Lol that's a mistake on my part. I think I was tired and had just got done watching the Lemino video on the JFK assassination, so the phrase "Dallas Sniper" had been supplanted into my brain like a sleeper agent.
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Saving Basketball in Raincouver: A Vancouver Grizzlies Timeline
- Thread starter SakuraFoxBlossom
- Start date
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- Tags
- basketball grizzlies nba vancouver
great! it may offend you, but may i ask if you plan to continue this timeline?
I do plan on continuing the timeline, yes. The holidays at the moment put it on pause for a brief moment. This is definitely one of the timelines I take the most serious, so trying to make evaluations of how players perform and how well their teams succeed, as well as providing some creative flair is what takes the most timeline. I appreciate the interest in this niche timeline.
Chapter Seventeen: 2000 Trade Deadline
Chapter Seventeen
"As we approached the trade deadline, we tried to make a decision in order to make ourselves just a tad bit better. While we may have been the second seed, we had Iverson and the rest of the Clippers team trailing behind us. Hell, the front office said they were locked between a rock and a hard place. If we ship out some players or picks, we run the risk of ending up with a lesser seed like last year. But do we risk trying to grab someone out East to try and compete with the Lakers? They were nearly ten games ahead of us, and with Shaq coming back from injury we had a very rare chance of gaining any ground. So, we chose to stick it out for the rest of the season. We performed pretty well down the stretch after the trade deadline, and we had another six months of chemistry with our starting core. Plus, Shareef was having an MVP caliber season, with Shaq going down with his injury in late December he had a real shot. The only person close to catching up with Shareef had been Marbury out East in Toronto. I'm sure the NBA offices were quite pleased with themselves seeing that the top two MVP candidates being the newly established Canadian teams." - Brian Hill, former Vancouver Grizzlies Head Coach, ESPN interview 2004.
"I remember Coach Hill coming out of the meeting with the front office folks for the Grizzlies on trade deadline day, and a lot of the guys were lookin' around. We had built ourselves a band of brothers for a lack of better phrase. So, Coach Hill comes out... big, long pause... and then tells us we're riding it out for the rest of the season. Everyone pleased we go back to practice, but there was some concern about where we would stack up in terms of the other Western Conference teams. We were sitting in second, so if things panned out, we'd be playing the Blazers. Now, no disrespect to 'Sheed, love 'Sheed, but we matched up fairly well against them. 'Sheed was more defensively minded and Sabonis was figuratively and literally on his last legs after having taken so long coming over from Europe. Only one person on the team was scoring above 15 points per game... I think that was...Walt Williams. The Wizard as people called him, because he was just a sneaky guy off the bench or rotation who could get you somewhere between 12 to 15 points a night. One of the things we didn't want to happen is we trade some guys out and we fall to the third seed and end up playing the Spurs who whooped our asses the previous season. As good as I was, no way could me, Parks, Bramlett, or Nesterovic could take on Timmy or David [Robinson]." - Excerpt from Shareef Abdur-Rahim, interview 2015
"I think looking back on our team composition at the time, we are certainly I think had been a bit too ahead at the time. You had Bibs as the perfect distributing Point, and then Brent to set up for the mid-range catch and shoot if Bibs attempted to drive in or nothing was going inside for 'Reef. I myself really appreciated being the kickout guy on the perimeter. I was attempting four three-pointers a game roughly that season and making a little under half of them. And this is coming from a turn of the century small forward who is basically supposed to be the mid-range shooter of the team. So, me being out on the perimeter means that teams would often send the guy on me to try and clog the center when 'Reef drove in. And then whoop, goes out to me and I throw it up. How many three-point shooting Forwards do you see nowadays? As a Forward it is like a prerequisite to be able to shoot threes now. The only thing that really hurt us was the lack of a Center which really presented a presence in the paint." - Excerpt from Sam Mack, interview 2017
"That season was pretty special; we had made our big moves the last year and we were continuing on that path of success. My minutes had doubled and so had my minutes. I was the guy coming off the bench for Mack and leading the second unit alongside Malik [Sealy]. To be honest, as a second-round draft pick... it was scary going to a city that had been struggling for a few years. I was honestly thinking about heading overseas to Japan to play in their start up league. Not the same money of course like in the NBA, but I'd be the best damn player there." - Excerpt from J.R. Henderson, interview 2010
SHAQ INJURY LEADS TO SHAREEF PULLING AHEAD IN MVP VOTING, JONES AND BRYANT SPLITTING VOTE?"As we approached the trade deadline, we tried to make a decision in order to make ourselves just a tad bit better. While we may have been the second seed, we had Iverson and the rest of the Clippers team trailing behind us. Hell, the front office said they were locked between a rock and a hard place. If we ship out some players or picks, we run the risk of ending up with a lesser seed like last year. But do we risk trying to grab someone out East to try and compete with the Lakers? They were nearly ten games ahead of us, and with Shaq coming back from injury we had a very rare chance of gaining any ground. So, we chose to stick it out for the rest of the season. We performed pretty well down the stretch after the trade deadline, and we had another six months of chemistry with our starting core. Plus, Shareef was having an MVP caliber season, with Shaq going down with his injury in late December he had a real shot. The only person close to catching up with Shareef had been Marbury out East in Toronto. I'm sure the NBA offices were quite pleased with themselves seeing that the top two MVP candidates being the newly established Canadian teams." - Brian Hill, former Vancouver Grizzlies Head Coach, ESPN interview 2004.
