Head coach Brian Hill Arena General Motors Place Playoff finish DNQ | Owner(s) John McCaw, Jr. Record 19–63 (.232) | |
Place Division: 6th (Midwest)
Conference: 11th (Western) | ||
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Grizzlies' third season in the National Basketball Association. After finishing with the worst record in their first two seasons, the Grizzlies hired Brian Hill as head coach. In the offseason, they acquired Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons and Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets, while signing free agent Tony Massenburg. Although, Thorpe would be traded back to the Sacramento Kings midway through the season, while Anthony Peeler was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies finally escaped last place by finishing sixth in the Midwest Division with a 19–63 record.
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Leading the way in scoring again was second-year star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who averaged 22.3 points per game. Also showing promise was Bryant Reeves, who continued to show improvement with 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Following the season, Antonio Daniels was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, George Lynch signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Blue Edwards was released, where he would sign with the Miami Heat during the next season.
For the season, the Grizzlies added black alternate road uniforms which would become their primary road jerseys for the 2000–01 season.
Draft picks
The Grizzlies first draft pick was Antonio Daniels, which was the fourth overall pick in the draft.
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
Lows
Season
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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 1993–1997, 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.