An NBA team is a terrible thing to waste. But left to their own devices, this year's Portland Trail Blazers are going to divide and conquer themselves without any outside interference. With Bonzi Wells collecting fluid on his knee, Shawn Kemp redeeming comp time for a drug-induced getaway and Rasheed Wallace going mental and collecting more technical fouls than tattoos, it seems this once happy-go-lucky bunch is about to go down in an inglorious shroud of flame.

For all the glory that might lie in the fact that the Blazers just made the playoffs for the 19th consecutive year and 24th time in 25 seasons, Portland guard Steve Smith put things in sane perspective recently saying, "There's a black cloud over us. Right now, no matter what we do, it's not right." And Wallace going mental is not helping things one bit.

Wallace, seemingly intent on setting an NBA technical foul mark never to be eclipsed, recently collected his 39th and 40th and an ejection against Minnesota. His absence proved the most volatile ingredient in a heartbreaking 99-95 'Blazer loss to the Timberwolves.

"It hurt us, no question," said Portland coach Mike Dunleavy. "He's your leading scorer, so obviously, you need him in there. You want him in there." Following the game, the Timberwolves admitted that with 'Sheed's absence, they were indeed presented with much better matchups against the struggling Blazers. Well, duh! Who wouldn't? Thank you very much, Mr. Wallace!

Wallace obliterated the previous technical foul record of 38, held by none other than himself. 'Sheed set that record last season when he argued his way past Charles "Round Mound of Rebound" Barkley and Dennis "Cube's Houseguest" Rodman, who had meekly shared the technical record at 32 for a time.

Now Portland is reaping its just rewards. This is a franchise built on a solid foundation of Willamette River mud. It is not a franchise overly concerned with team character. Not when your latest acquisitions have been Shawn "Who's Your Daddy" Kemp and Rod "Head Case" Strickland. These are not good additions to a chemistry-challenged team like the Blazers.

Busy little beaver Bob Whitsitt, Blazer general manager, seriously bombed on his key personnel moves this season. Bringing in Strickland, dragging Detlef Schrempf out of the retired players' craft center and trading Brian Grant and Jermaine O'Neal for Kemp and Dale Davis was just like throwing kerosene on a forest fire.

The only solid cornerstones of this team right now are the ever-steady Scottie Pippin and Steve Smith. Without the presence of these two, Portland would have blown up a long time ago.

Pippin feels that his team, and Wallace in particular, has a lot more to prove before it can pull some of the antics he has seen on the court lately. "It's frustrating," he said. "We're not growing as a team. We're not starting to show that we're maturing and getting better. We're not playing smart out on the court."

Maybe the Portland Trail Blazers just need to slow down a bit and breathe deeply. "Maybe in some cases it was fatigue or whatever," said Dunleavy, "but the oxygen wasn't getting to our brain as far as what we needed to do." Pass the gas mask, please. Something's beginning to smell!

Whatever Portland might come up with these last few games of the season had better be good. After struggling and slipping from the first to the sixth seed in the Western Conference, the Blazers' stock is plummeting, and if Wallace continues to go mental, there's no way this team will avoid being sucked into the black hole at the end of the first round of the NBA playoffs.