Blazers' most unsettling idea yet

A document shows the team has at least considered repaying Darius Miles lost wages -- plus interest -- for his suspension

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Canzano: Covering for players sends wrong message

Disappointment reached a new low Tuesday at One Center Court. A private document was obtained by The Oregonian, leaving a basketball franchise naked, and maybe, too, tearing down all that remained of the Trail Blazers' 25-point pledge.

Remember the pledge?

It included words such as "character" and "accountability." It had phrases such as "quick and authoritative action." And it promised to address the franchise highs and lows in a "clear, straightforward" manner.

Think about that while I tell you about the document. It's a typed but unsigned proposal between the Blazers and forward Darius Miles, who recently directed a series of racial slurs and other insults at his coach. The document, dated Jan. 28, is a two-page contract drafted by a Blazers attorney. And it's titled, "SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT, RELEASE AND COVENANT NOT TO SUE."

According to the contract, Miles agrees to withdraw the grievance he has filed against the Blazers for his recent two-game suspension and not to sue. In return, the Blazers agree to repay Miles $150,000 in lost wages because of his suspension.

Oh, also, get this: The Blazers agree to pay Miles interest on his $150,000.

If this is true, Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said, "I might as well pack my bags."

And I'm wondering today if maybe it's time for the rest of us to pack up and move on, too.

When asked Tuesday about the document, Blazers president Steve Patterson said it doesn't exist. When asked how it was possible then that I had it in my hand, Patterson fell silent.

Patterson later said the Blazers are "taking money out of (Miles') paycheck and sending it to the league like we're supposed to do."

But what we're more interested in is whether a settlement with Miles was proposed or seriously discussed. And Patterson said the team has "discussed" a lot of things.

Miles' agent, Jeff Wechsler, said there isn't a settlement in place. Also, Patterson said of the proposed settlement, "That's not my plan."

But when asked to explain the document, an angry-sounding Wechsler wanted to know where The Oregonian obtained an unsigned copy. "Who's your source?" he asked, as if it matters.

What matters isn't the "where," but the "why."

As in, why don't the Blazers get it?

So, is there a settlement in place? Has one been offered to Miles? Or did the rest of us just burst in and interrupt an ongoing negotiation between player and club?

There are three league grievances open against the Blazers -- by Dale Davis, Vladimir Stepania and Qyntel Woods. Maybe the franchise was trying to avoid a fourth.

Nobody but the parties involved know whether a settlement was signed and executed. But it's not a stretch to say that the Blazers probably wouldn't have dispatched their attorney to draft a proposal that they didn't view as, at least, an option.

Which makes this flat disappointing. And it has to make you wonder what's really going on. And also, you probably have to question whether the team is interested in actual change or just the appearance of change.

It's no secret that the Blazers operate in fear. Instead of simply doing the right thing, the sensible thing, they react by licking a finger and sticking it in the air in an attempt to gauge public sentiment. They're trying to re-brand the franchise and even printed company literature -- a bound, hardcover book titled "We are Trail Blazers" -- that defines who they are.

So, who are they, really?

Because everyone knows actions speak. And psychologists will tell you it's ridiculous to continue to demonstrate the same behaviors over and over while expecting different results.

I'm going to point out a couple of recent minor events that become relevant and revealing with the sudden appearance of this document.

Consider that Miles recently stopped for gas near the Blazers' practice facility. He filled his tank. But his credit card was declined. And he had no cash on him.

"That's the first time that's ever happened," Miles said.

Miles went with his first inclination, left his credit card at the station and called the Blazers from the road. And the team immediately dispatched an employee from the practice facility to drive to the gas station to pay the bill.

Case closed, I guess.

Also, on Tuesday, forward Zach Randolph was honored in a ceremony for his $47,650 donation to Portland Parks and Recreation. It was a generous gesture. And a nice enough ceremony. But what you don't know is that Randolph's donation check bounced -- twice.

Rather than risk a public-relations nightmare, which would have occurred the moment Parks and Recreation went public looking for a new donor, the Blazers took care of the payment. They got involved in fixing Randolph's problem. They called his agent. They called the bank. The Blazers eventually deducted the donation from Randolph's paycheck and wired the money to Parks and Recreation.

Case closed, I guess.

Team officials insist these kinds of things happen with every NBA team. And maybe they sometimes do.

But you have to wonder if the franchise isn't busy conditioning the players to be irresponsible and unaccountable. Even as both situations were resolved, didn't the franchise reinforce the wrong behaviors?

That's why this proposed settlement becomes important. Because if it was seriously considered by the Blazers, it makes the public out to be a fool. As if the illusion of swift punishment combined with a secret $150,000 kickback to Miles would satisfy everyone.

The Blazers, not the public, signed Miles to a six-year contract. The Blazers, not the public, also gave Randolph a six-year deal. And the Blazers, not the public, selected Miles, the actor, as the key figure in their marketing campaign.

But the Blazers did those things only after carefully measuring public opinion. Miles since has been replaced by Joel Przybilla in a key Blazers marketing campaign. And don't think that you, the public, didn't play a role in picking that one, too.

The idea of a settlement is disappointing, for sure. But maybe it's a blessing that the document went public. Because you're going to form your own opinion about this one, and it's you that the Blazers want to please.

Man, if only they knew how.