[V]

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Portland plays host to Minnesota in Part II of Friday's ESPN doubleheader, leaving only two more Blazer dates on the Worldwide Leader's schedule between now and the Feb. 19 trading deadline.



Significance: Breathe deeply, because we could be down to our last few nationally-televised glimpses of Rasheed Wallace in the Pacific Northwest.


On Feb. 8, it's Seattle at Portland. On Feb. 18, it's L.A. Clippers at Blazers on the night before the deadline.


Then again...


What if Portland is serious about turning down anything less than a no-brainer trade offer and letting 'Sheed walk at season's end without compensation? I can't believe that the Blazers would part with their most tradeable asset so freely, just for the promise of major salary-cap space in the summer of 2005. Yet executives from the teams that have tried in recent weeks to pry 'Sheed away keep saying that the Blazers are seriously prepared to do just that.


Prepared to let 'Sheed play out his contract and then wipe $17 million off the Portland payroll in July.


If that really does happen, this summer's resulting 'Sheed Sweepstakes should be quite spirited. There will be only a few teams possessing the cap room to make Wallace a better-than-average offer -- if they're so inclined -- and lots of teams praying that 'Sheed would be willing to join them for a mid-level exception worth about $5 million next season.


At that price, 'Sheed would have to make many more ridiculous attacks on commissioner David Stern to scare teams off. There will be a significant clutch of suitors ready to "CTC" and risk hearing 'Sheed announce to the world that he's being exploited. Again.


This week's Stein Line looks at the list of would-be 'Sheed bidders:



Philadelphia 76ers
Everyone knows the Sixers need toughness and size on their front line. It's even more clear that 'Sheed needs a community that can understand and accept him. If he's not embraced in his hometown of Brotherly Love, he won't be loved anywhere. Hard as it is to imagine Randy Ayers coping with Allen Iverson and 'Sheed in the same locker room -- given the questions already floating about Ayers' handling of AI and (more specifically) Derrick Coleman -- this would be a dream signing for Philly. And then if the Sixers can somehow get Mo Cheeks away from the Blazers...



Dallas Mavericks
No team is linked more often with 'Sheed than Mark Cuban's team, but the Mavericks would rather not part with a core player like Michael Finley or even Antawn Jamison to trade for 'Sheed. Especially if the Blazers' letting him walk is a legitimate possibility. There are concerns that 'Sheed's penchant to hover on the perimeter would clash too much with Dirk Nowitzki's tendencies, but 'Sheed would inarguably become the Mavericks' best defender instantly. Maybe the bigger concern is the Mavericks' two-decade streak of missing out on marquee free agents. Cuban will be a strong contender if the bidding centers around teams with no more to offer than the mid-level exception, but Dallas has had its hopes dashed before. Just rewind to last summer's free-agent frenzy, when the Mavericks' mid-level exception netted... no one.



Miami Heat
If Pat Riley was willing to gamble on Lamar Odom, he'll be more than ready to sign 'Sheed. That's doubly true when you consider that 'Sheed's salary would come in at roughly half of Odom's yearly take. If 'Sheed can't get more money elsewhere and has to choose between teams (and cities) offering the mid-level, the lure of South Beach will be strong.



New Jersey Nets
Assuming the new owners continue to let Rod Thorn be aggressive, the Nets will also be a player in the 'Sheed Stakes... whether or not they hang onto Kenyon Martin. Either Martin will continue to be used as a sign-and-trade lure for 'Sheed, or Thorn will really have his way and re-sign Martin to a reasonable extension and then try to bring 'Sheed in for the mid-level exception. Of course, with the Nets also expected to be searching for a new coach, that would add up to another very expensive summer.



Detroit Pistons
The Pistons wouldn't appear to have a huge need for another big man with Ben Wallace and Mehmet Okur already in place, Elden Campbell on the books for one more season to provide depth and Darko Milicic on the scout team. Joe Dumars, though, is always aggressive and won't be able to resist chasing 'Sheed if he's on the open market. It's even more of a given when you remember that Okur will be tough to keep, unless the Pistons can move Chucky Atkins to clear more salary-cap room. Okur might well be this summer's Gilbert Arenas; Detroit won't be able to give him a raise beyond the league's average salary (nearly $5 million) unless it gets more than $5 million under the cap.



The field
Let's be honest. The list of Eastern Conference clubs that will be interested in 'Sheed stretches all the way to Portland. Isiah Thomas in New York will undoubtedly take a swing. Ditto for John Gabriel (or whoever is running the Magic) in Orlando. Larry Bird, Donnie Walsh and Rick Carlisle? Probably. Atlanta's new owners figure to make a bid, in hopes of making an early splash, assuming they ever get league approval to take over down there. Cleveland's basketball people would also love to get involved, but Cavs owner Gordon Gund is from the conservative old guard and would have to be convinced to change his policy when it comes to bringing in a rogue like 'Sheed. As we covered last week, Cleveland could certainly tempt Portland with a Zydrunas Ilgauskas-for-'Sheed trade right now if Gund were willing.


"Any team in the East is going to be hot after him," said one West executive, "because he could be the difference in a team in the East going to the Finals or not."


As for additional Western interest, Memphis is an intriguing possibility. Attempting to put 'Sheed alongside Pau Gasol is a classic Jerry West move, but you wonder whether even The Logo would dare reuniting Bonzi Wells and 'Sheed. San Antonio, meanwhile, has been exploring trades for 'Sheed, but signing him as a free agent would be tougher for the Spurs, who first must worry about re-signing Manu Ginobili. The Argentinean slasher is another Arenas/Okur waiting to happen, which is why the Spurs have a good bit of cap room saved for the summer of '04, to make sure they keep Manu before going after anyone else.



The wild card
That would be Denver. The Nuggets can outdo any of the aforementioned teams in terms of money because they will have significant salary-cap space available. It's difficult to imagine 'Sheed giving Utah or the L.A. Clippers a look just because those teams have money to spend, but the Nuggets are in a different category. Even with Nene Hilario and Marcus Camby in the frontcourt rotation already -- along with long-term project Skita Tskitishvili -- Kiki Vandeweghe is a member of that Daredevils Club with Cuban, Dumars and West. He can spoil a lot of dreams out there by pitching some serious cash to 'Sheed.



The long shot
Portland could always re-sign him at a lower rate than 'Sheed's current $17 million salary, and the Blazers are indeed sending signals that they're open to that very scenario. Color me skeptical, though. Sounds like a tactic to get teams to sweeten their trade offers, with the deadline for deals looming Feb. 19. Portland either wants an unquestioned star player in return for 'Sheed or a slew of expiring contracts packaged with at least one future first-round pick. If the Blazers are offered neither in the next six weeks, they risk letting 'Sheed walk away for nothing or, at best, will have to try to construct a sign-and-trade deal with his cooperation. I just can't see 'Sheed re-signing with the Blazers without a sign-and-trade involved, because that would enable Portland to ship him anywhere it wants down the road.