The 1997âÂÂ98 Vancouver Grizzlies season was the third season for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association. 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. During the off-season, the team acquired former All-Star forward Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons, acquired three-point specialist Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets, and acquired Tony Massenburg from the Boston Celtics. 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 6thâÂÂseeded Houston Rockets in a four-game sweep.
Under Hill, and with the addition of Thorpe, Mack and Daniels, the Grizzlies played slightly below .500 in winning percentage with a 6âÂÂ7 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 13âÂÂ36 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Thorpe back to his former team, the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Michael Smith and Bobby Hurley, and traded Anthony Peeler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Doug West. 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 19âÂÂ63 record; 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 16âÂÂ66 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 led them with 110 three-point field goals. In addition, Blue Edwards contributed 10.8 points per game, while Daniels provided with 7.8 points and 4.5 assists per game, and George Lynch contributed 7.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Massenburg averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, Smith provided with 6.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 30 games after the trade, Pete Chilcutt averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, and Lee Mayberry contributed 4.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, as he replaced Daniels as the team's starting point guard midway through the regular season.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Mack participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout, while Daniels was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team. 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.
Following the season, Daniels was traded to the San Antonio Spurs after only one season with the Grizzlies, while Edwards signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat during the next season, Lynch signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, 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 2000âÂÂ01 season.
The Grizzlies first draft pick was Antonio Daniels, which was the fourth overall pick in the draft.
The Grizzlies got off to their best start in team history, as thirteen games into the season, the team had a 6âÂÂ7 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 19âÂÂ63 record, their best in team history, and finish out of last place for the first time ever.
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 191âÂÂ104 record under his helm. The Magic advanced to the 1995 NBA Finals and had a 60 win season in 1995âÂÂ96.