HT: 6-11 | WT: 252 | AGE: 31 |YR: 10
PTS: 7.5 | REBS: 8.6 | BLK: 1.2
By Fred Carter
Special to ESPN.com
The acquisition of Dale Davis to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jermaine O'Neal was interesting. You know, Portland gave up a young, athletic player who can run, block shots and has a tremendous chance to grow and develop in the league.
But Portland is looking at their window of opportunity to win an NBA title. That window is getting smaller, so a guy like Dale Davis gives them a guy who can rebound on the defensive end and another guy who can put a body on Shaq, because you know they're still going to have to go through the Lakers to win a championship. Davis can make the medium-range jumpshot, he knows how to finish around the basket and he's improved his free-throw shooting tremendously.
The Portland Trail Blazers did not get chopped liver. They got themselves a guy who was an All-Star. When it comes time for the postseason, this trade will bear even more fruit for Portland.
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HT: 6-11 | WT: 226 | AGE: 22 | YR: 5
PTS: 13.3 | REBS: 9.5 | BLK: 2.5
By Dr. Jack Ramsay
Special to ESPN.com
Jermaine O'Neal has really stepped up his game since coming to Indiana. He is everything the Pacers hoped to get and more because he had never done it in Portland, where he averaged no more than 13.5 minutes a game. This season O'Neal is averaging more than 31 minutes a game and doing everything the Pacers wanted him to do.
The trade was a great move for the 6-foot-11 O'Neal, who is still only 22. It looks like he's getting better and his confidence is growing. O'Neal is good around the basket. While he's not a great low-post player, he gets the ball off penetrations and finishes. He keeps balls alive on the offensive board and is a decent face-the-basket jump shooter. But O'Neal has excelled more on the defensive end, averaging 2.5 blocks a game, the fourth-best mark in the league.
The Pacers hoped this would happen and have to be pleased because O'Neal is a player. Right now he's a better player than Dale Davis, who was an All-Star a year ago. Davis is also a skilled, steady player. While he is not a big scorer, Davis is a good post defender who does the drudge work of rebounding and setting screens. He doesn't need to shoot to have an effect.
Indiana, however, has to be thrilled with the outcome of this trade. The Pacers wanted to get younger and wanted a player who would develop. All those things have come to pass with O'Neal.
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