http://www.columbian.com/printArticle.cfm?story=178439

Commentary: Randolph happy for shot with Knicks

Saturday, August 04, 2007
By BRIAN HENDRICKSON

There was a relaxed sense of anticipation in Zach Randolph's voice this week.

More than a month has passed since the Portland Trail Blazers dealt their leading scorer and rebounder to the New York Knicks, ending a relationship that was as turbulent, controversial and frustrating as it was, for Randolph, successful.

But talk of the parting brought no bitterness to Randolph's voice. Some disappointment over leaving. Some surprise at being dealt after the franchise not long ago established him as its cornerstone. But any of those emotions were wiped away by talk of what joining the Knicks could mean for his career.

Perhaps an All-Star Game appearance?

A playoff berth?

The potential excited Randolph, who quickly began talking warmly about his new teammates and coach. He called the trade "a great opportunity."

"It's just a new beginning," he said.

And not just for Randolph.

It became obvious last season that the Blazers and Randolph needed to break from each other. Even during the best season of his career, when Randolph posted numbers worthy of an All-Star, his efforts were often met with calls from fans and the media to trade the 6-foot-9 forward while his stock was high. And by the end of the year - with Randolph leading the team in scoring and rebounding - the Blazers seemed all too eager to try out LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward in Randolph's place.

The relationship never fractured, like those between Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, or Kevin Garnett and Minnesota. But years of off-court incidents peppered between efforts to convince Randolph to play within a team concept strained their association. It was apparent that Randolph's departure from Portland was imminent by the end of last season.

When it happened, the outcome seemed to be ideal for both parties.

For the Blazers, a stroke of draft-lottery luck landed them 7-foot center Greg Oden, preserving their tantalizing core of young talent. Few teams could trade a 23-point, 10-rebound player and improve their outlook.

For Randolph, the benefit was a feeling of being a team's priority again.

"I'm glad I'm someplace where I'm wanted," he said.

Randolph felt at least some people in the Blazers organization no longer wanted him, and he sensed he was no longer a priority to the team that once gave him an $84 million contract to anchor its future. But you don't have to look inside the franchise's offices to get that sense.

The team's frustrated fan base had been pushed beyond the point of ever forgetting the trouble Randolph consistently found - incidents that included street racing, a skipped team photo shoot and a punched teammate, among others. And the local media often questioned whether he fit into the team's vision and whether he was capable of cleaning up his behavior.

It's widely assumed those issues triggered the trade, although Randolph avoids speculating.

"It could, it could not," he said. "A lot of stuff that happened, I never was charged with nothing. You know what I mean? A lot of allegations, but you know, I ain't worried about that. That stuff's in the past."

And the trade can now let it stay there.

The situation in New York provides Randolph a fresh start. Fans - including filmmaker Spike Lee - celebrated wildly on draft night when the trade was announced. Knicks teammate Stephon Marbury praised the move emphatically to the New York media. Randolph's addition has generated optimism for Knicks fans the way Oden has done for the Blazers. And unlike in Portland, Randolph's troubles so far have remained a background discussion compared to those about his talent.

It gives the 26-year-old a valuable opportunity. If he can stay out of trouble - always the key question with Randolph - then he stands to benefit greatly from his new surroundings.

It's reason to be excited, Randolph said, not to be bitter over past criticisms or team decisions.

"I ain't got anything bad to say about Portland, nothing bad about the organization. I had a good career when I was there," Randolph said. "It's a great opportunity for me. I'm on a bigger stage in the NBA. Just a lot of opportunity. It's just a new beginning."

Brian Hendrickson is the Trail Blazers beat writer for The Columbian. Contact him at (360) 759-8051 or

No new info, but a nice perspective of how Zach has handled things. I think that Zach can make a success of his time here. We've seen guys come here and be successful despite having a bad rep. He's no choir boy, but as long as he takes care of business while he's here and keep his nose clean I think the fans are gonna love him. He has that kind of game that the fans will like. He's forceful and skilled and he goes hard to the boards. If he is growing as a player and really takes the team concept to heart that would go a long way to making his stay a success. So i'm hopeful that he really wants to be a part of a winning team.

Once again, it's just another player on our roster where talent is not an issue. It's all on him to make things happen. If he matures and plays within a team concept he could turn our future around. If not, he will not.

The level and type of trouble isn't the issue. His commitment to th eteam concept is the issue. Taht's what we need him to work on.

^The problem is Dolan does not want anyone working for him saying negative things about the Knicks. Dolan needs to go!

Hopefully Zach will be able to fit well and help bring our Knicks more wins this year. I'm glad he has a positive outlook on being traded here.

Posted by HARDCOREKNICKSFAN:

Hopefully Zach will be able to fit well and help bring our Knicks more wins this year. I'm glad he has a positive outlook on being traded here.

That's step number one. It's good to hear he feels wanted and that he's pumped to play for us. It's great to hear him say that his troubles are in the past. But until we actually see results on the floor, none of it matters. At some point like TMS says, we have to see results. There is a lot of talent on this team, has been for the last two seasons. More than 23 and 33 wins, yet somehow that is the result we ended up with. It's time to stop telling the fans how their joy is back, how the troubles are the past, how they love each other and actually show some results.