"I remember Coach Hill coming out of the meeting with the front office folks for the Grizzlies on trade deadline day, and a lot of the guys were lookin' around. We had built ourselves a band of brothers for a lack of better phrase. So, Coach Hill comes out... big, long pause... and then tells us we're riding it out for the rest of the season. Everyone pleased we go back to practice, but there was some concern about where we would stack up in terms of the other Western Conference teams. We were sitting in second, so if things panned out, we'd be playing the Blazers. Now, no disrespect to 'Sheed, love 'Sheed, but we matched up fairly well against them. 'Sheed was more defensively minded and Sabonis was figuratively and literally on his last legs after having taken so long coming over from Europe. Only one person on the team was scoring above 15 points per game... I think that was...Walt Williams. The Wizard as people called him, because he was just a sneaky guy off the bench or rotation who could get you somewhere between 12 to 15 points a night. One of the things we didn't want to happen is we trade some guys out and we fall to the third seed and end up playing the Spurs who whooped our asses the previous season. As good as I was, no way could me, Parks, Bramlett, or Nesterovic could take on Timmy or David [Robinson]." - Excerpt from Shareef Abdur-Rahim, interview 2015
"I think looking back on our team composition at the time, we are certainly I think had been a bit too ahead at the time. You had Bibs as the perfect distributing Point, and then Brent to set up for the mid-range catch and shoot if Bibs attempted to drive in or nothing was going inside for 'Reef. I myself really appreciated being the kickout guy on the perimeter. I was attempting four three-pointers a game roughly that season and making a little under half of them. And this is coming from a turn of the century small forward who is basically supposed to be the mid-range shooter of the team. So, me being out on the perimeter means that teams would often send the guy on me to try and clog the center when 'Reef drove in. And then whoop, goes out to me and I throw it up. How many three-point shooting Forwards do you see nowadays? As a Forward it is like a prerequisite to be able to shoot threes now. The only thing that really hurt us was the lack of a Center which really presented a presence in the paint." - Excerpt from Sam Mack, interview 2017
"That season was pretty special; we had made our big moves the last year and we were continuing on that path of success. My minutes had doubled and so had my minutes. I was the guy coming off the bench for Mack and leading the second unit alongside Malik [Sealy]. To be honest, as a second-round draft pick... it was scary going to a city that had been struggling for a few years. I was honestly thinking about heading overseas to Japan to play in their start up league. Not the same money of course like in the NBA, but I'd be the best damn player there." - Excerpt from J.R. Henderson, interview 2010
NO SHAQ? NO PROBLEM! JONES AND BRYANT LED LAKERS REMAIN ON TOP OF WEST.
AIR CANADA REMAINS ON TOP IN THE EAST! TEAM TENSION BREWING OVER PLAYING TIME!?
AI & EB KEEP CLIPPERS CLIPPING ALONG! BRAND SHOE-IN FOR ROY!?
WELL-ROUNDED KNICKS LOOKING TO MAKE DEEP RUN!
WILLIAMS & STOJAKOVIC FORM ELITE DUO, LOOKING TO KEEP KINGS ALIVE!
"DON" KORLEONE YOUNG HELPS PISTONS MUSCLE AHEAD!
