2001–02 Memphis Grizzlies season

The 2001–02 NBA season was the Grizzlies’ 7th season in the National Basketball Association, and their first season in Memphis.[1] After six years of struggling in Vancouver, the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee.[2] Although it was the first NBA team for the city, Memphis played home to an American Basketball Association team known as the Memphis Sounds from 1970–1975. The Grizzlies had the sixth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and selected small forward Shane Battier from Duke University.[3] During the off-season, the team acquired top draft pick and Spanish basketball star Pau Gasol, point guard Brevin Knight and former University of Memphis star Lorenzen Wright from the Atlanta Hawks,[4][5] acquired point guard Jason Williams from the Sacramento Kings,[6] and signed free agent Rodney Buford. However, center Bryant Reeves missed the entire season due to a preseason back injury, and never played for the team in Memphis during the regular season.[7]

2001–02 Memphis Grizzlies season
Head coachSidney Lowe
General managerBilly Knight
PresidentDick Versace
Owner(s)Michael Heisley
ArenaPyramid Arena
Results
Record23–59 (.280)
PlaceDivision: 7th (Midwest)
Conference: 13th (Western)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionFox Sports Net South, WMC, WPXX
RadioWREC

The Grizzlies made their debut on November 1 at the Pyramid Arena. The Grizzlies would lose to the Detroit Pistons by a score of 90–80. The Grizzlies lost their first eight games of the season, as guard Michael Dickerson only played just four games due to a groin injury and was out for the remainder of the season.[8] Their first win would come in a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers by a score of 98–83. The game was played at the Pyramid on November 17, for the franchise's first win in Memphis. At midseason, center Isaac Austin was released to free agency, as the Grizzlies finished in last place in the Midwest Division with a 23–59 record, which was the same record they posted the previous season in Vancouver.[9]

The highlight of the season was the contribution of both Gasol and Battier. Gasol led the team with 17.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, and was named Rookie of The Year, while Battier had a solid rookie season averaging 14.4 points per game. Both players were named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Williams finished second on the team in scoring with 14.8 points, and led them with 8.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Wright led the team in rebounding with 9.4 rebounds per game, but played just 43 games due to a knee injury, while second-year forward Stromile Swift provided the team with 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game off the bench.[10] The highlight of the inaugural season for the Grizzlies came on December 21. The Grizzlies beat the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers at the Pyramid winning 114–108.[11] Following the season, Reeves retired after just six seasons in the NBA, and Buford, Tony Massenburg and Grant Long were all released to free agency.

For the season, the team replaced the city name "Vancouver" with "Memphis" above their primary logo of a grizzly bear holding a basketball,[12] and also replaced "Vancouver" with "Memphis" on their uniforms.[13][14] The primary logo and uniforms both remained in use until 2004, although the uniforms were slightly changed next season, as they replaced the team's alternate logo with their primary logo on their shorts.

Draft picks
Main article: 2001 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 6 Shane Battier SF/SG  United States Duke
1 27 Jamaal Tinsley PG  United States Iowa State
2 32 Will Solomon PG  United States Clemson
2 47 Antonis Fotsis (from New York) SF  Greece Panathinaikos (Greece)

Roster
2001–02 Memphis Grizzlies roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
G/F 25 Anderson, Nick  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1968–01–20 Illinois
G/F 31 Battier, Shane 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–09–09 Duke
G/F 32 Buford, Rodney 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1977–11–02 Creighton
G 8 Dickerson, Michael  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1975–06–25 Arizona
F 6 Fotsis, Antonis 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1981–04–01 Greece
F/C 16 Gasol, Pau 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1980–07–06 Spain
G 7 Gill, Eddie 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1978–08–16 Weber State
G 22 Knight, Brevin 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 1975–11–08 Stanford
F 43 Long, Grant 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–03–12 Eastern Michigan
F/C 34 Massenburg, Tony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1967–07–31 Maryland
C 50 Reeves, Bryant  (IN) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1973–06–08 Oklahoma State
G 5 Perry, Elliot 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1969–03–28 Memphis
G 1 Solomon, Will 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1978–07–20 Auburn
F/C 4 Swift, Stromile 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1979–11–21 LSU
G 2 Williams, Jason 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1975–11–18 Florida
F/C 42 Wright, Lorenzen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1975–11–04 Memphis
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured

Roster

Roster Notes
  • Center Bryant Reeves missed the entire season due to a back injury.

