The 1997–98 Toronto Raptors season was the third season for the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association.
Season summary
Off-season The Raptors received the ninth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected small forward, and high school basketball star Tracy McGrady. During the off-season, the team acquired second-year forward John Wallace from the New York Knicks in a three-team trade. In November, Isiah Thomas resigned as the Raptors' General Manager, and would soon take up a job as a color analyst for the NBA on NBC.
Regular season With the addition of McGrady and Wallace, the Raptors got off to a 1–2 start to the regular season, but then struggled posting a 17-game losing streak afterwards, leading to a dreadful 1–19 start to the season. The team improved in January with a 6–8 record, including a four-game winning streak, and later on held an 11–36 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Damon Stoudamire, Walt Williams, and Carlos Rogers to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent and rookie point guard Alvin Williams, as head coach Darrell Walker resigned after 49 games; however, Anderson refused to play for the Raptors, and was then dealt along with Popeye Jones, and Žan Tabak to the Boston Celtics in exchange for rookie point guard, and first-round draft pick Chauncey Billups and Dee Brown. Before the trades, Stoudamire averaged 19.4 points, 8.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 49 games, while Walt Williams provided the team with 12.4 points and 1.4 steals per game in 28 games, and Jones contributed 8.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 14 games.
The team also released Shawn Respert to free agency, as he later on signed as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks. Under interim coach Butch Carter, the Raptors continued to struggle posting a 5–28 record for the remainder of the season, which included a 13-game losing streak between March and April, and losing 16 of their final 17 games. The Raptors finished in last place in the Central Division with a franchise worst record of 16–66; this was also the first, and only season in which the Raptors finished with a worse record than their Canadian rival, the Vancouver Grizzlies, who finished with a 19–63 record.
Doug Christie averaged 16.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and led the Raptors with 100 three-point field goals, while Wallace averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, and second-year star Marcus Camby provided the team with 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and led the league with 3.7 blocks per game. In addition, Trent provided with 12.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in 13 games after the trade, while Brown contributed 12.2 points, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 31 games, and Billups averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 assists per game in 31 games, but only shot .349 in field-goal percentage. Meanwhile, Reggie Slater contributed 8.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while McGrady provided with 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game off the bench, and Oliver Miller averaged 6.3 points and rebounds per game each.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, McGrady was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team; before the mid-season trade, Billups also participated in the Rookie Game as a member of the Eastern Conference, while playing for the Celtics. Wallace finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting.
The Raptors finished 16th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 674,685 at the SkyDome during the regular season.
Aftermath This was also the Raptors' final full season in which they played their home games at the SkyDome. Following the season, Camby was traded to the New York Knicks after two seasons with the Raptors, while Billups was traded to the Denver Nuggets, Trent signed as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks, and Miller was released to free agency. Meanwhile, Sharone Wright, who only played just seven games this season due to an off-season car accident, retired after four seasons in the NBA.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 9 Tracy McGrady SG/SF
Roster
Regular season In February 1998, Damon Stoudamire was traded by the Raptors along with Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers to the Portland Trail Blazers, for Kenny Anderson, Alvin Williams, Gary Trent, two first-round draft choices, a second-round draft choice and an amount of money. Anderson refused to report to the team, because he did not want to play in Canada. He was then sent along with Popeye Jones and Žan Tabak to the Boston Celtics for Chauncey Billups, Dee Brown, John Thomas and Roy Rogers.
Highs In his second year Marcus Camby lead the league in blocks with 3.7 per game
Lows
A seventeen-game losing streak at the start of the season. Their season was over before it even started.
Season standings
Game log
|- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 1 | October 31 | @ Miami | | Doug Christie, Walt Williams (18) | Marcus Camby (12) | Walt Williams (4) | Miami Arena14,795 | 0–1
|- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 2 | November 1 | @ Atlanta | | Damon Stoudamire (21) | Popeye Jones (7) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum8,539 | 0–2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 3 | November 4 | Golden State | | John Wallace (17) | Doug Christie (8) | Damon Stoudamire (13) | SkyDome16,624 | 1–2 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 4 | November 6 | Seattle | | Damon Stoudamire (22) | Marcus Camby (9) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | SkyDome15,459 | 1–3 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 5 | November 8 | @ Orlando | | Marcus Camby (17) | Doug Christie (7) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | Orlando Arena17,248 | 1–4 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 6 | November 10 | San Antonio | | Doug Christie (26) | Popeye Jones (12) | Damon Stoudamire (13) | SkyDome18,174 | 1–5 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 7 | November 12 | New York | | John Wallace (13) | Popeye Jones (7) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | SkyDome18,143 | 1–6 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 8 | November 14 | @ Boston | | Walt Williams (25) | Walt Williams (12) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | FleetCenter17,224 | 1–7 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 9 | November 15 | Indiana | | John Wallace (17) | Tracy McGrady (11) | Damon Stoudamire (14) | SkyDome17,188 | 1–8 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 10 | November 18 | Boston | | John Wallace (30) | John Wallace (12) | Shawn Respert, Damon Stoudamire (6) | SkyDome16,343 | 1–9 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 11 | November 20 | @ Houston | | Damon Stoudamire (25) | Damon Stoudamire (11) | Damon Stoudamire (4) | Compaq Center16,285 | 1–10 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 12 | November 22 | @ Miami | | John Wallace (28) | Žan Tabak (9) | Damon Stoudamire (11) | Miami Arena14,381 | 1–11 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 13 | November 24 | Portland | | Damon Stoudamire (29) | Popeye Jones, Reggie Slater (7) | Damon Stoudamire (11) | SkyDome15,051 | 1–12 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 14 | November 26 | Atlanta | | John Wallace (30) | Popeye Jones (16) | Damon Stoudamire (13) | SkyDome15,639 | 1–13 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 15 | November 28 | @ Dallas | | Doug Christie (27) | John Wallace (10) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Reunion Arena13,327 | 1–14 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 16 | November 30 | @ L.A. Lakers | | John Wallace (25) | Popeye Jones (9) | Damon Stoudamire (11) | Great Western Forum14,940 | 1–15
|- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 17 | December 3 | @ Utah | | Damon Stoudamire (25) | Oliver Miller (8) | Oliver Miller (4) | Delta Center19,590 | 1–16 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 18 | December 5 | @ Phoenix | | John Wallace (20) | Oliver Miller (9) | Damon Stoudamire (4) | America West Arena19,023 | 1–17 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 19 | December 7 | Detroit | | John Wallace (23) | Oliver Miller (9) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | SkyDome16,289 | 1–18 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 20 | December 9 | Charlotte | | Damon Stoudamire (20) | Oliver Miller (12) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | SkyDome16,325 | 1–19 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 21 | December 10 | @ Philadelphia | | Walt Williams (39) | Oliver Miller (11) | Damon Stoudamire (14) | CoreStates Center11,833 | 2–19 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 22 | December 13 | @ Chicago | | John Wallace (14) | John Wallace (7) | Chris Garner, Damon Stoudamire (3) | United Center23,867 | 2-20 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 23 | December 15 | Indiana | | Marcus Camby (28) | Oliver Miller (8) | Damon Stoudamire (15) | SkyDome14,562 | 2-21 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 24 | December 17 | Boston | | Tracy McGrady (17) | Oliver Miller (8) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | SkyDome14,771 | 2-22 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 25 | December 19 | Milwaukee | | Damon Stoudamire (36) | Marcus Camby (14) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | SkyDome15,076 | 3-22 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 26 | December 20 | Washington | | Marcus Camby, Damon Stoudamire (18) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | SkyDome15,434 | 3-23 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 27 | December 22 | @ Charlotte | | Damon Stoudamire (21) | Doug Christie, Damon Stoudamire (7) | Doug Christie (6) | Charlotte Coliseum23,449 | 3-24 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 28 | December 27 | @ New York | | Damon Stoudamire (30) | Reggie Slater (11) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | Madison Square Garden19,763 | 4-24 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 29 | December 30 | @ Detroit | | Damon Stoudamire (36) | Oliver Miller (11) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | The Palace of Auburn Hills19,087 | 4-25 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 30 | December 31 | @ Washington | | Damon Stoudamire (19) | Tracy McGrady, Damon Stoudamire (5) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | MCI Center19,651 | 4–26
|- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 31 | January 2 | Detroit | | Doug Christie (23) | Doug Christie (8) | Damon Stoudamire (16) | SkyDome17,292 | 4-27 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 32 | January 3 | @ Indiana | | John Wallace (18) | Oliver Miller (12) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Market Square Arena16,259 | 4-28 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 33 | January 5 | Houston | | Oliver Miller (22) | Doug Christie, Žan Tabak (7) | Damon Stoudamire (12) | SkyDome16,375 | 4-29 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 34 | January 7 | Orlando | | Damon Stoudamire (26) | Doug Christie (12) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | SkyDome15,168 | 4-30 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 35 | January 10 | @ Cleveland | | Damon Stoudamire (34) | Oliver Miller (11) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | Gund Arena17,864 | 5-30 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 36 | January 12 | New Jersey | | Damon Stoudamire (19) | Marcus Camby (13) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | SkyDome14,376 | 5-31 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 37 | January 14 | L.A. Clippers | | Damon Stoudamire (36) | Marcus Camby, Oliver Miller (6) | Damon Stoudamire (11) | SkyDome15,073 | 6-31 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 38 | January 17 | New York | | Marcus Camby (22) | Carlos Rogers (11) | Damon Stoudamire (10) | SkyDome18,898 | 6-32 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 39 | January 19 | @ Charlotte | | Žan Tabak (23) | Žan Tabak (7) | Damon Stoudamire (12) | Charlotte Coliseum21,934 | 6-33 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 40 | January 21 | Sacramento | | Damon Stoudamire (36) | Marcus Camby (18) | Damon Stoudamire (11) | SkyDome14,212 | 7-33 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 41 | January 24 | Minnesota | | Doug Christie (31) | Marcus Camby, Oliver Miller (12) | Damon Stoudamire (10) | SkyDome15,778 | 8-33 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 42 | January 26 | Philadelphia | | Doug Christie (26) | Marcus Camby (10) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | SkyDome14,458 | 9-33 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 43 | January 29 | @ Denver | | Damon Stoudamire (22) | Oliver Miller (8) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | McNichols Sports Arena9,629 | 10–33 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 44 | January 30 | @ Sacramento | | John Wallace (18) | Marcus Camby, Carlos Rogers (6) | Doug Christie, John Wallace (3) | ARCO Arena14,170 | 10–34
|- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 45 | February 1 | @ Portland | | Damon Stoudamire (21) | John Wallace (9) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | Rose Garden20,792 | 10–35 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 46 | February 3 | Phoenix | | Doug Christie, Walt Williams (24) | Marcus Camby (10) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | SkyDome14,344 | 10–36 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 47 | February 5 | Dallas | | Damon Stoudamire (21) | Marcus Camby (16) | Damon Stoudamire (8)