# Zach's "Bereavement Leave"



## chris_in_pdx (Jul 11, 2004)

Kinda interesting, since there's no word on who in his family died.

Anyway, this gives LaMarcus lots more playing time, which is always a good thing. Perhaps that kid they picked up on the 10-day contract will get some playing time as well.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Link?


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

Talkhard said:


> Link?


http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Trail_Blazers_Statement_Regard-216188-1218.html

-Pop


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## ProudBFan (Apr 29, 2003)

Mourning the death of what would have been a really great season for him and his team had David Stern and Stu Jackson's boys not conspired to **** it all up.

PBF


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

Condolences to Zach. Although I don't know the details, it must have involved the death of a family member or very close friend in order for the team to grant him breavement leave. My thoughts and prayers go out to Zach in this time of personal sorrow.

BNM


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

Boob-No-More said:


> Condolences to Zach. Although I don't know the details, it must have involved the death of a family member or very close friend in order for the team to grant him breavement leave. My thoughts and prayers go out to Zach in this time of personal sorrow.
> 
> BNM


Thank you, BNM, for showing some humanity. IMHO if a person needs to ask for bereavement leave then he/she needs it.


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## yuyuza1 (May 24, 2006)

My condolences to Zach as well. Let's see how our guys do without him.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

I feel really bad for Zach, I hope everything is ok.
Back to the Blazers, we are SUPER SLIM up front now....LMA and Mags are our only 2 bigs..does Outlaw start at the 4? I am going to love going to the Wiz game and seeing the offense being ran through LMA.


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## ebott (Jan 7, 2003)

I still wanna know who it was. Maybe I'm just too big of a jerk. 

It seems suspiciously timed. We're now out of the playoff race, there's 16 games left in the season, every loss gets us closer to the top picks. Our best player is going to out for an undetermined amount of time.

Seems like a convenient way to tank without appearing to do so.


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## GOD (Jun 22, 2003)

ebott said:


> I still wanna know who it was. Maybe I'm just too big of a jerk.
> 
> It seems suspiciously timed. We're now out of the playoff race, there's 16 games left in the season, every loss gets us closer to the top picks. Our best player is going to out for an undetermined amount of time.
> 
> Seems like a convenient way to tank without appearing to do so.


I doubt it's faked.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

This thread is disgusting.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

ebott said:


> Our best player is going to out for an undetermined amount of time.
> 
> Seems like a convenient way to tank without appearing to do so.


Not everything in life is a big conspiracy. The article clearly states:

"_He will rejoin the team at some point during the upcoming four-game road trip._"

Sounds like he might miss two or three games over the next three or four days. Depending on how far he is traveling and when the funeral and wake are scheduled, that doesn't sound unreasonable. We had to fly to the east coast for a funeral last summer and including round trip travel, the wake, funeral and spending time mourning with loved ones, we were gone six days total.

I hardly think the unexpected death of a family member or close personal friend is part of some grand scheme to possibly get a few extra ping pong balls in the upcoming lottery.

BNM


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

ebott said:


> I still wanna know who it was. Maybe I'm just too big of a jerk.
> 
> It seems suspiciously timed. We're now out of the playoff race, there's 16 games left in the season, every loss gets us closer to the top picks. Our best player is going to out for an undetermined amount of time.
> 
> Seems like a convenient way to tank without appearing to do so.


You're not a jerk for wanting to know. We all want to know. By not naming the deceased, or giving any indication of who it is, the Blazers are unnecessarily causing suspicion. They wouldn't have to name the person, they could just say "a childhood friend," a "close relative," etc. That would satisfy most people, and still respect the individual's and family's privacy.

I tend to think it's not the Blazers tanking--but Zach himself pouting and wanting time off because he's pissed about his scoring average going down. But I could be wrong.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> I hardly think the unexpected death of a family member or close personal friend is part of some grand scheme to possibly get a few extra ping pong balls in the upcoming lottery.
> 
> BNM


I suspect Pritchard probably murdered someone in order to enhance the draft position. Stern might have been a better choice, but this is more subtle. 

barfo


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

Talkhard said:


> You're not a jerk for wanting to know. We all want to know. By not naming the deceased, or giving any indication of who it is, the Blazers are unnecessarily causing suspicion. They wouldn't have to name the person, they could just say "a childhood friend," a "close relative," etc. That would satisfy most people, and still respect the individual's and family's privacy.
> 
> I tend to think it's not the Blazers tanking--but Zach himself pouting and wanting time off because he's pissed about his scoring going down. But I could be wrong.