Regular season

Season standings
Midwest Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs 5824.707–32–926–1521–3
x-Dallas Mavericks 5725.695130–1127–1416–8
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 5032.610829–1221–2015–9
x-Utah Jazz 4438.5371425–1619–228–16
Houston Rockets 2854.3413018–2310–319–15
Denver Nuggets 2755.3293120–217–348–16
Memphis Grizzlies 2359.2803515–268–337–17
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Sacramento Kings6121.744–
2 y-San Antonio Spurs5824.7073
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers5824.7073
4 x-Dallas Mavericks5725.6954
5 x-Minnesota Timberwolves5032.61011
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4933.59812
7 x-Seattle SuperSonics4537.54916
8 x-Utah Jazz4438.53717
9 Los Angeles Clippers3943.47622
10 Phoenix Suns3646.43925
11 Houston Rockets2854.34133
12 Denver Nuggets2755.32934
13 Memphis Grizzlies2359.28038
14 Golden State Warriors2161.25640


Record vs. opponents
2001-02 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MEM MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA WAS
Atlanta —2–22–23–13–10–22–01–32–01–11–31–11–12–03–11–30–22–11–31–31–31–11–10–20–20–20–41–10–3
Boston 2–2—2–12–24–00–22–02–21–10–23–02–02–02–03–11–31–13–14–03–11–31–11–10–20–21–12–21–13–1
Charlotte 2–21–2—4–03–10–22–01–32–01–13–11–10–21–13–02–20–21–32–23–11–32–01–10–21–11–12–21–13–1
Chicago 1–32–20–4—1–30–20–21–31–12–00–40–22–01–11–32–20–20–43–10–31–21–10–20–20–21–10–40–21–3
Cleveland 1–30–41–33–1—0–21–11–31–12–02–20–20–21–13–13–12–01–32–21–30–31–10–20–21–10–21–30–21–2
Dallas 2–02–02–02–02–0—4–01–14–02–22–02–21–34–01–12–02–22–01–11–11–13–12–23–11–33–11–13–11–1
Denver 0–20–20–22–01–10–4—0–21–32–20–21–31–33–10–20–22–21–12–00–21–13–12–20–40–43–11–11–30–2
Detroit 3–12–23–13–13–11–12–0—1–11–13–11–10–22–02–12–21–13–13–12–22–11–10–20–20–21–13–11–14–0
Golden State 0–21–10–21–11–10–43–11–1—1–30–22–21–33–10–20–21–31–11–10–21–10–42–20–40–40–40–20–41–1
Houston 1–12–01–10–20–22–22–21–13–1—0–21–30–41–30–21–12–20–21–10–21–12–21–30–40–42–21–12–21–1
Indiana 3–10–31–34–02–20–22–01–32–02–0—1–10–21–12–21–31–11–32–13–13–11–11–12–01–10–21–31–13–1
L.A. Clippers 1–10–21–12–02–02–23–11–12–23–11–1—1–33–12–01–12–20–22–01–10–23–11–31–31–31–31–10–41–1
L.A. Lakers 1–10–22–00–22–03–13–12–03–14–02–03–1—3–11–12–02–21–12–02–01–12–22–23–13–13–11–13–12–0
Memphis 0–20–21–11–11–10–41–30–21–33–11–11–31–3—1–10–20–40–21–10–22–01–32–21–30–40–41–13–10–2
Miami 1–31–30–33–11–31–12–01–22–02–02–20–21–11–1—3–10–21–32–23–11–31–11–10–21–12–01–30–22–2
Milwaukee 3–13–12–22–21–30–22–02–22–01–13–11–10–22–01–3—0–21–21–32–11–30–20–20–22–00–24–02–03–1
Minnesota 2–01–12–02–00–22–22–21–13–12–21–12–22–24–02–02–0—1–12–01–11–12–22–21–32–22–21–13–12–0
New Jersey 1–21–33–14–03–10–21–11–31–12–03–12–01–12–03–12–11–1—4–03–12–21–11–11–12–01–12–21–13–1
New York 3–10–42–21–32–21–10–21–31–11–11–20–20–21–12–23–10–20–4—0–41–31–11–11–10–22–03–01–11–3
Orlando 3–11–31–33–03–11–12–02–22–02–01–31–10–22–01–31–21–11–34–0—3–12–00–21–10–20–23–11–12–2
Philadelphia 3–13–13–12–13–01–11–11–21–11–11–32–01–10–23–13–11–12–23–11–3—2–00–20–21–11–11–30–22–3
Phoenix 1–11–10–21–11–11–31–31–14–02–21–11–32–23–11–12–02–21–11–10–20–2—2–21–31–32–21–12–20–2
Portland 1–11–11–12–02–02–22–22–02–23–11–13–12–22–21–12–02–21–11–12–02–02–2—2–21–33–11–11–32–0
Sacramento 2–02–02–02–02–01–34–02–04–04–00–23–11–33–12–02–03–11–11–11–12–03–12–2—3–12–22–04–01–1
San Antonio 2–02–01–12–01–13–14–02–04–04–01–13–11–34–01–10–22–20–22–02–01–13–13–11–3—2–21–14–02–0
Seattle 2–01–11–11–12–01–31–31–14–02–22–03–11–34–00–22–02–21–10–22–01–12–21–32–22–2—2–01–31–1
Toronto 4–02–22–24–03–11–11–11–32–01–13–11–11–11–13–10–41–12–20–31–33–11–11–10–21–10–2—1–11–2
Utah 1–11–11–12–02–01–33–11–14–02–21–14–01–31–32–00–21–31–11–11–12–02–23–10–40–43–11–1—2–0
Washington 3–01–31–33–12–11–12–00–41–11–11–31–10–22–02–21–30–21–33–12–23–22–00–21–10–21–12–10–2—

