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FoxSports: Blazers' O'Neal Asks for Trade

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by thacabbage, Jun 14, 2000.

  1. thacabbage

    thacabbage Contributing Member

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    http://www.foxsports.com/nba/stories/bk0614por_oneal1.sml

    Jermaine wants to jump
    Report: Blazers' O'Neal asks for trade


    Jun 14, 2000 1:30 a.m. ET

    Associated Press

    PORTLAND, Ore. — Jermaine O'Neal, saying he needs more playing time, has asked to be traded from the Portland Trail Blazers.
    "I definitely want to be traded," O'Neal told The Oregonian Tuesday. He said his agent Arn Tellem has made the request to Blazers president Bob Whitsitt.

    Whitsitt could not be reached for comment. "As far as I'm concerned, I would not want to see Jermaine traded," coach Mike Dunleavy said. "There is no reason for it, from our standpoint. His future is very bright."

    O'Neal, 21, is heading into his fifth NBA season. When the 6-foot-11 forward re-signed with the Blazers last summer, he expected to see an increase in playing time.

    O'Neal averaged 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12.3 minutes last season.

    "It's time for me to play, and it's not going to happen in Portland," O'Neal told the newspaper. "I need 30-35 minutes a night to develop into the type of player I can be. Just like I said when I came into the league, and when I was the best player in summer league two years ago, I'm going to be one of the best power forwards in the NBA. And that's going to happen very, very quickly once I get somewhere I can play."

    O'Neal appeared in eight of the Blazers' 16 playoff games and played 35 minutes. O'Neal is entering the second year of a four-year, $24 million contract he signed Aug. 2.

    The newspaper also reported that the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics are among the teams that reportedly have talked to the Blazers about O'Neal. Chicago has the fourth pick in the draft.

    "A deal could be agreed to before the draft and go through later in the summer," O'Neal said.


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    I find it interesting that O'Neal thinks he can develop into one of the best power forwards in the game in such a short period of time.

    Now, I know there are discussions between the Blazers and Bulls for the #4 pick, but if those fell through, would any of you deal the #9 pick (and other players [perhaps Thomas]) in exchange for O'Neal? Do you think the Blazers would bite on that, given that they pretty much need to trade him?



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    The above opinions were expressed by the founder of the "Anti-Croshere Movement".
     
  2. Francis3

    Francis3 Member

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    Yeah I just saw that, seriously to tell you the truth, I dont know what the hell all this talk about Jermaine O'Neal is. He doesnt impress me at all.

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  3. wong

    wong Member

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    He's a hell of a lot more impressive than Cato, but I guess that's not really saying much. But, he's a power forward so i guess it's not really fair to compare them.

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  4. MManal

    MManal Member

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    This one is interesting. I really dont think the Blazers are going to get either picks 4 or 7 for O'Neal. It appears their target is to get a future big man since Sabonis is aging. Thus, at 9 they could look at Iakovos Tskalidis. Even if they have to wait a little bit for him to play thats fine, as Sabonis can hold up for a little while longer.

    As far as the Rockets side.... Its hard to tell exactly what kind of potential O'Neal has since the Blazers never play him. Even when they do, they rarely run plays through him so its difficult to tell what type of player he can be. All I can tell about him is that he is long and athletic at 6-11 and blocks shots well. Also, his body needs more bulk. This is a tough one.

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  5. The Cat

    The Cat Contributing Member

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    Personally, I agree with Francis3. From the times I've seen him play, I haven't been impressed at all. Actually, I like Cato a lot more. And I know you can say that he didn't get enough playing time in Portland to show what he can be, but don't you think after four years he would have made some kind of push to get into the rotation? I would never even consider trading pick 9 for O'Neal. IMO, O'Neal has shown absolutely nothing, has been very unimpressive, has a Cato-like contract, and has never averaged more than 4 points a game. Would I trade the 9th pick for that? No. Especially not if Croshere is available for that price.

    [This message has been edited by The Cat (edited June 14, 2000).]
     
