Scout's Take

On the Portland Trail Blazers, who dealt forward Rasheed Wallace
to Atlanta for forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim and center Theo
Ratliff in a five-player trade:

"Not only did the Blazers get two players for one, but they also
improved their standing in the community by getting rid of
Rasheed. Now they have new issues. They've been planning to
rebuild around Zach Randolph, but will his offensive role be
diminished by Abdur-Rahim, who has always been a high-volume
shooter? If they start Shareef and Zach, one of them is going to
be out of position, and both are going to be vulnerable
defensively. This was already the worst defensive team in the
league, and now it has lost its best defender in Rasheed, though
Ratliff's shot blocking may help a little. Plus, Shareef is not a
leader: He's a soft player who struggles with double teams and
isn't known for hitting the big shot in the clutch."

COLOR PHOTO: SAM FORENCICH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES Abdur-Rahim