Portland center Theo Ratliff has signed a long term extension with the Portland Trail Blazers according to reports on ESPN's news wire services.
The five year contract extension comes after Ratliff, along with disgruntled teammate Shareef Abdur-Rahim, were traded from the lowly Atlanta Hawks to the Blazers back in February. He has led the league in blocked shots for each of the past two seasons, excelling with Portland to average an all-time franchise-best 4.41 blocks a game (141 blocks in 32 games) while raising his season average to 3.61 blocks a game.
"I'm very happy to be here. My family and I decided that this was a city we wanted to stay in. I think we have great talent on this team and we can go far. It's a great team and a great city," Ratliff said at a news conference.
He blocked six or more shots 12 times last season, and tied Bill Walton and Mychal Thompson for the franchise record for most blocks in one game when he had nine against Orlando on Feb. 2.
From the time he arrived in Portland, we identified with Theo's superior play on the floor and his lifestyle and character off the court as a member of the Portland community," Blazers general manager John Nash said.