| 23 February 2011
Update: What was once cooled discussions between Charlotte and Portland heated up again as the NBA trade deadline drew to a close Thursday at noon.
According to multiple reports, Portland received Gerald Wallace, and sent Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham & 2 first round draft picks to the Bobcats. The Blazers have yet to confirm the trade, but will hold a press conference at 4pm.
One league source also told Beyond the Beat that Przybilla may explore buyout options on his contract with Charlotte and perhaps contemplate retirement. The Bobcats have not said either way what their intentions are with the veteran center, who was also the longest tenured member of the Blazers.
Cunningham had recently been rumored to be involved in trade scenerios with the Philadelphia 76ers, but his name slowed in discussions around the league until late Wednesday night. Word is, once Rudy Fernandez's agent Andy Miller let it be known his client would jump ship overseas if moved to Charlotte, Cunningham became the Bobcats backup plan.
The question now for Portland is, where exactly does Gerald Wallace fit in Portland's rotation. Will he come off the bench or slide into a starters role? It's a minor concern at this point - right now, Wallace is simply the newest member of the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Update: It appeared Wednesday afternoon that Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace would be heading to Portland, but talks quickly cooled and are now deemed dead, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Writes Rick Bonnel, "If the Charlotte Bobcats and Portland Trail Blazers ever were close to a deal involving Gerald Wallace, those discussions are currently dead, according to a source familiar with the situation."
The Blazers have turned their attention to T.J. Ford, the Indiana Pacers 27-year-old point guard who has seen limited playing time this season. Ford carries an expiring contract worth $8.3 million, and The Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells writes on Twitter that "the Pacers have told Ford they will offer him a buyout if he's not traded by the deadline, which likely won't happen, according to a source." Portland is "expected to have interest in Ford when his contract is bought out", according to Wells. They would have to clear a roster spot in order to sign him. "Portland would pay [him] the minimum", according to The Oregonian's John Canzano.
Ford is averaging five points and three assists this season. He has averaged 11 points and six assists over his six-year career, but has battled injuries throughout.
"Portland is expected to deal point guard Andre Miller and center Marcus Camby before today's trade deadline," reports Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
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With the trade deadline in its final hours, the Western Conference shakeup could be in the final phases. First, Denver finally moves Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. And today, Deron Williams shockingly changes the landscape in Utah and the West by heading back east to New Jersey.
Heck, even New Orleans is securing thier frontline by adding Carl Landry from the Sacramento Kings. At this point and with teams gunning for playoff positioning, even minor moves matter.
So, is Portland next up to switch the game up?
More and more, it's becoming apparent the Blazers may decide to ride this one out with the roster they have despite the rumors swirling around the expiring contracts of Joel Przybilla and Andre Miller. Even Marcus Camby's plea yesterday to remain in Portland has fallen on some graceful ears in the front office.
As we wait to see where Rich Cho and Paul Allen go from here, Dwight Jaynes over at Comcast Sports Northwest breaks down the inner office politics going down at One Center Court:
"My take on this is that I think there is a difference between a "philosophical struggle" and a difference of opinion. And everyone is allowed to have an opinion. General managers almost always want to tear a team down that they didn't build. It's what they do. You hire them to make changes and then it's hard to keep them from doing that.
But I want to emphasize here how wrong I think it is to expect any owner in any sport -- and I mean ANY owner -- to totally surrender his team to his general manager. There seems to be a perception that Paul Allen is a real unusual owner because he takes an interest in personnel matters.
He is not. He is the rule, not the exception. Oh, there are still a few owners out there who pay little attention, but they're outnumbered by the guys who are either basketball guys or money guys. Either way, whenever you make a major move as a general manager, you have to sit down with that owner and explain it and justify it. Sell it to him."
Right now, buying doesn't seem to be in Allen's cards.
That's the beauty of having a team that truly has overcome another season filled with major setbacks. Sitting on a six-game win streak while other teams in your conference start the grueling process of jamming pieces of a puzzle together never hurts either.
Then again, with the deck Allen is playing with - read: two moveable expiring contracts - this trade deadline may be far from over.
photo: daylife
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