1996–97 Denver Nuggets season

1996–97 Denver Nuggets season
Head coach
PresidentBernie Bickerstaff
General manager
ArenaMcNichols Sports Arena
Results
Record21–61 (.256)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Midwest)
Conference: 12th (Western)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television
RadioKKFN

The 1996–97 Denver Nuggets season was the 21st season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 30th season as a franchise.[1] During the off-season, the Nuggets acquired Mark Jackson and Ricky Pierce from the Indiana Pacers,[2][3][4] acquired Šarūnas Marčiulionis from the Sacramento Kings,[3][4] and signed free agents Ervin Johnson, Eric Murdock,[5][6][7] and undrafted rookie power forward Darvin Ham; Murdock was later on released to free agency in November after just 12 games.[8] Early into the regular season, the Nuggets signed Brooks Thompson, who was previously released by the Utah Jazz.

With the addition of Jackson, Johnson and Pierce, the Nuggets lost 9 of their first 13 games of the regular season. After 13 games, Bernie Bickerstaff resigned as head coach and was replaced with Dick Motta.[9][10] The Nuggets then posted a 10-game losing streak, and later on held a 16–32 record at the All-Star break.[11] At mid-season, the team traded Jackson and Ham to the Indiana Pacers, whom Jackson had previously played for, while Pierce was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for second-year guard Anthony Goldwire, and second-year center George Zidek.[12][13][14] The team also signed free agent and three-point specialist Kenny Smith, who won two NBA championships with the Houston Rockets.[15][16][17] The Nuggets struggled losing 26 of their final 30 games of the season, and finished in fifth place in the Midwest Division with a 21–61 record.[18]

LaPhonso Ellis had a stellar season, averaging 21.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, but only played 55 games due to knee injuries and a ruptured Achilles tendon,[19][20][21] while second-year star Antonio McDyess averaged 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and Dale Ellis provided the team with 16.6 points per game, and led them with 192 three-point field goals. In addition, Bryant Stith contributed 14.9 points per game, but only played 52 games due to a foot injury,[22] while Smith provided with 7.9 points and 3.1 assists per game in 33 games, and Goldwire contributed 7.3 points and 4.6 assists per game in 27 games after the trade. Meanwhile, Johnson averaged 7.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, while off the bench, Thompson contributed 6.8 points and 2.8 assists per game, and Tom Hammonds provided with 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.[23]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Dale Ellis participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout,[24][25] while before the mid-season trade, Ham participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[24][25] LaPhonso Ellis finished tied in ninth place in Most Improved Player voting.[26] The Nuggets finished 28th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 340,486 at the McNichols Sports Arena during the regular season, which was the second-lowest in the league.[23][27]

Following the season, McDyess was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade,[28][29][30] while Dale Ellis was traded back to his former team, the Seattle SuperSonics,[31][32][33] Johnson was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks,[34][35][36] Hammonds signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the next season,[37][38] Smith and Marčiulionis both retired, Thompson was released to free agency, and Motta was fired as head coach.[39][40]

On April 16, 1997, the Nuggets suffered a 44-point margin road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, 107–63 at the Rose Garden Arena. The Trail Blazers held the Nuggets to only just eight points in the first quarter, and later on held a 53–22 lead at halftime; the Nuggets only shot .284 in field-goal percentage.[41][42]

Draft picks

Main article: 1996 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team
1 23 Efthimios Rentzias C  Greece PAOK
2 37 Jeff McInnis PG/SG  United States North Carolina

