The Answer Is To Get Rid Of Randolph

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Turpitude clause hard to enforce

T he most talked about hotel room in the city ends up as an 850-square foot "Townhouse Suite" in downtown Portland's Hotel Vintage Plaza. It has a bathroom, a king bed in the loft, and a pullout sofa downstairs. On a typical night in August, such rooms rent for $299.

The district attorney will decide soon whether to file charges based on the recent police investigation that involves Trail Blazers forward Zach Randolph, one of his friends, two area women, a simulated sex show, and what those interviewed said happened between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. on August 11 in that suite.

The report will become public record when the district attorney is finished. There may be some redacted information. But one person involved with the investigation said on Saturday, "You're going to need to sit down when you read it."

Yellow Hummer. Pit bull. Loading dock.

Say those three things in any other city and they'll look at you like you've got a hibiscus plant growing out of your forehead. But mention them in Portland, and everyone will nod and know exactly what you're talking about.

This is a city that once saw the arrest of a player (Gary Trent) who punched a man outside Self Enhancement Inc., where the man worked as a counselor. It's a city that once witnessed a league-record (Rasheed Wallace) in technical fouls. It's a city that deserved better, but is too weary to tell you anymore.

Randolph involved in police investigation?

Pass the beer nuts.

The police report will likely give the public a glimpse into what an early Friday morning might include if you have an $84 million contract and poor judgment. And in that respect the report goes down as more Rosetta Stone than Warren Report for the Trail Blazers.

Even if the allegations are thin, even if no charges are ever filed, even if some of the names are redacted, the Blazers should read the police report. They should pore over the pages. They should think hard about every detail. Then they should be honest about whether Randolph is worth continuing to build the franchise around.

One person who was present at the Hotel Vintage Plaza told The Oregonian and police that marijuana was smoked in the room. Another said that the two women involved were offered $500 each for their participation in a simulated sex show.

The district attorney's job is to sift through the pieces of information, examine details and decide whether or not to move forward with charges. The team's job is to decide, even if Randolph didn't break a law, if it recognizes a disturbing pattern of behavior. The public's job is to have faith that the franchise will see the developing Randolph soap opera as clearly as the rest of us, and trade him away before it's too late.

T his summer, Randolph has been involved with speed-racing cars and an apparent sex show in a downtown hotel that resulted in a police investigation. During the speed-racing incident, police found two loaded handguns, but Randolph was not cited because he has a concealed weapons permit. Officers smelled marijuana, but couldn't find any evidence of drug use when they searched the car, according to the police report.

Randolph either has the worst luck in the city, or he's become a magnet for trouble.

Randolph's home is on five acres in suburban Portland. Those who live in the area will tell you that they sometimes hear the sound of gunfire coming from his property. So I asked Randolph about it once at a Blazers practice, and he told me they sometimes shoot squirrels. I pray he has good aim, or switches to traps. Because when he answered, I thought, Jayson Williams.

Then, you watch the MTV's "Cribs" episode featuring Randolph's home. He had pet pit bulls, which no Blazers player should have. A local gang-enforcement police officer tells you that he watched the episode, too, and what jumped out at him were the three gang symbols in Randolph's house.

It's all so disturbing that it makes you want to slap you're forehead and say, "Let's see. He has all the money he'd ever need, he has his freedom, all that talent, his whole life in front of him. . . . He must be crazy."

The Blazers shouldn't publicly criticize Randolph, but in their most private thoughts, they must know the ticking sound they hear threatens to blow up the entire rebuilding project. The good guys the team has added recently end up as window dressing as long as you're building around Randolph.

Every NBA contract includes a moral turpitude clause that allows a team to cut a player for serious detrimental behavior. The Warriors tried unsuccessfully to use it when Latrell Sprewell choked his coach. League executives will tell you it's difficult, if not impossible, to utilize the clause until a player has committed a felony offense. </div>

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