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Blazers' moves as much about Spurs as Lakers

Contrary to popular belief, it isn't just about him.

That's not to say Bob Whitsitt didn't add
puffy-chested All-Stars Shawn Kemp and Dale Davis to
the frontcourt of the Portland Trail Blazers to create
an arsenal to deal with MVP Shaquille O'Neal and the
world champion Los Angeles Lakers.

"We all know Shaq is somebody we're all going to have
to deal with," said Whitsitt, president of the
Blazers. "But it's not just him. Those guys in Texas
are going to be there when all is said and done, too."


Whitsitt went on to say he wasn't so sure the Lakers
would have made it to the Western Conference finals
last season were it not for the injury that sidelined
San Antonio's All-NBA forward Tim Duncan for the end
of the season and the playoffs. The Phoenix Suns then
summarily dispatched the Spurs to the sidelines in the
first round.


Whitsitt -- and the rest of the Western Conference --
hasn't forgotten the 1999 version of the Spurs, with
both Duncan and David Robinson healthy. San Antonio
swept both the Lakers and the Blazers on the way to
its first NBA championship, and Whitsitt honestly
spent a good portion of this offseason attempting to
acquire highly regarded free-agent guard Derek
Anderson through a sign-and-trade or a $2.25 million
exception signing. Instead, Anderson joined the Spurs,
making them even more formidable, with Duncan expected
to be completely recovered.

"No doubt about it," Whitsitt said. "A year ago, we
felt the Western Conference was all about the Spurs,
Lakers and us. And Phoenix is very good, Dallas is
much improved, and Utah made some moves. We were one
of the teams I thought would be in the hunt last year,
and I feel the same way this year."

The Blazers were closer to preventing the Lakers from
winning last season than many people may remember.
Whitsitt isn't one of those who have forgotten the way
the Blazers blew a 15-point lead with 10 minutes to go
in the deciding game of the conference finals, the
biggest Game 7 collapse in NBA history. That explains
why Whitsitt wants it this season more than ever. Last
year, the team added veteran perimeter players Scottie
Pippen and Steve Smith, and Rasheed Wallace blossomed
into an All-Star forward, making Brian Grant (traded
for Kemp) expendable.

The additions of Kemp and Davis (acquired for
little-used 21-year-old Jermaine O'Neal) fortifies
aging and hurting center Arvydas Sabonis. It also
makes the team huge. Sabonis, a mammoth 7-feet-3 and
300 pounds, can play alongside Kemp or Davis, with the
athletic Wallace sliding back to small forward easily.
Add the 6-8 duo of Pippen and Smith in your backcourt,
and this team is as big as any the NBA has seen.
Actually, Whitsitt wasn't thrilled that the "big team"
didn't play more earlier in the conference finals
against the Lakers.

Wallace, Damon Stoudamire and Bonzi Wells are the only
players under 30 who will see time with the Blazers
this season. They were not built to compete and strive
for the future. This about winning a title now, with
the onus being on coach Mike Dunleavy to find a way
after last season's Game 7 disaster. With the team's
collective salaries to be well over $80 million -- an
NBA record -- the expectations from Whitsitt and owner
Paul Allen are enormous.

"We're in championship run, we were right there last
year, and we'll be right there this year," Whitsitt
said. "Everybody freaks out because you don't want to
talk about it. When you realistically build a team to
that level, you need to talk about it, or you're
kidding yourselves. We were in the hunt last year. We
should have won it. I'll give all the credit to the
Lakers for pulling it all, but we allowed them to gain
momentum in Games 3 and 4, then blew it in Game 7.

"The only goal we have right now is to win the whole
thing."

If they don't, the sun will still rise and taxes will
still be collected. But there are a lot of people
getting paid by Allen this coming season who will be
seeing that sun shine and paying taxes somewhere else
should the championship trophy land somewhere other
than the Rose Garden come June.


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