A good jump on a long trip

A good jump on a long trip 
The Blazers are fulfilling expectations by being on top of the West -- 
so far 

Tuesday, February 13, 2001



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jason Quick of The Oregonian staff 


More than anything, the Trail Blazers spent the first part of the 
season re-establishing what has been assumed since October: They have 
as good a chance as any team to win the NBA championship. 

But they haven't done it without what has become their trademark in 
recent seasons -- a little controversy, a little conflict and a lot of 
flair. 

There has been a team meeting during which the coach bluntly confronted 
the players about their shortcomings and the players boldly challenged 
the coach's ego. There has been the surprising emergence of a youngster 
that has forced an Olympian to swallow his pride and redefine his role. 

There have been monumental temper tantrums and a monumental trade 
disappointment. 

And for good measure there has been a touch of intrigue, with an elbow 
ailment that is as mysterious as it is serious, which figures to cloud 
the forecast for the rest of the season. 

Throw it all together and it has produced a 10-game win streak and 
ghastly losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, and 
ultimately, the best record (35-15) in the Western Conference. 




Two trends developed before the All-Star break: The Blazers are a 
fragile team -- both mentally and physically -- but they have shown the 
depth to overcome that shortcoming. 

At the center of the team's fragility is forward Rasheed Wallace, the 
team's top scorer and rebounder. Wallace has continued to show he can 
be a volatile liability, following up his league-record 38 technicals 
last season by amassing a league-leading 27 technicals and three 
ejections this season. Although the team is 3-0 when he is ejected, it 
lost to the Clippers 90-89 on Feb. 3 after he was suspended two games 
by the league for his career-worst tantrum, during which he threw a 
towel at referee Gary Benson. 

That loss could haunt the Blazers when it comes time to determine home
-court advantage for the playoffs, just like it hurt the Blazers when 
Wallace was ejected in Game 1 of last season's conference finals 
against the Los Angeles Lakers. Plus, Wallace often becomes so immersed 
in the officiating that it takes away from his considerable skills. 

The bottom line is the Blazers can't start talking about winning an NBA 
championship when they can't assure themselves that their top scorer 
and rebounder can control himself enough to stay in the game. 

"He puts us at risk," coach Mike Dunleavy said. 

The Blazers, whose average age is 31, have also proved to be brittle. 
Center Arvydas Sabonis, 36, has missed 18 games because of knee, back 
and tooth problems, and forward Scottie Pippen, 35, has missed 14 games 
and counting because of a mysterious problem in his right elbow that 
required surgery Jan. 29. Pippen has said he doesn't know how he 
injured the elbow, or what he injured exactly, he just knows that the 
morning after a game Jan. 8 at Boston he couldn't straighten his right 
arm. 

Last week, Pippen said he hoped to return by early March, but whether 
that is an attainable goal and whether he can have the same impact as 
when he left is as hazy as his injury. In turn, that clouds the Blazers' 
prognosis for an NBA title because Pippen supplies this team with more 
than just his 10.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He is the 
team's unquestioned leader and is invaluable with his help defense and 
his ability to make the pass that leads to the pass that leads to a 
basket. 

Remarkably, the team has not been devastated by these injuries and 
mental shortcomings. Perhaps most importantly, the $86.5 million that 
owner Paul Allen is paying in salaries this season has bought him depth 
and experience. 

When Sabonis was injured, and when Wallace was suspended, they were 
replaced by Dale Davis, a former All-Star who was acquired in an off-
season trade that sent Jermaine O'Neal to the Indiana Pacers. And 
during Pippen's injury, Stacey Augmon has started, bringing with him 10 
years of NBA experience and reliable defense. 

"We have so much depth that we can have injuries, but not be slowed 
down by them," Davis said. "I don't know how many other teams can say 
that." 

The only move that has backfired is the deal for forward Shawn Kemp, 
who was acquired from Cleveland in a three-team trade that sent Brian 
Grant to Miami. Kemp, whose $11.2 million salary makes him the third-
highest-paid Blazer, has been a bust. He showed up heavy and out of 
shape and has displayed none of the skills that made him a six-time All
-Star. Nobody has a problem with Kemp's effort, desire or attitude, but 
his shot selection, turnovers and production have been a disappointment. 



Aside from the depth and experience, the Blazers have also shown they 
still have talented players. 

Wallace has become a player who is mentioned with the league's elite, 
and point guard Damon Stoudamire is playing his best basketball since 
being traded to his hometown team three years ago today. Frustrated by 
the confining system of the Blazers, which did not require him to be 
the open-court scorer he was with Toronto, Stoudamire realized he 
needed to change his game. He conceded that he would run Dunleavy's 
system, then pick and choose when he would improvise on the court. 
Dunleavy said the approach has resulted in better shot selection and 
Stoudamire said it has helped open a line of communication with 
Dunleavy. As a result, Stoudamire is as relaxed as he has ever been in 
Portland. 

Another pleasant surprise has been the emergence of 24-year-old Bonzi 
Wells, the third-year guard from Ball State who is the second-youngest 
player on the team. Wells has created mismatches with virtually every 
team with his size (6 feet 5, 210 pounds) and his ability to post up 
opponents. And on a team with so many stars and not enough shots, Wells 
has become a favorite of Dunleavy's because he doesn't have to run 
plays for Wells for him to produce. So much of his production is after 
offensive rebounds, in the open court or from easy baskets inside after 
he has used his size for position. 

Wells is also at the center of one of the interesting dynamics of the 
team. On Dec. 29, Steve Smith -- 2000 Olympian, former All-Star and one 
of the most respected players in the league -- asked Dunleavy for a day 
off because he was ill with the flu. Dunleavy replaced Smith in the 
starting lineup with Wells. 

When Smith returned healthy for the next game, Wells was still in the 
starting lineup. And he has not left since, 20 games later. 

Smith, who was the team's third leading scorer at the time, admitted it 
was a difficult pill to swallow. But the team was in the midst of a 10-
game win streak, and he continually said he did not want to ruin a good 
thing by complaining, instead saying he was doing it "for the 
betterment of the team." 

So he took his frustration out on the opponents, improving his scoring 
and shooting statistics. In the process, Smith has become the Blazers' 
fourth-quarter force, scoring 14 of his 22 points in a win Jan. 25 at 
Indiana and 17 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter of a win Feb. 1 
against Phoenix. 

"In the end, I will be there," Smith said. 

Interestingly, the statistics of both Smith and Wells have improved 
since the switch, and the Blazers have posted a 15-5 record. 



Still, with all this talent, and all this depth, the Blazers were 
stumbling around with a 17-10 record after a humiliating 116-96 loss 
Dec. 22 at Denver. 

After a heated postgame speech that night, Dunleavy did not like the 
way things were left. He called another team meeting the next morning 
at the Rose Garden after a shootaround before a game against Washington. 

Dunleavy said he held nothing back during that meeting. He said he 
told some players things they did not want to hear. At the heart of his 
comments was the need to play better defense. 

After he was done talking, the players -- led by Pippen and Wallace -- 
confronted Dunleavy. They said he was too controlling, that he yelled 
and screamed at them too much. They wanted more offensive freedom so 
they could run their own plays on the fly and not have to look to the 
sideline for a play signal. 

Dunleavy gave them their freedom, and the players gave him their 
defensive effort. 

The result was a 10-game win streak and the talk that the Blazers are 
once again a team that could win the NBA title.