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 selected Antonio Daniels out of Bowling Green State University with the fourth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and hired Brian Hill as head coach. In the off-season, the team acquired Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons, three-point specialist Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets, and Tony Massenburg from the Boston Celtics. The Grizzlies would play around .500 early into the season with a 6–7 start, but then struggle again posting a 13-game losing streak between December and January. At midseason, Thorpe was traded back to his former team, the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Michael Smith and Bobby Hurley, while A