1997–98 Orlando Magic season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the ninth season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Magic hired Chuck Daly as their new head coach; Daly led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive NBA championships between 1989 and 1990.^[2][3][4] The team also acquired All-Star guard Mark Price from the Golden State Warriors,^[5][6][7] acquired Derek Harper from the Dallas Mavericks,^[8][9][10] and signed free agent Bo Outlaw.^[11][12][13]

1997–98 Orlando Magic season
Head coach	Chuck Daly
President	Bob Vander Weide
General manager	John Gabriel
Owner(s)	Richard DeVos
Arena	Orlando Arena
Results
Record	41–41 (.500)
Place	Division: 5th (Atlantic) Conference: 10th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	Sunshine Network, WKCF
< 1996–97 1998–99 >

Under Daly, the Magic got off to a solid 16–7 start to the regular season; however, they struggled losing nine of their next ten games, as Penny Hardaway only played just 19 games due to a knee injury, averaging 16.4 points and 1.5 steals per game.^[14][15][16] The team then lost seven straight games in January, as Darrell Armstrong was out for the remainder of the season after 48 games, due to a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.^[17][18] The Magic also signed free agent Vernon Maxwell in January, but released him to free agency after eleven games, as he later on signed with the Charlotte Hornets.^[19][20]

At mid-season, the team traded Rony Seikaly to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Greg Foster and Chris Morris;^[21][22][23] however, the trade was voided due to Seikaly failing to report to the Jazz within the 48-hour deadline, because of a foot injury.^[24][25][26] Instead, he was then traded along with second-year forward Brian Evans to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for David Benoit, Kevin Edwards and Yinka Dare, who never played for the Magic and was released to free agency.^[27][28][29] After the trade, the Magic signed free agent and former Slam Dunk champion Spud Webb to a 10-day contract, as he appeared in four games for the team before being waived.^[30][31] The Magic held a 23–25 record at the All-Star break,^[32] and finished in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a 41–41 record, missing the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1992–93 season.^[33]

In Hardaway's absence, Nick Anderson stepped up averaging 15.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while Horace Grant averaged 12.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and Derek Strong provided the team with 12.7 points, and 7.4 rebounds per game off the bench as the team's sixth man. In addition, Outlaw had a stellar season averaging 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, while Price contributed 9.5 points and 4.7 assists per game, Armstrong provided with 9.2 points and 4.9 assists per game, and Harper contributed 8.6 points and 3.5 assists per game. Meanwhile, Danny Schayes became the team's starting center after Seikaly was traded, as he averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.^[34]

Despite the knee injuries, Hardaway was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York City, New York, which would be his fourth and final All-Star appearance.^[35][36][37] Anderson finished tied in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Outlaw finished tied in eighth place;^[38][39] Outlaw also finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Grant finished tied in eleventh place, and Daly finished tied in ninth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[39]

Following the season, Price retired after playing twelve seasons in the NBA,^[40] while Harper signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers,^[41][42] and Benoit and Edwards were both released to free agency.^[43]

Draft picks

Main article: 1997 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	17	Johnny Taylor	SF	United States	Chattanooga
2	47	Eric Washington	SG	United States	Alabama

Roster

1997–98 Orlando Magic roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G/F 25 Nick Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1968–01–20 Illinois G 10 Darrell Armstrong 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1968–06–22 Fayetteville State F 2 David Benoit 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–05–09 Alabama G 20 Kevin Edwards 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1965–10–30 DePaul F/C 54 Horace Grant 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1965–07–04 Clemson G 1 Penny Hardaway 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971–07–18 Memphis G 12 Derek Harper 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1961–10–13 Illinois C 8 Jason Lawson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1974–09–02 Villanova G 3 Kevin Ollie 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1972–12–27 Connecticut F 45 Bo Outlaw 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–04–13 Houston G 5 Mark Price 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1964–02–15 Georgia Tech C 24 Danny Schayes 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1959–05–10 Syracuse F 33 Derek Strong 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–02–09 Xavier F 17 Johnny Taylor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1974–06–04 Chattanooga G 21 Gerald Wilkins 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1963–09–11 Chattanooga

Head coach Chuck Daly Assistant(s) Tree Rollins Tom Sterner Brendan Suhr Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: March 22, 1998

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	55	27	.671	–	30-11	25–16	18–6
x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	12	28–13	15–26	13–11
x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	12	26–15	17–24	12–12
Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	13	24–17	18–23	12–13
Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	14	24–17	17–24	11–13
Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	19	24–17	12–29	12–12
Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	.378	24	19–22	12–29	7–17

