Link to the Oregonian Hazardous material shipped out 12/04/03 Canzano: Nash deserves praise The trade isn't about payroll or talent. It's about peace. Hurricane Bonzi is gone. Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks can tear the plywood off his boarded-up, burning ears. Fans can tell their children it's safe to look toward the Blazers bench again. Spit no longer falls like rain inside the Rose Garden. Bonzi Wells was traded Wednesday to Memphis for guard Wesley Person and a draft pick. Grizzlies fans calling into one Tennessee radio station were split. Half of them said Wells was a budding superstar. The other half thought Wells was nothing more than a role player. They really have no idea what this trade is about. But we all know better. We've seen Wells make obscene gestures at fans. We've heard him lash out at his coach -- on four occasions. We've watched Wells sulk, whine and be selfish. During the Blazers' come-from-behind overtime victory over Sacramento last month, Wells pouted coming out of an overtime timeout when a play wasn't designed for him. Then, he took the shot anyway. All this after Wells sang an offseason sob story about wanting people to love him and his children to look up to him. Wells is going to love Beale Street, where the blues are played every night. The draft pick obtained in the deal probably will come next year and fall somewhere between No. 4 and No. 13. And with Person's contract expiring at the end of the season, Portland's payroll (even after signing two first-round picks) would be about $53 million next season. That figure will probably put Portland under the luxury tax threshold two seasons after having a $109 million payroll. But really, this trade was never about money. It's not about talent, either. It's about peace. Wells refused to treat Cheeks, teammates or fans with respect. He couldn't coexist with anyone. So, the Blazers shipped Wells out. The trade gives Cheeks peace. It gives fans peace. It even gives Wells a peaceful reprieve from the Rose Garden boos, although he earned them. The biggest advantage to this trade, the Blazers' dirty little secret, is that they hope this trade even gives Rasheed Wallace a little peace. Wells was Wallace's No. 1 sycophant. He's Wallace's headbanded sidekick. And by breaking up that duo, the Blazers busted up a budding mutiny. As they were leaving the practice facility Wednesday, the morning of their final shootaround together, Wells and Wallace saw Ruben Boumtje Boumtje shooting jump shots some 100 feet away with his back turned to them. Wallace slapped Wells on the back and said, "Watch this." Then he picked up a ball, reared back and fired a 100-foot, baseball-style strike that left Boumtje Boumtje writhing the floor. Trainers were summoned. After a few scary minutes, Boumtje Boumtje walked off, OK. Wells and Wallace? They giggled like schoolchildren and ran away the moment their teammate hit the canvas. So, Grizzlies fans, this is what you're really getting in the deal. A follower. To Blazers general manager John Nash, we say great trade. To Wells, we say good riddance. To Memphis, we say, sorry and good luck. "We had other offers, but this was the best one," Nash said. When Nash told Wells two weeks ago that he was trade bait, Wells requested a trade to Indiana. Nash contacted the Pacers, but they didn't view Wells as a valuable enough commodity. Then again, Wells is from Indiana. The Pacers probably know him. Those who are unfamiliar with Wells' combustible personality and his recent performance will view this as a franchise giving up on a young, talented player who wasn't shooting well. Really though, Wells gave the Blazers no choice. The Blazers are better off without him. If Wells behaves himself and averages 20 points and Person struggles to find his outside shot, the perspective will not change. But right now the Blazers are giving peace -- and their future -- a chance.
Thanks for the article. Great to read more about the punk ass Blazers. Hideous story there about Wallace/Wells and BB. I tell ya, this jockularity that happens during practices like that is something I just dont understand. What purpose did that incident servce than to be mean? What kind of teammates are they? I find nothing funny about that incident.
You know, I can overlook all the T's. I can overlook throwing the towel at sabonis. Those are things that can come out during the heat of the moment. I'm not even as critical as most when it comes to pot violations. But that is just freaking low. I never want sheed as a rocket.
The Jailblazers don't respect anyone including their teammates. I view the towel to Sabonis' face to be along the same lines as the Wallace fastball to Boumtje's back. It would be nice to see someone (preferably Ben Wallace) beat their faces in. Ok, violence is wrong.
God Wallace is such an ******* if that is true. He may well have just become my least favorite NBA player..
Thats wild, but I would've cracked his head if he tried that with me. One of us wouldnt have walked of there.
please. j west and hubie will put the f'er in his place. he'll be more than a solid contributor for the grizz. good trade for them. can't see how anyone can under estimate bonzi with hubie... especially after how hube has handled j'dub. no, because then 3rd base will look like this: blum, rasheed, ... then ensberg.
Stay tuned for the Danny Ainge / Rasheed Wallace pay per view Dodge Ball Death Match. Unbelievable. Who would want to play with someone like that?
Sheed was just havin a little fun. What's the big deal? Ya'll need to lighten up. Sincerely, Kenyon Martin
Hahaha. I do think what Sheed did was wrong, but the writer might have exagerrated a little. It's immature, but it's not like he kicked a baby or hates puppies.
Hey, are you still participating in my fantasy league, both football and basketball? I sent you a couple of emails and they were never returned. You haven't accessed either team in a while and you are about to enter the football playoffs as the second seed. Your basketball team is pretty damn good but is in last place due to injured players (Dirk) still being in your lineup. Let me know what's going on so that if you don't want to continue, I can find someone else to manage your team.
What was that deal last year with Bonzi Wells and his 'posse' waiting outside another team's bus to get at some guy he had words with in a game? Anyone know what I'm talking about?
Mills was the one that confronted Wells and the Blazers on 2 occasions including outside the Portland team Bus... the game was in Oakland. Mills got suspended 3 games without pay.