Roster

1996–97 Denver Nuggets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 53 Jerome Allen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1973–01–28 Penn
G 17 Vincent Askew 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–02–28 Memphis
F 3 Dale Ellis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1960–08–06 Tennessee
F 20 LaPhonso Ellis  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970–05–05 Notre Dame
G 5 Anthony Goldwire 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1971–09–06 Houston
F 21 Tom Hammonds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–03–27 Georgia Tech
C 50 Ervin Johnson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1967–12–21 New Orleans
G 13 Jimmy King 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1973–08–09 Michigan
G 8 Šarūnas Marčiulionis  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1964–06–13 Lithuania
F 24 Antonio McDyess 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1974–09–07 Alabama
G 30 Kenny Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1965–03–08 North Carolina
G 23 Bryant Stith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1970–12–10 Virginia
G 6 Brooks Thompson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1970–07–19 Oklahoma State
C 25 George Zidek 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1973–08–02 UCLA
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: April 6, 1997

Roster Notes

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Utah Jazz 64 18 .780 – 38–3 26–15 19–5
x-Houston Rockets 57 25 .695 7 30–11 27–14 19–5
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 40 42 .488 24 25–16 15–26 16–8
Dallas Mavericks 24 58 .293 40 14–27 10–31 9–15
Denver Nuggets 21 61 .256 43 12–29 9–32 7–17
San Antonio Spurs 20 62 .244 44 12–29 8–33 8–16
Vancouver Grizzlies 14 68 .171 50 8–33 6–35 6–18
1996–97 NBA West standings
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Utah Jazz 64 18 .780 –
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics 57 25 .695 7
3 x-Houston Rockets 57 25 .695 7
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 8
5 x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 15
6 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 40 42 .488 24
7 x-Phoenix Suns 40 42 .488 24
8 x-Los Angeles Clippers 36 46 .439 28
9 Sacramento Kings 34 48 .415 30
10 Golden State Warriors 30 52 .366 34
11 Dallas Mavericks 24 58 .293 40
12 Denver Nuggets 21 61 .256 43
13 San Antonio Spurs 20 62 .244 44
14 Vancouver Grizzlies 14 68 .171 50
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

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

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
LaPhonso Ellis 55 49 36.4 .439 .367 .773 7.0 2.4 0.8 0.7 21.9
Antonio McDyess 74 73 34.7 .463 .171 .708 7.3 1.4 0.8 1.7 18.3
Dale Ellis 82 51 35.9 .414 .364 .817 3.6 2.0 0.7 0.1 16.6
Bryant Stith 52 52 34.4 .416 .385 .863 4.2 2.6 1.2 0.4 14.9
Mark Jackson 52 52 38.5 .425 .397 .801 5.2 12.3 1.0 0.2 10.4
Ricky Pierce 33 10 18.2 .462 .308 .902 1.6 0.9 0.4 0.2 10.2
Kenny Smith 33 3 19.8 .422 .425 .854 1.1 3.1 0.5 0.0 7.9
Anthony Goldwire 27 21 22.7 .392 .394 .816 1.7 4.6 0.5 0.0 7.3
Ervin Johnson 82 82 31.7 .520 .000 .615 11.1 0.9 0.8 2.8 7.1
Brooks Thompson 65 6 16.1 .400 .398 .632 1.5 2.8 0.8 0.0 6.8
Sarunas Marciulionis 17 0 15.0 .376 .367 .806 1.8 1.5 0.7 0.1 6.8
Tom Hammonds 81 8 21.7 .480 .000 .721 5.0 0.8 0.2 0.3 6.2
Aaron Williams 1 0 10.0 .600 5.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 6.0
Vincent Askew 1 0 9.0 .667 1.000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.0
Jeff McInnis 13 0 9.0 .469 .462 .700 0.5 1.4 0.2 0.1 5.0
Eric Murdock 12 0 9.5 .455 .400 .917 0.9 2.0 0.8 0.2 3.8
George Zidek 16 0 5.5 .485 .800 1.4 0.3 0.1 0.0 3.3
Jimmy King 2 0 11.0 .333 .500 1.0 1.0 1.5 0.0 3.0
Jerome Allen 25 0 10.0 .284 .206 .600 1.3 1.7 0.2 0.2 2.6
Elmer Bennett 5 0 11.8 .308 .333 .500 0.6 1.4 0.4 0.0 2.4
Darvin Ham 35 3 8.9 .525 .485 1.6 0.4 0.2 0.2 2.3
Melvin Booker 5 0 4.2 .500 .500 0.2 0.6 0.0 0.0 1.0
LaSalle Thompson 17 0 6.2 .188 .500 1.5 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.4

