The Portland Trailblazers have signed 29-year old center Earl Barron to a contract for the rest of the season and he will be elgible for the playoffs. Barron has played in 19 games (6 starts) so far this year with the Suns & Bucks and he is averaging 14.1 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. But, he is only shooting 33% from the floor so far this year and that’s pretty awful. Barron has now played in 108 games (27 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 15.2 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. This was a good signing for the Trailblazers as Barron is a legit 7-footer who can help them out off the bench in the playoffs.

The Trailblazers have released 32-year old center Jarron Collins. Collins played in 28 games (0 starts) for the Trailblazers this year and he averaged 6.5 minutes, 0.7 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. The Blazers won’t miss Collins too much as they have decided to go with a smaller and much more athletic frontcourt going forward.

The Trailblazers have signed 32-year old center Jarron Collins to a 10-day contract. Collins played in 23 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Clippers and he averaged 6.8 minutes, 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. He has now played in 537 games (216 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 22.8 minutes, 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The Blazers needed another big body and that’s exactly what Collins is….he’s just not a very talented one.

The Portland Trailblazers have acquired 27-year old small forward Gerald Wallace from the Trailblazers for 31-year old center Joel Przybilla, 23-year old power forward Dante Cunningham, 35-year old PF/C Sean Marks and 2 1st round picks. Gerald Wallace played in 48 games (all starts) for the Bobcats this season and he averaged 39.0 minutes, 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 592 games (454 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 30.5 minutes, 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Wallace will bump Nicolas Batum to the bench, and he will pair with LaMarcus Aldridge to give the Blazers one of the best forward tandems in the NBA. He brings energy to both ends of the court and he is a outstanding rebounder.

Joel Przybilla played in 31 games (9 starts) for the Blazers this season and he averaged 14.4 minutes, 1.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. In 7 years with the Blazers, Przybilla played in 395 games (273 starts) in which he averaged 22.4 minutes, 4.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. The Blazers shouldn’t miss Przybilla too much. Dante Cunningham played in 56 games (9 starts) for the Trailblazers this season and he averaged 19.8 minutes, 5.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He played in 119 games (11 starts) in his two seasons with the Blazers and he averaged 15.3 minutes, 4.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. The Blazers will miss Cunningham a little bit as he really improved in his second year for them. Sean Marks played in 29 games (0 starts) for the Blazers this season and he was averaging 7.2 minutes, 1.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

Gerald Wallace didn’t come cheap, but the Trailblazers are a much better team now than they were yesterday. I really like this deal for them.

The Trailblazers have sent 21-year old rookie point guard Armon Johnson to the Idaho Stampede of the D-League. Johnson has played in 28 games (0 starts) for the Blazers so far this year and he is averaging 8.1 minutes, 3.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. But, in January, Johnson has only played in 1 game in which he played five minutes and grabbed two rebounds without scoring any points. It was smart of the Blazers to send Johnson to the D-League so that he can get P.T. I think they will call him back up if he gets off to a good start in the D-League.