caseloads - this, from the Insider:
"Shawn has dropped 45 pounds," Lucas told ESPN Insider. "But the difference is that Shawn has grown mentally. He's doing really well. He's going to be OK."
Kemp, who at times ballooned to over 300 pounds, destroying his game, left the Blazers toward the end of last season and checked himself into a drug rehab clinic. The move surprised many but it explained even more.
Kemp's game had disappeared, as had his life. He's getting both of them back.
"He was a groundhog," a NBA scout who has watched Kemp play this summer told Insider. "The first day he came in he could barely dunk. It was really sad. But, by the next week he could dunk. By the third week he could really dunk. And by week number four, my goodness, I started seeing the old Shawn."
"He's working out two to three times a day. He's come a long, long way. His body is coming back, as is his shot. He's totally committed. I haven't seen that from Shawn in a long, long time. He's going to be a force to reckon with next season."
I think with Portland, they always have to think about getting past Shaq and the Lakers. Without serveral big bodies to body Shaq and give fouls, they are not going to trade Dale or Shawn, regardless of the minutes they are not getting. And with Sabonis hinting at retirement, they are in even more dire need of another center. Any Portand-NY trade is slim (and we are talking pre-this summer Camby thin) to none.