Good lord some of you people are heartless and callous. If there is any "pouting" going on, I'm sure it's justified.

What you want to know and what you have a right to know are two different rhings. Please grow up and learn to accept that reality.

Not releasing the name and relationship of the deceased is not at all suspicious to me. It's called protecting someone's privacy. We have no idea who has passed, but if it was announced publically that Zach was attending the funeral of a childhood friend, it would be a simple matter to scan the obituaries of the Anderson, IN paper and figure out who it is. If that happended the somber occasional could end up being mobbed with local media trying to get a photo of Zach, the local celebrity, during his time of sorrow. 

Yes, Zach is a public figure and his celebrity status makes him fair game for the media. However, that free pass does not extend to the deceased or their family members. Perhaps they just want a quiet ceremony to lay their loved one to rest without being hounded by reports and gawkers trying to butt in during their time of sadness and loss. Is that really difficult for you to understand?

Sheesh, you never cease to amaze me with your intense hatred of Zach, but this is a new low even for you.

BNM


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## The Sebastian Express (Mar 3, 2005)

Well, The Columbian figured out what it was:

http://columbian.com/sports/blazerbanter/

I sincerely hope that none of you that have made crude or ridiculous comments in regards to 'pouting because of statistics going down' or 'they're tanking for ping pong balls' ever get such callous remarks thrown at you when someone close to you dies.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Talkhard said:


> You're not a jerk for wanting to know. We all want to know. By not naming the deceased, or giving any indication of who it is, the Blazers are unnecessarily causing suspicion. They wouldn't have to name the person, they could just say "a childhood friend," a "close relative," etc. That would satisfy most people, and still respect the individual's and family's privacy.
> 
> I tend to think it's not the Blazers tanking--but Zach himself pouting and wanting time off because he's pissed about his scoring average going down. But I could be wrong.


No, we don't ALL want to know.

Only those with no class or compassion.

It's none of our business and I'm pretty sure none of us know the deceased or it would have been posted.

To suggest Zach or the Blazers would fake a death to give him some time off or worse yet to deliberately lose games is disgusting, but unfortunately not surprising on this board.


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## ehizzy3 (Jun 12, 2006)

RIP, zach should take the four game road trip off, i havent had a really good friend pass yet, and im sure its hard


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## ebott (Jan 7, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> Not releasing the name and relationship of the deceased is not at all suspicious to me.


I guess you're just not as inquisitive as the rest of us.



> It's called protecting someone's privacy.


It's 2007. There's no such thing as privacy any more. Especially not for famous people. They make their millions BECAUSE they're in the public eye. It's all part of the package.



> We have no idea who has passed, but if it was announced publically that Zach was attending the funeral of a childhood friend, it would be a simple matter to scan the obituaries of the Anderson, IN paper and figure out who it is. If that happened the somber occasional could end up being mobbed with local media trying to get a photo of Zach, the local celebrity, during his time of sorrow.


Ok, well it's less than 3 hours since the statement was released and already the Columbian figured out who it was. If the Blazers could have given us that extra nugget of information I wouldn't have suggested the tanking.

It's this kind of incomplete, almost cryptic bs that made me dislike Steve Patterson so so much.



> Yes, Zach is a public figure and his celebrity status makes him fair game for the media. However, that free pass does not extend to the deceased or their family members. Perhaps they just want a quiet ceremony to lay their loved one to rest without being hounded by reports and gawkers trying to butt in during their time of sadness and loss. Is that really difficult for you to understand?


I completely understand. And if it turns out that Zach specifically told them not to say who it was because he didn't want to be sending out that kind of info I'm totally cool with it. 

