A real attempt at making the All-Time Portland Trail Blazers team
By Minh Dao
Power Forward: Rasheed Wallace
Portland Tenure
- 1996-2004
- 17-7-2 on 50 (field goal percent)-34 (3-point percent)-71 (free throw percent)
Peak PDX Season
2000: 59-23, third in the West, Western Conference Finals, 16-7-2 on 52 field goal percent and 70 free throw percent
Accolades (during tenure)
- 2× NBA All-Star (2000, 2001)
Rasheed Wallace was many things: reckless, loud, talented. The list goes on. But the latter is one aspect that was always guaranteed.
Sheed could ball. He spent the beginning of his prime with the Blazers and had two All-Star appearances and two Western Conference Finals berths (1999 and 2000).
His 2001 season was statistically the most superior, but 2000 was the year that involved “the unspeakable.” (Hint: 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of WCF Game 7.)
Wallace was the best player on a team that almost pulled off the miracle of coming back down 3-1 in the conference finals against the Lakers.
If things didn’t go so badly, that likely would’ve been Portland’s second NBA championship.
Despite all the heartache all Blazer fans had to experience, it was still a very successful season at that. Sheed played a major part.
He could do a bit of everything as an agile four. The moves on the block (fadeaway, jump hook) combined with his ability to spot-up and roll was crucial.
He played with an over-the-hill Arvydas Sabonis, so imagine combining this Sheed with prime Walton. Beautiful frontcourt magic.
Sheed didn’t always want to be the No. 1 option, hence why his fit in Detroit was much better. But put him in the infrastructure of coach Jack Ramsay and Bill Walton, and that’s a recipe for success.