Toronto Raptors105–113 (OT)14–4016,932
55February 24@ New Jersey Nets101–11014–4113,335
56February 25@ Cleveland Cavaliers101–10614–4213,701
57March 1Atlanta Hawks76–10114–4315,371
58March 3Indiana Pacers103–11114–4415,095
59March 6Sacramento Kings96–9814–4514,605
60March 8Toronto Raptors113–10615–4516,098
61March 12@ Denver Nuggets93–9815–469,112
62March 13@ Utah Jazz101–11015–4719,911
63March 15Los Angeles Lakers110–11915–4818,983
64March 17@ Orlando Magic92–9915–4917,248
65March 18@ Miami Heat91–9415–5014,653
66March 20@ Chicago Bulls92–9815–5124,023
67March 21@ Minnesota Timberwolves88–10215–5218,336
68March 23Los Angeles Clippers106–9516–5215,392
69March 26@ Portland Trail Blazers102–10816–5320,581
70March 27New York Knicks89–97 (OT)16–5417,630
71March 29@ Phoenix Suns98–10616–5519,023
72March 31Dallas Mavericks101–10416–5615,120
73April 3Seattle SuperSonics98–13816–5719,193
74April 5Utah Jazz93–9916–5818,068
75April 7@ Los Angeles Clippers110–9417–585,124
76April 8@ Los Angeles Lakers102–11317–5917,505
77April 11Portland Trail Blazers105–96 (OT)18–5916,432
78April 12Phoenix Suns106–12918–6016,266
79April 14@ Seattle SuperSonics98–11018–6117,072
80April 16San Antonio Spurs97–11018–6217,485
81April 18@ Golden State Warriors100–11218–6316,481
82April 19@ Sacramento Kings112–108 (OT)19–6315,329

Player statistics

Ragular season

More information Player, POS ...
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Shareef Abdur-RahimSF 82822,95058121389761,82936.07.12.61.1.922.3
George LynchSF 8201,493362122654161618.24.41.5.8.57.5
Pete ChilcuttPF 8201,420306104533740517.33.71.3.6.54.9
Blue EdwardsSG 81201,968217201862787224.32.72.51.1.310.8
Lee MayberryPG 79321,835114349651036323.21.44.4.8.14.6
Bryant ReevesC 74742,52758515539801,20734.17.92.1.51.116.3
Antonio DanielsSG 74501,956143334551057926.41.94.5.7.17.8
Tony MassenburgC 611389423221252439614.73.8.3.4.46.5
Sam MackSF 57541,414133101411161624.82.31.8.7.210.8
Otis Thorpe†PF 47461,574371161302352833.57.93.4.6.511.2
Michael Smith†PF 30297062065926618223.56.92.0.9.26.1
Ivano NewbillPF 282249699103588.92.5.3.4.12.1
Bobby Hurley†PG 270458309710012217.01.13.6.4.04.5
Chris Robinson†SG 160143131071548.9.8.6.4.13.4
Anthony Peeler†SG 882022023907925.32.52.91.1.09.9
Larry RobinsonSF 604112140176.82.0.2.7.02.8
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  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Grizzlies only.

Transactions

Vancouver acquired forward-center Otis Thorpe in a trade with the Detroit Pistons. The Grizzlies gave up a conditional first round draft pick. Vancouver also acquired Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets to become the team's starting shooting guard. Midway through the season, Thorpe was traded along with Chris Robinson to the Sacramento Kings for Michael Smith and Bobby Hurley.

The Grizzlies hired Brian Hill to become the head coach. Hill had previously been the head coach of the Orlando Magic from 1993 to 1997, leading them to a 191–104 record under his helm. The Magic advanced to the 1995 NBA Finals and had a 60 win season in 1995–96.

References

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