Game log
GameDateOpponentResultGrizzlies scoreOpponent scoreRecordOT

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Awards and records

Awards

Pau Gasol 2001–2002 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.[15]

Pau Gasol 2001–2002 NBA All-Rookie Team[16]

Shane Battier 2001–2002 NBA All-Rookie Team[16]

Transactions

Free agents

See also

References
  1. 2001-02 Memphis Grizzlies
  2. "PRO BASKETBALL: NOTEBOOK; It Looks as if Grizzlies Are Heading for Memphis". New York Times. March 25, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  3. "High School Player Tops NBA Draft". AP News. June 27, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  4. "PRO BASKETBALL; Three High School Stars Are Among First Four Chosen". New York Times. June 28, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  5. "Hawks to get Abdur-Rahim in deal". ESPN. June 26, 2001. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  6. "Williams' rocky relationship with Kings comes to an end". ESPN. June 29, 2001. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  7. "Grizzlies' Reeves disabled by back". The Oklahoman. October 30, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  8. "Grizzly guard sidelined". UPI Archives. November 15, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  9. "2001–02 Memphis Grizzlies Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  10. "2001–02 Memphis Grizzlies Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  11. Memphis Grizzlies (2001-Present)
  12. "Memphis Grizzlies Logo". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  13. "Memphis Grizzlies Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  14. "Memphis Grizzlies Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  15. Basketball-ReferenceNBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners, Sept 20 2011
  16. RealGM,Historical Memphis Grizzlies Awards, Sept 20 2011
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