Rip city says goodbye to Rasheed

The city of Portland breathed a collective sigh of relief Monday night, after learning that Rasheed Wallace had been traded to the Atlanta Hawks along with Wesley Person for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff, and Dan Dickau.

The noose hanging around the neck of the Trail Blazers franchise, the city of Portland, the state of Oregon, and lifelong fans of the Blazers has been removed.

It's Atlanta's turn to wear that noose now.

Rasheed Wallace's eight tumultuous seasons in Portland have ended. And what a wild ride it was.

Technical fouls.

Temper tantrums.

F-bombs.

Towels being lobbed at the faces of referees and teammates.

Fisticuffs with former Blazers head coach Mike Dunleavy.

Death threats against referees after games.

Arrests for smoking marijuana.

Rants against the white power structure of the NBA.

Waxing poetic about his loyalty to any NBA team that "CTC."

You can wad it all up into a big ball and throw it into the trash can of history.

I remember back in 1996 when the trade that brought him here went down. Boy, was I excited. All we had to give up to get him was Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant. At the time, I thought it was a steal for the Blazers.

Or was it?

Looking back on the past eight seasons of turmoil, maybe it was the Washington Wizards who pulled a fast-one on the Blazers. Maybe, maybe not.

But, it's all over now.

Wow. Where did all the time go?

Monday, Feb. 9, 2004, officially became "D-W Day" in the hearts and minds of lifelong Portland Trail Blazers fans. In case you were wondering, "D-W" stands for Deliverance from Wallace.

A new era has dawned.

Happy days are here again.

Let the good times roll.

It's safe again to be a Trail Blazers fan.

The Blazers caps and T-shirts that have been in storage the last two or three years? We can dig them out and wear them with pride again.

To Atlanta Hawks fans everywhere (I've never met one, but I hear they exist), I say only this:

If you thought J.R. Rider was bad, wait until you get a load of Rasheed Wallace.

To Atlanta Hawks management, let me offer my two cents:

Are you crazy? The Blazers have duped you twice. We've traded you J.R. Rider, Jim Jackson and now Rasheed Wallace. You have given us Steve Smith, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff. Will you ever learn?

Sure you don't want Ruben Patterson, too? He's only a convicted sex offender. Maybe we can also ship you a couple of Death Row inmates.

To Trail Blazers fans, let me say the following:

Remember the good ol' days, when Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Kevin Duckworth, and Jerome Kersey had us all eating out of the palms of their hands?

Remember Blazermania?

We all know that we can't go back to those days. But it appears the Blazers are headed in the right direction. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Never mind the ramifications of this trade on the basketball court. Think of the possibilities of this trade off the court.

Blazers president Steve Patterson and general manager John Nash are following through on their promises to make the Blazers a team the city can be proud of again.

The "Jail Blazers" moniker is slowly beginning to fade away.

I think the transformation is almost complete. All of the bad seeds that Bob Whitsitt planted are almost gone, being replaced by upstanding citizens who care about children, communities, and winning.

And Nash said Monday night that he'd like to consummate one more deal before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

But right now, who cares if the Blazers have too many forwards and not enough guards? Who cares if Abdur-Rahim can't guard quicker small forwards? Who cares if Darius Miles has to come off the bench? Who cares if Ruben Patterson's minutes are cut? Who cares if Damon Stoudamire is peeved at the front office for trading away his best friend? Who cares if the Blazers make the playoffs?

None of those things matter today. We'll worry about those problems after the All-Star break.

For now, rejoice Blazers fans ... Rasheed Wallace plays for the Atlanta Hawks now.

Our long nightmare has ended.