DALLAS INTERNATIONAL SEEKS TO LOCK IN PLAYOFF SPOT!
THE TRUTH? PIERCE IS THE BEST SMALL FORWARD IN THE NBA!
DUNCAN DRAGGING SPURS TO SUCCESS!
ALLEN KEEPING WINDY CITY ALIVE!
WELL COACHED BLAZERS SEEKS TO MAINTAIN PLAYOFF LEGACY GAGGLE OF MISFITS!
VETEREN LED HAWKS LOOKING TO MAINTAIN!
SAMAKI WALKER, STAND OUT IN HIGH POWERED DENVER!
BARON DAVIS KEEPS HORNETS A BUZZ FOR POSSIBLE PLAYOFF BIRTH IN ROOKIE SEASON!
VAN HORN MAKING THE CASE FOR ALL-STAR STATUS!
NBA STANDINGS AT THE TRADE DEADLINE...
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION W L %
2. New York Knicks 31 19 .620
4. Boston Celtics 26 23 .531
8. New Jersey Nets 19 31 .380
Miami Heat 18 32 .360
Philidelphia 76ers 17 32 .347
Washington Wizards 15 34 .306
Orlando Magic 13 35 .271
CENTRAL DIVISION W L %
1. Toronto Raptors 45 4 .918
3. Detroit Pistons 29 19 .604
5. Chicago Bulls 25 24 .510
6. Atlanta Hawks 22 26 .458
7. Charlotte Hornets 22 27 .449
Indiana Pacers 18 33 .353
Milwaukee Bucks 16 30 .348
Cleveland Cavaliers 16 34 .320
WESTERN CONFERENCE
MIDWEST DIVISION W L %
2. Vancouver Grizzlies 38 11 .776
5. Dallas Mavericks 29 20 .592
6. San Antonio Spurs 24 24 .500
8. Denver Nuggets 24 26 .480
Houston Rockets 23 25 .479
Utah Jazz 21 29 .420
Minnesota Timberwolves 16 32 .333
PACIFIC DIVISION W L %
1. Los Angeles Lakers 46 5 .902
3. Los Angeles Clippers 37 14 .725
4. Sacramento Kings 34 14 .708
7. Portland Trail Blazers 25 25 .500
Phoenix Suns 23 27 .460
Seattle Supersonics 22 27 .449
Golden State Warriors 19 31 .380
nice chapter! will the grizzlies win a championship ittl? the thing they are doing rn is quite on track to win a champ.
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Chapter Eighteen: All-Star Break, 2000
Chapter Eighteen
"I couldn't be happier than to have Mack and 'Reef back in as All-Star selections. Just goes to show just how good our program is that we have an All-Star starter, and All-Star bench player. It was also some stiff competition amongst our conference this year. I mean I want to give a lot of props to Elton Brand on the Clippers team; he nearly made the cut as a rookie. What is he scoring like 16 points and 10 rebounds this year so far? I mean that's just fantastic." Brian Hill, Vancouver Grizzlies Head Coach, post-game interview 2000
"I think it goes to show just how good our squad is this year. When you have three outta your five starters as All-Stars, it goes to show that our record matches our talent. There's a reason why we're 4 games ahead of our closest competitor in the Grizzlies and another ten for the Clippers. I think it also goes to show just how well Eddie and Kobe held down the team when Shaq was out earlier with his fractured hand, so we're in good hands at the moment and we're looking forward to make it to the playoffs and bring home number 13 to the City of Angels." - Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach, post-game interview 2000.
"I couldn't be happier than to have Mack and 'Reef back in as All-Star selections. Just goes to show just how good our program is that we have an All-Star starter, and All-Star bench player. It was also some stiff competition amongst our conference this year. I mean I want to give a lot of props to Elton Brand on the Clippers team; he nearly made the cut as a rookie. What is he scoring like 16 points and 10 rebounds this year so far? I mean that's just fantastic." Brian Hill, Vancouver Grizzlies Head Coach, post-game interview 2000
"I think it goes to show just how good our squad is this year. When you have three outta your five starters as All-Stars, it goes to show that our record matches our talent. There's a reason why we're 4 games ahead of our closest competitor in the Grizzlies and another ten for the Clippers. I think it also goes to show just how well Eddie and Kobe held down the team when Shaq was out earlier with his fractured hand, so we're in good hands at the moment and we're looking forward to make it to the playoffs and bring home number 13 to the City of Angels." - Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach, post-game interview 2000.