  6. alaskansnowman

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    The reason he doesnt impress anyone is cuz he doesnt get the ball at ALL. If he takes a shot, Dunleavy will have a heart attack. With players like Rwall, Grant, even Sabonis, there's no place at all for O'neal.

    I like Jermaine O'neal a lot. Young, tall, athletic power forward. He is the new breed of pf that everyone is talking about. Everyone says Sheed, WEbber, Garnett, etc. will just do Kenny Thomas. O'neal is built similarly to these "new" pf's, and I REALLY HOPE WE CAN GET HIM.

    He was the best player in the summer league 2 years ago he said. What else can he do to make a push for minutes? Plus the blazerz' coaching staff isnt' very good... remember what Cato said about them? If you dont, he said that there's pretty much no communication with the staff and the players. They dont tell you how to improve, what your doing wrong, etc.

    Already Cato is being taught by CD and supposedly Hakeem... I doubt there was anything like this in Portland.

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  7. MManal

    MManal Member

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    One interesting point about Jermaine O'Neal which was brought to my attention is that for his career in only 11.5 MPG he has blocked .73 shots per game. Thus with a full minute load, he would likely be in the top 10 in the league in blocked shots and possibly even top 5. Thus, it is possible that a frontcourt tandem of Cato and O'Neal could seal off the paint and allow the Rockets to go with three guard lineups of Francis-Mobley-Anderson.

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  8. RocketsPimp

    RocketsPimp Contributing Member

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    He may be like the "new pf" but he doesn't deserve the money he is getting by any means. The Cato risk was nothing compared to the risk we'd be taking if we signed J. O'Neil to a similar deal.

    2-3 mil tops for 2 years. Get his bird rights and go from there. Make him prove he is going to be one of "the best power forwards in the NBA."

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  9. MManal

    MManal Member

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    RP, O'Neal is already signed, he just finished the first yr of a 4 yr 24 mil deal.

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  10. MManal

    MManal Member

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    Just in case anyone is wondering what type of salary Jermaine O'Neal can be traded for in BYC issues, I found this in the Oregon Live article:

    "According to the NBA rules, O'Neal is a base-year player because the contract he signed last summer increased his salary by more than 12.5 percent. If he were traded before July 1, the Blazers could receive a player or players making only half his 1999-00 salary ($5.075 million). After that, the Blazers may take back up to 75 percent of his 2000-01 salary. O'Neal is expected to make about $5.5 million next season."

    So essentially, if the Rockets want O'Neal, and the Blazers are interested in the 9th pick, a deal of Carlos Rogers and the 9th pick with part of the trade exception for Jermaine O'Neal would work under the cap if done before July 1.

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    [This message has been edited by MManal (edited June 14, 2000).]
     
  11. oakdogg

    oakdogg Contributing Member

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    At last, it's admitted that J. O'Neal is not a center. I always thought that there was no way he would thrive there, considering his slight frame. From what I've seen of him, he looks a lot smoother with the ball than Cato. I think I would trade # 9 for him, but I don't see that happening.

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  12. jump shooter

    jump shooter Contributing Member

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    If Jermaine were to come out of college right now he would most definitely be a top 3 pick. I would consider trading the 9th pick and a player for him, but the problem is he is very cap heavy. In the end Portland will do everything within their power to keep him.

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  13. RocketsPimp

    RocketsPimp Contributing Member

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    MM, sorry, I forgot he just signed last year. Anyway my point was that O'Neil is not worth the money he is making right now and I feel the Rockets would be making a big mistake if they aquired him, simply because of his contract.

    Let the Blazers or some other sucker team absorb is overpaid ass! We have better, more established and proven players to spend our money on in the years to come.

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  14. JCBlazersGirl33

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    Jermaine is a hell of a player but he needs 25-35 minutes a game to get himself going. He's wowed me sometimes just as Bonzi has , only Bonzi has been more impressive due to his increased PT. The Blazers are pretty cool with either option- the 4th pick, OR jerm staying. Steve and Pip, who work with the young guys on their games on their own times, we'll make sure jermaine keeps his mouth shut if he stays. It's all good.