But I suspect that it wasn't. I don't know why the Blazers didn't just include the extra little "He will be attending the funeral of a childhood friend." And that's the thing that kind of pisses me off. It doesn't make any sense not to add that 10 word sentence. It's very Steve Patterson-esque and I was hoping we wouldn't have this kind of crap after he left.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

So Zach's high-school buddy shot someone at a biker club, and then was shot himself. A little more ammo for the bad-character crowd.

barfo


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## ebott (Jan 7, 2003)

MARIS61 said:


> No, we don't ALL want to know.
> 
> Only those with no class or compassion.


I'm not saying you're wrong. But if wanting to know a little something extra makes one classless and void of compassion then there's very little class or compassion in the world these days.



> It's none of our business


I vehemently disagree with this statement. We, the fans, are the ones that pay Zach's salary. If he's going to miss several games it's our right to know why. And a statement like "Zach Randolph has been granted a bereavement leave" just doesn't cut it.



> To suggest Zach or the Blazers would fake a death to give him some time off or worse yet to deliberately lose games is disgusting, but unfortunately not surprising on this board.


It's a disgusting world we live in.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> Good lord some of you people are heartless and callous. If there is any "pouting" going on, I'm sure it's justified.
> 
> What you want to know and what you have a right to know are two different rhings. Please grow up and learn to accept that reality.
> 
> ...


Are you talking to me? I don't hate Zach and never have. In fact, I once started a thread saying he was the best low-post scorer in the league and we ought to do all we could to keep him. If you could somehow get past your own righteous anger and see that smiley face on my post, you'd realize I was joking about the "pouting" thing.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

Talkhard said:


> If you could somehow get past your own righteous anger and see that smiley face on my post, you'd realize I was joking about the "pouting" thing.


Adding a smiley face did not make it funny and did not make it any less offensive or tasteless. Just my opinion. I don't find the death of a friend or family memember amusing and they wouldn't have granted him bereavement unless it was someone close to him who had died.

And there is a difference between anger and disgust. It was the latter, not the former, I was feeling when I made my post.

BNM


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Zach's gotta get some new friends . . .


> Marion Police Chief David Gilbert said that at the time of the shooting, Donald was wanted by police on a warrant out of Howard County for *attempted murder* and that he had been evading police.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

The Sebastian Express said:


> Well, The Columbian figured out what it was:
> 
> http://columbian.com/sports/blazerbanter/
> 
> I sincerely hope that none of you that have made crude or ridiculous comments in regards to 'pouting because of statistics going down' or 'they're tanking for ping pong balls' ever get such callous remarks thrown at you when someone close to you dies.



If one of my "friends" had a warrant for his arrest for attempted murder, shot someone in a biker bar only to be shot himself.....Well let's just say that I doubt any of my friends close enough to me to bereave over would be a wanted murder suspect who got shot after shooting someone.


I think this is a good thing. One less punk for Zach to hang out with this off season, His chances just went up of staying police free this summer....whoo hoo. His trade value just went up as well. Oh, and one more dirtbag is off the streets. 

I hope that wasn't too callous


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

mediocre man said:


> I think this is a good thing. One less punk for Zach to hang out with this off season, His chances just went up of staying police free this summer....whoo hoo. His trade value just went up as well. Oh, and one less dirtbag is off the streets.


I think you meant one "more" dirtbag is off the streets.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Depends on WHY he shot the guy.

Don't know the facts yet.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Talkhard said:


> I think you meant one "more" dirtbag is off the streets.



Yes, edited. Thank you


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

MARIS61 said:


> Depends on WHY he shot the guy.
> 
> Don't know the facts yet.


I'm sure when we know all the facts we'll find out that this guy was an upstanding citizen with no criminal record who was just getting harrassed by the cops because he was black.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

Talkhard said:


> I'm sure when we know all the facts we'll find out that this guy was an upstanding citizen with no criminal record who was just getting harrassed by the cops because he was black.


Duh! You're dumb.


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## porkchopexpress (May 24, 2006)

Talkhard said:


> I'm sure when we know all the facts we'll find out that this guy was an upstanding citizen with no criminal record who was just getting harrassed by the cops because he was black.



