<font color="Red">There's no rumour about this or anything, I just read a script on sportsline and here's what it said:</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Item: The first big trade of the season will happen sooner than later. The Portland Trail Blazers' experiment with Shareef Abdur-Rahim playing small forward is nothing more than a showcase to attract the highest bid for the free agent to be. He obviously isn't as comfortable playing out on floor as he is in the post, particularly on defense. What it really means: The Blazers still need to do something about their lack of floor balance, so that means trading 'Reef for an additional shooter. This will be accomplished by reigniting the talks with the Nets for Jason Kidd (allowing both Damon Stoudamire and Nick Van Exel to play shooter); consider Eddie Jones from the Heat provided the pot is considerably sweetened with extras; and think hard about Wally Szczerbiak, since either he or Darius Miles can play shooting guard. ---- Item: The acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal has been the most significant move for pro sports in South Florida since Don Shula coached the Miami Dolphins to a perfect season and Super Bowl victory. The big question is not only how it will play out for O'Neal at the age of 32, but how president Pat Riley builds the team around him. What it really means: If the Heat can acquire Abdur-Rahim for Eddie Jones and some future No. 1 picks, they have a chance to win the East and the NBA title.[/B] Dwyane Wade is an exceptional second-year guard, Jones can shoot, as can Wesley Person, Damon Jones and some other players they've brought in. But they realistically don't have enough to seriously compete with the Pistons and Pacers. During the preseason, O'Neal has already continued his recent pattern of injuries despite losing weight. The supporting cast has to be there, or the Heat won't get any further than they did last season with a younger more diverse team.</div> Page 1: Item 1 Page 2: Item 10 I would actually think this would benefit both sides. The Blazers are in desperate need of a perimeter shooter; Van Exel and Stoudamire are their only big threats, and they both play the point. They will also get rid of Abdur-Rahim who's unhappy with his situation in portland. In Miami, they'll get rid of Jones, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but this will allow Jones to start the point, and more importantly, allow Dwyane Wade to play the 2 Guard. Abdur Rahim and Shaq will be a dangerous front-court in the whole league, and like that they'll become title contenders IMO. Health is the key still
I agree, the trade would probably benefit both teams, and if the deal goes down the could bring Damon Jones to the starting line at PG and but Dwyane Wade back to his original position at SG but then SF would be left as there weak spot but thats okay since they'd have Dwyane, Shaq, SAR and Damon Jones as the other 4 in the starting line. Now thats a championship caliber team.
Rasual is an adequate player for the SF spot... he can shoot the 3 and he's working on his defense... all we need is a defensive SF, since our SF won't be getting many points except for open looks which Butler can hit.
This would be a great move for both of these teams.Like Banks said the Blazers need players who can shoot consistantly from the perimeter.The Heat dont really need a player like Edie Jones anymore,but what they need is a solid power foward to complement Shaq.
About DJ starting as PG: Right now it looks like he's not gonna start but he still will plenty of minutes depending on if he improves on his defense. About the trade: It's very interesting. We lose a perimeter shooter and good defensive player in EJ but we bring in player that can play both SF/PF which is an area we can improve in (mainly SF). We could also experiment with Rasual starting at SG (his natural pos.) to fill the spot that EJ left. About Haslem (PF): If you guys think Haslem is a weak link prepared to be shocked. This guy is gonna average a double-double this season and his presence on the court affects the outcome of the game so much for the Heat. He is our best rebounder and will even contend with Shaq in boards this season. He is a player that doesn't need a play called for him to be effective and that's the type of player the Heat need.
