Must be nice to have that kind of bereavement leave for a girlfriend's cousin...I had a tough time getting 3 days approved after the death of my father-in-law. And I didn't spend my time at "Pacer's" in San Diego, that's for sure!

You're too bereaved to play a game at 7:00 on Tuesday evening, but you're in a strip joint late that night? That's a suspension in the making.

"By multiple accounts, the Blazers' leading scorer and rebounder stiffed the folks at Exotica International Club for Men on Northeast Columbia Boulevard after enjoying libations and entertainment there."

He must be preternaturally fast to make it out of restaurant without covering the tab. No wonder he is a professional athlete.

Those are called "points off fast breaks."

Q:What's the message for the young players working so hard while he's hanging out at a "gentleman's club" on the night of a game the Blazers won? A: trade him in the off season for a lottery pick.

The best thing I could say for Zach this season was that he was focused and worked hard. Which was true. Then this.

The Blazers are 2-0 without Zach this week and look better without him. So please, Portland strip clubs: Pick up his tab on game nights.

trade him in the off season for a lottery pick.

The excuse for not trading him (or Darius for that matter) has always been "we can't get equal value for him". Well name a single NBA trade in the salary cap era in which teams got equal value for their disgruntled all-star. There aren't many. One need only look at the AI and Shaq deals to see what "equal value" looks like. What it all boils down to is whether the team is better with that particular person gone. The Blazers are obviously better without Darius and will be fine, although I would argue maybe not better, without Zach. He's certainly not the difference between the team winning or not winning a championship.

A lottery pick is a bit much to ask for, but a deal for a couple of "role players" is not.

I'm not ready to burn Randolph just yet. I'm sure his teammates already know that he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and it doesn't seem to be too disruptive to them. He's been in shape and played well all year, until now. He needs a counselor more than anything else.

Darius, on the other hand, is a cancer that must never again be allowed anywhere near the court, the practice floor, or even the locker room.

At least he did not go Pac Man Jones, and shoot up the place.

Chris,

It's not a matter of the Blazers cutting their losses and dumping Randolph for less than what he's worth. I believe CBA rules mandate that trades equal out in contract value. So, no matter how gullible of a GM you find, CBA rules would prevent a trade for Randolph unless portland gets equal value back. There's always a chance with Isiah Thomas calling the shots for the Knicks.

CBA rules would prevent a trade for Randolph unless portland gets equal value back

The equal value you're talking about and the equal value the Blazers are talking about are two entirely different things. You're absolutely right when you say the contracts would need to match. However the Blazers want a player or players who would be Zach's equal on the floor. My point is, no such deal has been accomplished in years. AI, Shaq, C-Webb, even Artest were all done with one team receiving significantly less in return. The Blazers didn't get "equal value" for Rasheed, but the contracts matched up, so the deal was done.

And the reason why anybody is surprised about yet another off court dumb move is.......?

More interesting to me is that there is anyone anywhere in the PDX area who any longer gives a rat's a..., err, the stern end of a rodent about any pro athlete or pro sport....

And the reason why anybody is surprised

No one here has expressed any surprise at all.

Trade Randolph to the Celtics for probably the #1, or 2 pick, and...two words...KEVIN DURANT and if you doubt that pick ask Kevin Pritchard who'd he take first...

My cynical assumption is that the Blazers okayed his time off in an attempt to improve their position in the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant sweepstakes in the upcoming draft.

If the Blazers are winning without him, then somebody didn't get the memo. A few more wins and we'll be stuck with Josh McRoberts.

Don't say that name...'McRoberts'...don't say that name(shudder)...

There is no way on this Earth that anyone with the #1 or #2 pick would trade that pick. Not even Zeke is that crazy.

Trade Randolph to the Celtics for probably the #1, or 2 pick, and...two words...KEVIN DURANT

I don't have fantasies nearly that wild. I blame myself.