Wallace Trade Blazed New Trail For Portland And Owner Seems Ready To Pay To Keep Blazers On Right Path

Although he would never admit it, Portland Trail Blazers president Bob Whitsitt was backed into a corner last summer.

Rod Strickland had demanded a trade, and everyone in the NBA knew it. Whitsitt had to get rid of the unhappy point guard and, somehow, avoid just giving him away.

What followed was a trade that, in hindsight, might be one of the best the Blazers have ever made.

Rasheed Wallace, the key acquisition in the deal that sent Strickland to the Washington Bullets, has emerged in one Portland season as the brightest young star on the NBA’s youngest team.

The Blazers’ front office virtually drools at the thought of how good he can be, and they’re preparing to open team owner Paul Allen’s gargantuan wallet to make sure he stays in Portland for a long time.

“We got one of the best young power forwards in the NBA, with the accent on young,” Portland coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “We’ve got a guy 22 years old who can do everything - can shoot the ball, can defend and block shots, can rebound, can run the floor extremely well.

“You don’t want to put too much on a young guy, but clearly every indication is he’s only going to get better. It was a great move.”

Wallace just shrugs off all the compliments. He says it’s just a matter of getting used to the NBA and getting more playing time. In Washington, he was a rookie backup to Juwon Howard and Chris Webber.

“I wasn’t upset about that or anything, but with the trade I just got more minutes,” Wallace said. “I’m just in a better situation for me this year.”

Last year, Wallace averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting .487 from the field. This year, he’s averaging 15 points and 6.8 rebounds, and is fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage at .557.

Initially, Wallace, born and raised in Philadelphia and a lifelong resident of the East Coast, wasn’t thrilled about the trade.

“For about 30 seconds I was pretty hot because of the team we could have had down there,” he said. “But then I said, ‘What the heck?’ It’s a business. You can’t get discouraged about things like that. You’ve just got to make the best out of a situation.”

Which he did - immediately.

“If there’s any element of surprise, it’s that he’s been doing it from day one of training camp,” Carlesimo said.

The Blazers want to make sure Wallace keeps doing it in Portland for a long time.

He has a year left on his rookie contract and, under NBA rules, can sign a new deal this summer. He will command a hefty price.

“I definitely will sit down with him,” Whitsitt said. “I’d like to do something. We would like to see Rasheed be in Portland for many, many years.”

There are some things he doesn’t like about Portland. It rains too much.

“Being from the East Coast, I’d rather have snow,” he said.

And he’s separated by a continent from his son, Ishmile, who will turn 2 this summer.

“You know I would like to have him out here for a couple of games in Portland because it’s a nice family atmosphere out here,” Wallace said. “A lot of people don’t think guys in the NBA take care of their kids. But the time I do share with him, I love it.”

Wallace’s reputation as a hot-head has chilled a bit in Portland. He had 21 technical fouls as a rookie. This year, he’s had 12.

“I don’t even hound them no more,” he said of the referees. “I don’t even sweat them no more. I just don’t worry about it.”

But he still plays with emotion, something this team sorely needed. In recent years, the Blazers have played with about as much fire as a Lawrence Welk concert.

“Every team needs a fiery emotional guy,” Wallace said, “and for the Blazers, that’s me.”