Van Exel and Dampier for Sheed?

[fgrep15]

One day after breaking down and crying after a loss, Maurice Cheeks on Monday insisted he is capable and willing to lead the Trail Blazers out of the team's worst slump in his two-plus seasons as coach

"This is one of the toughest stretches I have been through in my career," Cheeks said. "But I am a leader, and I'm a person who expects to be successful. I don't waver in my ability to coach and I don't waver in how I do things. There are going to be times when I am having a tough time, or the team is going to have a tough time, but they have to see confidence in me. And that's what I display. There is no vulnerability."

Derek Anderson, who also admitted to crying after the game, said the players are with Cheeks, and they have come to appreciate his support.

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregon ... 290320.xml

[Nick]

The reason why Blazers have been loosing is because teams have learned that Zach Randolph really struggles when he's double teamed.

And especially since Sheed is out, Randolph is the only real offensive threat. So teams are doing it all the time.

Ever since sheed has been out, the Blazers went 3-9 or something, and Randolph's shot 39%, got 18 ppg and 10 or so rpg in that period of time. As opposed to you know what (23 ppg, 11 rpg, 51 FG%)

But Cheeks has been teaching Randolph what to do in a double team lately, and Randolph's work ethic is awesome so they should be okay.

And if they manage to trade Sheed for Jamison, then they'll start winning more games.

The game they lost to Suns was the one they were crying about though, cos they played a damn good game, but just couldnt finish it off.

[Andrew]

Don't the Blazers currently have the longest active streak of playoff appearances? Seems like it will be broken this year, as will Utah's streak.

[Nick]

They're an improved team with Sheed and Anderson though. :O They beat the Kings today.

[Gripni]

16-23 is their worst start in 28 years. WOW

I root for the blazers though, I hope they can pull it together, but realistically I doubt if they can make the playoffs this year.

[Gee_Dupe11]

Blazers is my fav team and i think they will turn thinks around by and make the playoffs

[fgrep15]

Rasheed Wallace has let the Trail Blazers know that if he is to be traded, he wants to end up with the Knicks, according to NBA sources.

Isiah Thomas has been trying to acquire Wallace for several weeks, but the Blazers have little interest in what the Knicks are offering. The Knicks may either have to include a third team or simply wait until the summer, when Wallace becomes a free agent, and possibly land him in a sign-and-trade.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baske ... 8603c.html


He is the most valuable commodity for an Atlanta team looking to dump salary, so Shareef Abdur-Rahim's name is bound to surface in countless rumors before the Feb. 19 NBA trading deadline. He was at the center of speculation Friday about a three-way deal between the Hawks, Portland and the Knicks that would include Rasheed Wallace and Keith Van Horn.

The likely scenario would have the Trail Blazers sending free-agent-to-be Wallace to Atlanta, which could take his $17-million salary off its cap after the season, with Abdur-Rahim moving to the Knicks and Van Horn to the Blazers. Two Eastern Conference general managers said they had heard such speculation, but both agreed Portland would need more than Van Horn. One said the Blazers would have to get Knicks power forward Kurt Thomas as part of a larger deal.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketbal ... orts-print

I think they should have Sheed to NY, Van Horn to Atlanta and Reef to the Blazers, but will that work.

"The problem in the West is, there's a monster forward to guard every night," the Blazer official said. "Keith can't guard them."

http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/45140.htm

Isiah Thomas and Billy Knight met for about 35 minutes outside the Hawks' locker room last night, each man highly motivated to change his roster for very different reasons.

Thomas wants to make his Knicks more athletic while Knight, the Hawks' GM, wants to slash payroll. And not coincidentally, rumors abound that the two general managers are trying to put together a three-way trade with Portland.

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.s ... 102750.xml

[Jeffx]

I do not want Wallace on my Knicks. We all know how talented he is, but is he worth the aggravation?

[Ruff Ryder]

I do not want Wallace on my Knicks. We all know how talented he is, but is he worth the aggravation?

Yep. I think he's more versitile than Van Horn. He can play 3 positions and has great range. He has a mental breakdown sometimes, though. NY should consider giving up motumbo and harrington.

[Matthew]

Keith Van Horn can play 2 positions... so can rasheed, plus rasheed is a much better inside player so you could even get away with him at centre in the east.
If New York does trade for rasheed, that makes them alot better imo. Rasheed along with H2o and Showbiz.. and penny at the 3, the kicks would not only bet better, but more consistant. Rasheed has that over KVH: consistancy.

[fgrep15]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 4LFM01.DTL

On Thursday, speculation circulated that Golden State and Portland had discussed a trade involving Van Exel, Warriors center Erick Dampier and the Trail Blazers' mercurial Rasheed Wallace, 29, the talented but inconsistent forward who is being paid a reported $17 million in the final year of his contract.

I dunno if they'd wanna get rid of Dampier, but its out there.