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Miami Heat	55	27	.671	7
3	x-Indiana Pacers	58	24	.707	4
4	x-Charlotte Hornets	51	31	.622	11
5	x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	12
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	15
7	x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	19
8	x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	19
9	Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	20
10	Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	21
11	Detroit Pistons	37	45	.451	25
12	Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	26
13	Milwaukee Bucks	36	46	.439	26
14	Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	.378	31
15	Toronto Raptors	16	66	.195	46

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1997-98 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	VAN	WAS
Atlanta	–	2–1	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	4–0
Boston	1–2	–	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	0–2	2–0	3–2
Charlotte	0–4	2–1	–	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Chicago	3–1	3–1	3–1	–	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	3–1
Cleveland	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	–	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–2
Dallas	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	–	3–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	0–4	4–0	1–1
Denver	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	–	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1
Detroit	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	2–0	–	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	0–2	0–2	2–2
Golden State	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	–	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	–	1–1	4–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–0	0–4	3–1	1–1
Indiana	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	–	2–0	0–2	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–1	2–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	4–0
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	–	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	–	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1
Miami	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	–	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Milwaukee	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–3	–	1–1	0–4	3–1	2–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–2
Minnesota	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	–	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2
New Jersey	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2	–	2–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
New York	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–4	2–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	–	4–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
Orlando	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–2	2–0	1–3	0–4	–	4–0	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Philadelphia	1–3	1–3	1–2	1–2	1–3	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–4	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	–	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	3–1
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	–	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Portland	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	–	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–0	3–1	2–2	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–3	–	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	3–1	0–4	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	4–0	–	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Seattle	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	–	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
Toronto	0–4	0–3	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–0	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	–	0–2	1–1	0–3
Utah	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–0	–	4–0	0–2
Vancouver	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	0–4	–	1–1
Washington	0–4	2–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–0	2–0	1–1	—

Game log

Player statistics

Regular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Bo Outlaw	PF	82	76	2,953	637	216	107	181	783	36.0	7.8	2.6	1.3	2.2	9.5
Horace Grant	C	76	76	2,803	618	172	81	79	921	36.9	8.1	2.3	1.1	1.0	12.1
Danny Schayes	C	74	33	1,272	242	44	34	33	406	17.2	3.3	.6	.5	.4	5.5
Gerald Wilkins	SG	72	16	1,252	90	78	34	6	380	17.4	1.3	1.1	.5	.1	5.3
Derek Harper	SG	66	45	1,761	103	233	72	10	566	26.7	1.6	3.5	1.1	.2	8.6
Mark Price	PG	63	33	1,430	129	297	53	5	597	22.7	2.0	4.7	.8	.1	9.5
Nick Anderson	SF	58	44	1,701	297	119	72	23	890	29.3	5.1	2.1	1.2	.4	15.3
Derek Strong	PF	58	8	1,638	427	51	31	24	736	28.2	7.4	.9	.5	.4	12.7
Darrell Armstrong	PG	48	17	1,236	159	236	58	5	442	25.8	3.3	4.9	1.2	.1	9.2
Rony Seikaly†	C	47	47	1,484	357	69	25	39	704	31.6	7.6	1.5	.5	.8	15.0
Brian Evans†	SF	44	0	561	85	31	22	8	206	12.8	1.9	.7	.5	.2	4.7
David Benoit†	SF	24	0	324	62	8	9	4	138	13.5	2.6	.3	.4	.2	5.8
Penny Hardaway	SG	19	15	625	76	68	28	15	311	32.9	4.0	3.6	1.5	.8	16.4
Kevin Ollie†	PG	19	0	216	18	33	7	0	77	11.4	.9	1.7	.4	.0	4.1
Jason Lawson	C	17	0	80	27	5	4	4	26	4.7	1.6	.3	.2	.2	1.5
Kevin Edwards†	SG	12	0	135	20	13	5	1	59	11.3	1.7	1.1	.4	.1	4.9
Johnny Taylor	SF	12	0	108	13	1	3	2	38	9.0	1.1	.1	.3	.2	3.2
Vernon Maxwell†	SG	11	0	169	13	12	2	1	81	15.4	1.2	1.1	.2	.1	7.4
Spud Webb	PG	4	0	34	3	5	1	0	12	8.5	.8	1.3	.3	.0	3.0
Carl Thomas†	SG	4	0	15	0	1	0	1	9	3.8	.0	.3	.0	.3	2.3
Tim Kempton†	PF	3	0	15	1	1	0	0	0	5.0	.3	.3	.0	.0	.0
Donald Royal†	SF	2	0	18	4	1	1	0	5	9.0	2.0	.5	.5	.0	2.5

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Magic only.

Awards and honors

• Penny Hardaway – All-Star

Transactions