He was wanted for murder. Let's assume that we know 100% that he was guilty of the crime. Does that mean that we, or anyone else should be cheering his death? If he was found guilty after a trial, then he should be punished, but not murdered. Also, now that he has been murdered, does that make his murderer a hero (since you and MM state that getting one more dirtbag off the streets a good thing), or just another dirtbag? Maybe it puts him somewhere inbetween. 

It is sick that some people here are happy about this, and saying that this is good for the blazers does mean that you are somewhat happy about it. A mother has lost a son. A sister has lost a brother (possibly) And Zach has lost a friend. We don't know how good of friends they were now, but for all we know this was Zach's best friend growing up. I know if my best friend from childhood had gone down the wrong path and then was murdered, I would mourn. No matter what bad deed he had done, I would still be sad for the loss of a friend.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

porkchopexpress said:


> He was wanted for murder. Let's assume that we know 100% that he was guilty of the crime. Does that mean that we, or anyone else should be cheering his death? If he was found guilty after a trial, then he should be punished, but not murdered. Also, now that he has been murdered, does that make his murderer a hero (since you and MM state that getting one more dirtbag off the streets a good thing), or just another dirtbag? Maybe it puts him somewhere inbetween.
> 
> It is sick that some people here are happy about this, and saying that this is good for the blazers does mean that you are somewhat happy about it. A mother has lost a son. A sister has lost a brother (possibly) And Zach has lost a friend. We don't know how good of friends they were now, but for all we know this was Zach's best friend growing up. I know if my best friend from childhood had gone down the wrong path and then was murdered, I would mourn. No matter what bad deed he had done, I would still be sad for the loss of a friend.




The mother lost her son when he commited murder....allegedly. The mother lost her son when he went to the biker bar to kill someone. 


As for your ultra liberal views...yes people this is my conservative side rearing it's ugly head now.....People who commit murder should die...and quickly to save my tax dollars. Men who molest children or commit rape should first be molested and then die. The world doesn't need them. To say someone like Saddam Husein shouldn't have been murdered, and instead should be locked up the rest of his life with cable tv and 3 meals a day for what he did is boggling to me. That IS what you are saying.

It obviously sucks that a friend of his died, but in reality the world doesn't need people who are wanted for murder and wind up dead because they went to kill someone else. And sorry, but yes this is a good thing for the Blazers and Zach. One less bad influence on an easily influenced man


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

I don't know about any of you, but most of us have had freinds in life who weren't always the best citizens in life. It doesn't matter, freinds are freinds, and if you care about them, you do, its part of being a human being. Sometimes you grow up with people and they just become a part of you, even if they go down a bad path. Parents care about their kids even when they do the wrong things. This was probably one of Zbo's freinds from growing up, and that just doesn't go away. My condolences.


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

ebott said:


> I vehemently disagree with this statement. We, the fans, are the ones that pay Zach's salary. If he's going to miss several games it's our right to know why. And a statement like "Zach Randolph has been granted a bereavement leave" just doesn't cut it.


I suggest you get over yourself.

Are you going to be double checking all of the Blazers' injuries in the future to make sure they're not slacking?

Will you be administering the hall passes during practices, or is it enough that the players call you on your cell before going to the bathroom?


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Like I said, we don't know the facts.

Maybe the person he "murdered" was someone who molested his child, or raped his girlfriend, or murdered his brother.

That's why we have a legal system.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

Blazer Ringbearer said:


> I suggest you get over yourself.
> 
> Are you going to be double checking all of the Blazers' injuries in the future to make sure they're not slacking?
> 
> Will you be administering the hall passes during practices, or is it enough that the players call you on your cell before going to the bathroom?


It seems to me that the fans _aren't_ paying the players -- the owners are. If all the fans stopped going to games, the owners are still obligated to pay the players. The NBA is a product, much like a movie -- the actors and the rest of the staff still get paid regardless of how much the movie actually brings in.

Beyond that, it seems to me that these people who lead very public lives are still entitled to _some_ privacy. I trust Blazers Management to make a reasonable call in situations like this -- we fans _don't_ need to know everything.

So yeah, I'm with you, Ringbearer.


