Even though Canada is showing signs of becoming a basketball powerhouse, having produced the last two first-overall selections in the NBA Draft and sending more players than ever to The Association, the arrival of a second franchise in the Great White North is nothing more than a pipe dream at this point.
Vancouver had six years to establish roots, but the team and the city never really gelled and with nearby Seattle having been wronged by ownership more recently and showing greater signs of actually wanting the NBA to return to their city, the chances that a team ever sets up shop on Canada’s West Coast again are slim. And that’s sad because Vancouver is a magnificent city and the potential is there for not only a Canadian rivalry with the Toronto Raptors, but also Pacific Northwest power struggles with Portland and the future Seattle Supersonics as well.
(Note: if Seattle gets a team again, they have to be called the Supersonics and rock the old school green and gold uniforms. This is not up for discussion.)
But it’s probably never going to happen. Vancouver is a failed NBA project the way Atlanta is an adventure the NHL would like to forget. It difficult to look at Toronto in this 20th Anniversary season and wonder what went wrong in Vancouver and how things could have gone differently.
Former NBA Commissioner David Stern told ESPN’s Bill Simmons a few years ago that he has regrets about how things played out in Vancouver and he absolutely should. The league stuck a number of roadblocks to success in front of the two Canadian expansion franchises, like denying them the opportunity to draft first overall even if they won the lottery, a decision made in large part due to the Orlando Magic becoming title contenders in their fifth season after draft first overall in consecutive seasons.
They also couldn’t use their full salary cap during their first two seasons. Thinking about that mandate now, 20 years later, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. These were teams build from spare parts and the sixth (Vancouver) and seventh (Toronto) picks in the 1995 draft and the league further restricted their abilities to be competitive early by limiting their resources.
Vancouver’s failure doesn’t fall entirely on the league’s shoulders though. While they certainly didn’t do the franchise any favours, the failings of this team on the court ultimately fall on management and a string of really, really bad NBA Drafts. Stu Jackson just wasn’t a good general manager and his track record in the draft as the architect of the Grizzlies illustrates that perfectly.
Picking Bryant Reeves and Shareef Abdur-Rahim with the team’s first two first-round picks was solid – Reeves was coming off a solid collegiate career and the NBA still valued low post centers at the time and Abdur-Rahim is easily the best player to ever suit up in Vancouver – but they both operated with their backs to the basket and neither was a great passer, so you had ball-stoppers on both side and no one with any great skill around the perimeter to keep things moving.
Handing Reeves a hefty extension after his second season was a colossal mistake, as “Big Country” was out of the league before the six-year deal was up.
Drafting Antonio Daniels fourth overall in 1997 was probably worse, as he struggled in his lone season in Vancouver, was shipped to San Antonio for spare parts after the season and became the poster boy for a draft class that produced just three All-Stars – Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups and Tracy McGrady, who went five spots later to the Raptors.
Jackson selected Daniels’ replacement, Mike Bibby, in the following draft, the first of three consecutive years where Vancouver had the second overall selection. The following June, Jackson locked in on Steve Francis despite the fact that (a) he and Bibby would make for a short backcourt combo and, more importantly, (b) Francis made it abundantly clear that he had no interest in playing for the Grizzlies.
Rather than draft Baron Davis, Lamar Odom, Wally Szczerbiak or Richard Hamilton, Jackson selected the Maryland combo guard and ultimately shipped him to Houston for rotation players and a future pick. The next season, the Grizzlies made LSU sophomore Stromile Swift the second pick in another historically weak draft.
Six consecutive Top 10 picks yielded seven-foot, 300-plus pound center that predictably broke down (Reeves), a legitimate All-Star and cornerstone (Abdur-Rahim), a solid starting point guard (Bibby) and a bunch of spare parts. While those six drafts weren’t especially deep or rich with talent, Vancouver did pass on some legitimate NBA stars over the years, like McGrady, Paul Pierce and Davis, all of whom were selected after various Vancouver misfires.
The shortcomings of the Grizzlies were magnified by the Raptors comparatively quick success as well. While the Raptors struggled early, they showed signs of life by their fourth season, the lockout-shortened 1998-99 campaign. They acquired Vince Carter in a draft day trade, he won Rookie of the Year and became the cornerstone of team that would make the playoffs in each of the next three seasons.
At the same time, Vancouver continued to struggle, ultimately going a laughable 101-359 over six seasons.
Now a perennial playoff squad in Memphis, it’s hard not to see the team’s success and how Toronto has managed to grow, adapt and ultimately become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and wonder if all of that could have happened in Vancouver as well.
