02-09-2004, 10:23 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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The GrandDaddy of them all!
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Rasheed Wallace -> Atlanta
The Link
Quote:
ESPN.com news services
The Portland Trail Blazers traded volatile forward Rasheed Wallace and reserve Wesley Person to the Atlanta Hawks late Monday night for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and two other players.
"Since [general manager] John Nash and I came here last summer, we pursued a plan that would take character into account with talent, create cap flexibility while continuing to put a competitive team on the court," Portland president Steve Patterson said.
"The community has been very clear in their message and we are listening. As we pledged to our fans and customers back in August, we want to build a competitive team on the court and one in which the fans can also be proud of off the court. Today's trade is a reflection of that commitment."
In Wallace, Atlanta gets an often-troubled player who's averaging 17 points a game. He drew the ire of NBA commissioner David Stern earlier this season when he told The Oregonian newspaper that the league's white establishment is exploiting young black athletes to enrich itself.
Wallace later issued an apology.
Last season, he was suspended by the league for seven games for threatening an official on the loading dock at the Rose Garden Arena after a game. It was the longest suspension ever handed down that did not involve physical contact or substance abuse.
In the 2000-01 season, he set the NBA record with 41 technical fouls.
The announcement of the trade came about 90 minutes after the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 102-96. Abdur-Rahim had 27 points and 10 rebounds in the victory, and is averaging about 20 points this season.
He goes to the Trail Blazers with center Theo Ratliff and little-used point guard Dan Dickau, a first-round pick of the Sacramento Kings in 2002, who was traded to the Hawks on draft day.
The contracts for Wallace and Person end after this season, clearing up salary cap room for the Hawks. They are right at the luxury tax threshold.
Person, a guard, averages about six points a game.
Information from The Associated Press and SportsTicker was used in this report.
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any team with the trouble child is doomed. portland is gettin the good enough of the deal and dumpin wallace by itself is a big plus.
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"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal
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