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> Men who molest children or commit rape should first be molested and then die. The world doesn't need them. To say someone like Saddam Husein shouldn't have been murdered, and instead should be locked up the rest of his life with cable tv and 3 meals a day for what he did is boggling to me.


we disagree a lot on blazers related topics and especially zach, but on this i agree completely.


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## Tim Lehrbach (Sep 17, 2003)

Is the series of turns taken in this thread (from an announcement to speculation to swipes at character to political grandstanding) normal on this board?

If yes, that's rad.


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## blakeback (Jun 29, 2006)

Tim Lehrbach said:


> Is the series of turns taken in this thread (from an announcement to speculation to swipes at character to political grandstanding) normal on this board?


it's pretty much the only reason to read this board. there is no good basketball discussion here, it's mostly just dumb people saying crazy stupid things about whatever pops into their heads.

great reading in the morning before work.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

From the Oregonian...

It seems that the "gentleman" that was killed was the first cousin of Zach's girlfriend. Zach knew him and wanted to go to the funeral. All this really means is that Zach is still a high risk to screw up AGAIN this summer because all of his friends are still around.


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

This is disgusting! How come those who claim to be great Christians who can condemn the rest of us sinners as immoral seem so unaware of "love thy neighbor" or "do unto others"? Do these self-proclaimed super patriots know about innocent until proven guilty?

There is no privacy? Crap! Zach is paid to play basketball. He is NOT paid to have every detail of his private life dissected by people with no information and less compassion. 

The dead man is a family connection of ZBo's live in girlfriend. Maybe he was not an upstanding citizen. Family is family. Keep your ****ing politics and your racism and your holier than thou garbage out of it.

Only the most despicable humans would claim that someone is faking a bereavement because he really wants to sulk and the team wants to lose more games. Hell, they don't need bereavement for that, they just need more lousy refs. 

You call yourselves fans? I'm not sure if you are capable of any kind of love, even that of fans for a team.


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

crandc said:


> This is disgusting! How come those who claim to be great Christians who can condemn the rest of us sinners as immoral seem so unaware of "love thy neighbor" or "do unto others"? Do these self-proclaimed super patriots know about innocent until proven guilty?
> 
> There is no privacy? Crap! Zach is paid to play basketball. He is NOT paid to have every detail of his private life dissected by people with no information and less compassion.
> 
> ...


Some pretty BS attitude in this thread, I agree completely...


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> From the Oregonian...
> 
> It seems that the "gentleman" that was killed was the first cousin of Zach's girlfriend. Zach knew him and wanted to go to the funeral. All this really means is that Zach is still a high risk to screw up AGAIN this summer because all of his friends are still around.


As normal your tainted view.

This is actually a direct quote from OL:



> Marion police said Otis Donald, 23, entered the Black Dragon Motorcycle Club around 5:45 a.m. EDT on Sunday and fired a gun multiple times. By Monday afternoon, police said their investigation had revealed that Donald entered the club to confront someone other than Cannon. Cannon tried to intervene and was shot once. He died at 6:25 a.m. at a local hospital.


Cannon, the one that tried to intervene not the gunman, is the funeral that Zach went to.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

We treat criminals with kid gloves in this society. I'm not saying whip out the torture and decapitation after one offense. I'd go with a two strike policy...except for situations where an innocent victim was murdered. Give them a chance to reform, if they do anything again, cut their head off with an axe.

I'm sick of seeing those whiney idiots on the prison shows complaining about the food and that their blanky-wanky isn't soft enough. They are worse than animals, and should be sent back to the abyss.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

crandc said:


> This is disgusting! How come those who claim to be great Christians who can condemn the rest of us sinners as immoral seem so unaware of "love thy neighbor" or "do unto others"? Do these self-proclaimed super patriots know about innocent until proven guilty?


crandc, I know you're primarily intending to direct this at one or two individuals, but please remember not to stereotype Christians. I don't know any true Christians who would make any claim to be "great", but a lot of us do actually try to practice what Jesus preached. As for being a "super patriot", I do love my country, but I also believe that separation of church and state is one of the more wise provisions included in the Constitution by our founding fathers.


