Mike Bibby recounts the dark days of the Grizzlies' basketball

Mike Bibby could have had a better experience in his first taste of NBA basketball with the Vancouver Grizzlies .

Bibby openly admitted that he desperately asked the franchise not to land him as their lottery pick of the 1998 Draft. But the Grizzlies, fascinated about him being the showrunner of their desired future, ultimately pulled their trigger and identified the standout Arizona prospect as his class's No. 2 overall pick.

Bibby had no choice but to comply in his unwanted scenario. But while trying to feel positive about being in Vancouver, Mike couldn't bear the team's competitive struggles.

A horrible experience for rookie Bibby

In his recent appearance in the Club 520 Podcast, Bibby went candid in his genuine thoughts about his time as a member of the Grizzlies.

"We are getting our ass kicked every night," he said (at 17:15 ). "It was a 50-game season that year, so we started 4-4, I guess. And guess what we ended up with? 8-42. We had three double-digit losing streaks in the 50-game season."

Bibby played productively in his rookie campaign during 1998-99, averaging 13.2 points, 6.5 boards, 2.7 boards, and 1.6 assists. Although he impressed everyone for being available through the entire 50-game season, it gave him a horrifying experience of witnessing the Grizzlies getting blown out and blasted by opposing teams on a nightly basis.

While he believes they are talented on paper, Bibby confessed that he and the Grizzlies were directionless in their future. Although promising, they needed to learn how to win games without veteran presence and locker room presence.

"We were in many games, but we were just young," he argued. "Our vets, our superstar players were 'Big Country' [Bryan] Reaves, and he was 23. Those are our superstars, so no one knew how to win. We'd be in games, and just at the end, we fold."

Horrific basketball continues

Just as Bibby might have thought that their struggle would finally end after his rollercoaster rookie outing, the worst eventually continued coming at the Grizzlies' side in the next couple of years.

Bibby and the Grizzlies remained the NBA's cellar dwellers in the next two seasons. From 1999-00 to 2000-01, Bibby and Co. still needed help to catch a break, registering 22-60 and 23-59 records, respectively. Deteriorating fan support and sustained mediocrity forced the franchise to relocate and identify Memphis as its newest home.

Upon this, Bibby finally got unshackled by the Grizzlies from all the basketball nightmares he endured in Vancouver, sending him to the Sacramento Kings for Jason Williams and Nick Anderson in the 2001 offseason.

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