    I'm concerned with rumors about Brian Grant leaving, though. I love brian and i'm hoping these are just rumors. But i also heard that Portland is on Tim Duncan's Top 5 list in Free Agency. Tim replacing Brian might ease the disappointment, but it's probably unlikely that it'll happen.

    This is an exciting NBA offseason. Rumors are ciculating around Chitown, Orlando, Ny, Portland, Houston, Toronto...
     
  15. Nolen

    Nolen Contributing Member

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    Blazersgirl- man, if you got Duncan.... that would be just sick! I bet Duncan wouldn't have missed five straight shots in the 4th quarter of game seven...

    Personally, I hope he goes east to Orlando or Chicago to form a really great team so we can actually wonder who will win the finals! Either that, or the Rockets. [​IMG]

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  16. The Cat

    The Cat Contributing Member

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    JC- I don't know if you want Pip to be the guy trying to show young players how to keep their mouth shut. [​IMG]

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    [This message has been edited by The Cat (edited June 15, 2000).]
     
  17. alaskansnowman

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    O'neal would be the perfect solution for the pf solution. Everyone says that we need a tall, athletic power forward. O'neal is exactly that. Sure his contract is big, but he will be a good player in this league, and will complement Cato real well. We will have our own twin towers.

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  18. MManal

    MManal Member

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    Thinking about this, I am moving towards alaskan's side. I was pretty much thinking its real close when I first heard about this but after thinking about it, it makes a lot of logical sense for both sides. If the deal did not happen, Moiso is a very good option also.

    First off, the Bulls would be crazy to trade either the 4 or 7 picks for Jermaine. He is not a true center as he is too thin to play the position, but a tall PF. They would be better off taking a true center and a swingman with those picks. It looks like Whitsitt is trying to get as high a pick as possible so 9 would be good if he cannot get 4 or 7.

    The Rockets would get an athletic 6-11 forward with long arms and excellent hops that can play in transition. Also, O'Neal has shown the ability to become a very good shot blocker in the limited time he plays. Also, O'Neal seems to be active around the glass and goes for rebounds. If he can get 35 MPG, I could see him developing into an 8-9 RPG player along with 2-2.5 BPG. The scoring part is difficult to determine b/c he hardly ever gets to isolate and post much in Portland's scheme. The few times I remember seeing him with the ball, he seemed to be smoother than Cato in the low blocks so he could be a 14-17 PPG type player.

    As far as the salary situation. This is not as bad as it appears b/c the Rockets would unload the contract of Carlos Rogers in a deal for O'Neal. That basically takes away half the cap hit b/c Rogers could not be unloaded by himself. O'Neal made 5.1 mil this past season, and Rogers made 2.6 so the exception could cover the rest and it would work with the BYC issues.

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  19. Will

    Will Clutch Crew
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    Can I interrupt for just a moment to say a prayer of thanks for the boundless egotism and arrogance of NBA players? I was beginning to worry that Paul Allen would keep trading for overpriced stars and re-signing his best players under the Bird rule until he had a $100M team nobody could stop. Now I see that nature has designed the perfect remedy: narcissism. $5 million a year and excellent odds of an NBA title during the next 3 seasons aren't enough for Jermaine O'Neal. No, Jermaine must have his PT. So must Brian Grant, and Bonzi Wells, and the rest of them. Why be part of the deepest, most versatile bench in league history when you can be a prima donna on some crappy team in a big media market?

    Old creatures die, empires decline and fall, and Jermaine O'Neal demands a trade to Chicago. This is nature's genius, the cycle of prosperity and decay.
     
  20. NIKEstrad

    NIKEstrad Contributing Member
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    If the Rockets had to give Cuttino a starting clause, this move would be ideal. If we were to go with 3 guards, then going with guys who can seal the paint would be very important. O'Neal and Cato would be the 2000 version of the Twin Towers-super athletes. Moiso would be a decent option, but he's not the shot blocker Jermaine is, so I wouldn't be as eager to go towards Francis-Cuttino-Shandon starting.

    I'm still debating O'Neal vs. Moiso....

    Will-now you can sleep easy at night, huh? [​IMG]

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    [This message has been edited by NIKEstrad (edited June 15, 2000).]
     

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