After the Portland Trail Blazers were swept in the 1999 NBA Western Conference Finals, it was a given that general manager Bob Whitsitt was going to make some major moves in the offseason.
And of course, "Trader Bob" tinkered with the roster as expected. He traded the team's leading scorer, Isaiah Rider, and Jim Jackson to the Atlanta Hawks for Steve Smith. Then he signed free agent Detlef Schrempf.
Later, Whitsitt sent six bench players to the Houston Rockets for six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen.
Instantly, the Blazers became one of the most talented teams ever assembled as they were two men deep at all five positions.
It just didn't seem real. They resembled a fantasy team that you would put together on a video game. But no, this wasn't a fantasy, this was real life.
The starting lineup was made up of Pippen and Rasheed Wallace at forward, Arvydas Sabonis at center, and Damon Stoudamire and Smith at guard.
The bench included guys like Briant Grant, Schrempf, Greg Anthony, Bonzi Wells, and a young Jermaine O'Neal. Not bad for a second unit.
The Blazers went on to win 59 games in 1999-00 and cru ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Mike B.
Portland Trail Blazers Of The Early 2000’s: Tons of Stars, No Championships
November 27th, 2009 by Mike B. Leave a reply »
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