1996–97 Vancouver Grizzlies season
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1996–97 Vancouver Grizzlies season was the second season for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association.
Season summary
Off-season
Coming off of finishing with a league-worst 15–67 record in their inaugural season, the Grizzlies received the third overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected small forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim from the University of California, and also selected power forward Roy Rogers from the University of Alabama with the 22nd overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired Anthony Peeler and George Lynch from the Los Angeles Lakers, and signed free agents Lee Mayberry and Pete Chilcutt.
Regular season
However, despite the addition of Abdur-Rahim, Peeler, Lynch and Rogers, the Grizzlies continued to struggle in their second season, losing their first seven games of the regular season, and then later on posting an eight-game losing streak in January. Head coach Brian Winters was fired after an 8–35 start to the season, and was replaced with General Manager Stu Jackson as an interim coach. Under Jackson, the Grizzlies held a 9–42 record at the All-Star break, suffered a 15-game losing streak between February and March, and then posted a nine-game losing streak between March and April, finishing in last place in the Midwest Division with a league-worst 14–68 record, which was their worst record in franchise history.
Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while second-year star Bryant Reeves showed improvement averaging 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and Peeler provided the team with 14.5 points, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and led them with 128 three-point field goals. In addition, Greg Anthony contributed 9.5 points, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while Lynch provided with 8.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, but only played just 41 games due to an abdominal strain injury, and Blue Edwards provided with 7.8 points per game. Meanwhile second-year guard Lawrence Moten contributed 6.7 points per game, Rogers averaged 6.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, Mayberry provided with 5.1 points and 4.1 assists per game, and rookie shooting guard, and second-round draft pick Chris Robinson contributed 4.6 points per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Abdur-Rahim and Rogers were both selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as members of the Western Conference Rookie team.
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