After the Portland Trail Blazers were swept in the 1999 NBA Western Conference Finals, it was a given that general manager Bob Whitsitt was going to make some major moves in the offseason.
And of course, "Trader Bob" tinkered with the roster as expected. He traded the team's leading scorer, Isaiah Rider, and Jim Jackson to the Atlanta Hawks for Steve Smith. Then he signed free agent Detlef Schrempf.
Later, Whitsitt sent six bench players to the Houston Rockets for six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen.
Instantly, the Blazers became one of the most talented teams ever assembled as they were two men deep at all five positions.
It just didn't seem real. They resembled a fantasy team that you would put together on a video game. But no, this wasn't a fantasy, this was real life.
The starting lin ...
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Article written by Mike B.
Portland Trail Blazers Of The Early 2000’s: Tons of Stars, No Championships
Posted: 27th November 2009 by Mike B. in NBAComments Off on Portland Trail Blazers Of The Early 2000’s: Tons of Stars, No Championships