Player statistics citation:[23]

Awards and records

Transactions

References

  1. ^ 1996-97 Denver Nuggets
  2. ^ "Pacers Trade Jackson, Pierce to Denver". United Press International. June 13, 1996. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "PRO BASKETBALL; Nuggets Trade Abdul-Rauf, Acquire Pacers' Jackson". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 14, 1996. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "In One of Two Deals, Abdul-Rauf Is Traded". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 14, 1996. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "Grant Signs with Magic for $50 Million". Los Angeles Times. Times News Services. July 18, 1996. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "C Ervin Johnson Signs with Nuggets". United Press International. July 23, 1996. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  7. ^ Heisler, Mark (October 31, 1996). "NBA Preview". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  8. ^ "Jackson Can Shop Himself at a Whim". Deseret News. Associated Press. November 30, 1996. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Motta Is a Winner in Debut with Nuggets". The New York Times. November 27, 1996. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Motta Steps In for Bickerstaff". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 27, 1996. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Brown, Clifton (February 21, 1997). "Jackson Is Back with Pacers". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "Trading Deadline Becomes Much Ado About a Little". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 21, 1997. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Pacers Make Point in Reacquiring Jackson". The Washington Post. February 21, 1997. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "Basketball Briefs". Deseret News. January 25, 1997. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "Griz End Winters of Their Discontent". The Spokesman-Review. Wire Reports. January 25, 1997. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Nuggets Put Guard Smith on Injured List". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. February 22, 1997. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "1996–97 Denver Nuggets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  19. ^ "Nuggets' Ellis Will Have Knee Surgery". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 8, 1996. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  20. ^ "Suns Surging; LaPhonso Ellis Hurt Again". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 5, 1997. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  21. ^ "Nuggets Look Overseas for Team Additions". Deseret News. Associated Press. April 7, 1997. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Injured Stith Unsure of Future". Associated Press. March 17, 2000. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c "1996–97 Denver Nuggets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  24. ^ a b Fry, Darrell (February 8, 1997). "On to the Next Stage". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  25. ^ a b "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  26. ^ "1996–97 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  27. ^ "1996–97 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  28. ^ Berger, Ken (October 1, 1997). "Nuggets Send McDyess to Phoenix". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  29. ^ "PLUS: IN THE NEWS -- PRO BASKETBALL; McDyess to Suns in Three-Team Deal". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 2, 1997. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  30. ^ "Suns Make Trade for McDyess". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. October 2, 1997. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  31. ^ "Dale Ellis Joins SuperSonics, Again". Associated Press. October 2, 1997. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  32. ^ "Sonics Trade for Ellis". The Spokesman-Review. Wire Reports. October 3, 1997. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  33. ^ Wallingford, John (October 3, 1997). "SONICS: Long-Range Bomber Ellis Returns a "Changed Man"". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  34. ^ Wise, Mike (June 26, 1997). "After Duncan, Utah Forward Steals Show". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  35. ^ Heisler, Mark (June 26, 1997). "Draft Over, But Not Finished". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  36. ^ Cotton, Anthony (June 26, 1997). "No. 1 Pick Turns Duncan into Spur of Moment". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  37. ^ "The Houston Rockets, Who Will Be Without..." Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 26, 1997. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  38. ^ Facer, Dick (November 30, 1997). "24-Second Clock". Deseret News. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  39. ^ Mossman, John (April 21, 1997). "Nuggets Clean House Following Disastrous Season". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  40. ^ "Nuggets Fire Motta and His Staff". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 22, 1997. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  41. ^ "Bulls Look for 70th, But Heat Find 60th". The Spokesman-Review. April 17, 1997. p. C5. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  42. ^ "Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers Box Score, April 16, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2026.

See also

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