2000 Slam Dunk Contest Participants:
- Vince Carter (SG), Toronto Raptors. Eliminated after first round after totaling 56 points.
- Eddie Jones (SF), Los Angeles Lakers. Made it to the second round after totaling 82 points. Second place after scoring 46 points.
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim (PF), Vancouver. Made it to the second round after totaling 98 points. First place after securing a total of 85 points.
- Allen Iverson (PG), Philadelphia 76ers. Eliminated after the first round after totaling 49 points.
2000 Three Point Contest Participants:
- Dale Ellis (SF), New Jersey Nets. [R1 = 26, R2 = 27, T = 25]
- Tim Hardaway (PG), Miami Heat. [R1 = 21]
- Ray Allen (SG), Chicago Bulls. [R1 = 18]
- Stephon Marbury (PG), Toronto Raptors. [R1 = 17]
- Dee Brown (PG), Toronto Raptors. [R1 = 25]
- Jason Williams (PG), Sacramento Kings. [R1 = 26, R2 = 26]
- Joe Dumars (PG), Detroit Pistons. [R1 = 27, R2 = 27, T = 27, R3 = 29]
- Sam Mack (SF), Vancouver Grizzlies. [R1 = 28, R2 = 30, R3 = 27]
2000 All-Star Rosters:
Eastern Conference
- Stephon Marbury (G), Toronto Raptors
- Penny Hardaway (G), Orlando Magic
- Ray Allen (G), Chicago Bulls
- Allan Houston (G), New York Knicks,
- Steve Smith (G), Atlanta Hawks
- Doug Christie (F), Toronto Raptors
- Glenn Robinson (F), Milwaukee Bucks
- Paul Pierce (F), Boston Celtics
- Latrell Sprewell (F), New York Knicks
- Keith Van Horn (F), New Jersey Nets
- Alonzo Mourning (C), Miami Heat
- Shawn Kemp (C), Cleveland Cavaliers
- Kobe Bryant (G), Los Angeles Lakers
- Jason Kidd (G), Phoenix Suns
- Allen Iverson (G), Los Angeles Clippers
- Jason Williams (G), Sacramento Kings
- Eddie Jones (G), Los Angeles Kings
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim (F), Vancouver Grizzlies
- Karl Malone (F), Utah Jazz
- Michael Finley (F), Dallas Mavericks
- Peja Stojakovic (F), Sacramento Kings
- Sam Mack (F), Vancouver Grizzlies
- Shaquille O'Neal (C), Los Angeles Kings
- Tim Duncan (C), San Antonio Spurs
Fearless Leader
Donor
Though its always cool to see this TL. I must confess, I'm a bit mystified by your treatment of Sam Mack. In OTL he was a decent role player for a couple years but never really caught on. Hard for me to envision him as a superstar even with a better supporting cast...
Well, if someone must succeed, another star must fall or not match up to their expectations. Tis the rule of a sports TL.
Also, this extrapolated from what Sam Mack was doing. In his first year with Vancouver, he was averaging 11 points. The main thing here is with Shareef here, Mack is not the primary interior scorer. He can stick to the mid-range and stick to nailing two 3 pointers a game. So, if he keeps up with the mid-range where he excelled at in an underrated manner, where he was stupidly effective, he picks up to about 15 points per game on even better efficiency. With the addition of Brent Barry and Bibby directing into a proper Point Guard to direct, Mack becomes a prototypical catch-and-shoot Small Forward. Now he's averaging about 18 points per game on the second-best team in the Western Conference. However, he is 30 so the downfall will come soon. But, this is his peak.
There have been guys when you look back and go "Those guys were All-Star caliber dudes?"
Vucevic, Isiah Thomas (Boston), Reggie Theus, Jerry Stackhouse, Pascal Siakam, Victor Oladipo, Terry Porter, Brad Miller, Rashard Lewis. There is a massive cavalcade of guys who are 2x All-Stars, but their selection comes tagged with them having a much better first scoring option on that same team. And then the next season they begin to fall off. Mack is just in the right place at the right time, and will in-hindsight will be one of those guys who people go. "How did he earn two All-Star selections?"