Sports Column

Randolph move was right deal, right time

On Sports

By dwight jaynes

The Portland Tribune, Jul 3, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (10 Reader comments)

Caught in a draft:

• If you don’t think the Blazers are making one smart move after another, you’re not paying attention. For instance, whether you agree with trading Zach Randolph or not, you have to admit that the team chose the perfect time to trade him.

Dealing Randolph on draft day, when the city was drooling all over itself over Greg Oden, was perfect timing. It turned the departure of the team’s leading scorer and rebounder into a secondary story, buried under the Oden hysteria.

Great move.

• Do I think the Randolph trade was a good deal? Yes, I do. Finding someone to take on that large contract was a tough go, and getting a solid young player with a big upside (Channing Frye) in return was a coup.

A lot of people are making the point that the combination of Randolph and New York City could be a real problem. Actually, I think Randolph has a chance to be OK in New York. It’s that posse of wannabes he hangs out with that he has to worry about.

The “Hoop Family” is going to be in over its head in the Big Apple, and the first time Randolph finds himself in a jam back there, I’m going to guess right now that it will be one of his buddies who gets him there.

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