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## craigehlo (Feb 24, 2005)

Isn't two games a bit long for a team captain (and one of the highest paid players) on this team to be out during the stretch run? No to sound too cold but Zbo didn't lose a family member. Ime lost his father and only missed one game this season. 

There really is a bigger issue here of cutting ties with the negative people in your past when you reach Zbo's level of responsibility to the franchise. Zbo has shown problems with setting up those boundaries in the past and it seems to get him in trouble more often than not.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

craigehlo said:


> Isn't two games a bit long for a team captain (and one of the highest paid players) on this team to be out during the stretch run? No to sound too cold but Zbo didn't lose a family member. Ime lost his father and only missed one game this season.
> 
> There really is a bigger issue here of cutting ties with the negative people in your past when you reach Zbo's level of responsibility to the franchise. Zbo has shown problems with setting up those boundaries in the past and it seems to get him in trouble more often than not.



The length of time to me isn't the issue. He should take as long as his girlfriend tells him to. This also isn't a negative person in his past. It's more like a semi negative person from the present. 

Plus, the team will undoubtably play better without him.


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

e_blazer1 said:


> crandc, I know you're primarily intending to direct this at one or two individuals, but please remember not to stereotype Christians. I don't know any true Christians who would make any claim to be "great", but a lot of us do actually try to practice what Jesus preached. As for being a "super patriot", I do love my country, but I also believe that separation of church and state is one of the more wise provisions included in the Constitution by our founding fathers.


e_blazer, of course you are right and I did not intend to slam or stereotype Christians or patriots as a group. My comment was directed towards those who made certain posts I don't care to repeat, and who are also the same people who claim to be more moral and patriotic than all the rest of us. People like you, decent human beings, in my experience, DON'T need to constantly trumpet their morality and patriotism. They take it for granted. They don't have to "prove" they are better than the rest of us sinners because they don't consider themselves better or the rest of us worse.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

craigehlo said:


> Isn't two games a bit long for a team captain (and one of the highest paid players) on this team to be out during the stretch run?


No, two games isn't a bit long to attend an out of state funeral for a deceased friend or relative. What does his salary have to do with this? Because he makes more money he's supposed to mourn faster and more efficiently? Maybe next contact they can put in a performance based incentive clause for how fast he can grieve. 



craigehlo said:


> No to sound too cold but Zbo didn't lose a family member. Ime lost his father and only missed one game this season.


Ime's father was local. That doesn't make his grief any less, but it makes the logisitcs of traveling to attending a wake, private family service, the funeral and spending time mourning with your family less complicated than flying to an out of state funeral. If the deceased was a close friend or family member, Zach should be allowed to take enough time to attend the services, both the wake and funeral and anything else that is planned, and be there before and after the funeral to mourn with and support the deceased's other friends and family members.

BNM


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## ProudBFan (Apr 29, 2003)

I simply cannot believe this is a topic of discussion.

The guy had one to several close friends killed, and wants to go home to attend funerals and do what he can do to help those left behind pick up the pieces. Probably talking multiple funerals here. Is two games of Zachs involvement really all that important right now?

Wow.

PBF


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

ProudBFan said:


> I simply cannot believe this is a topic of discussion.


No kidding. The guy lost a friend. Let him go attend the funeral and mourn in peace.

BNM


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

The "hysteria" on this board about the lack of sympathy for Zach is itself hysterical. It shows a complete lack of appreciation (or recollection) about the way the Blazers have handled PR problems in the past. I recall numerous times when we were told that JR Rider was "late" or "overslept" or "missed a flight," "or had a flat tire," and all the while he was off smoking dope somewhere or selling stolen cellphones. The Blazers did a lot of lying for him to cover up his multiple transgressions.

It's been standard practice for the Blazers and other teams to cover up or try to put a pretty face on unpleasant news stories about their players. When a player and a coach have a fight, or a player refuses to practice, we're told the player has been fined for "conduct detrimental to the team," or something similarly vague. There's always an effort to smoothe over the story and make it seem less offensive. This is the job of a team's PR flack, after all. 

So . . . when the Blazers announced that Zach was taking a "bereavement" leave, some of us naturally were suspicious. It sounded like a coverup for something else. To say that anyone who even doubted the announcement is "callous" or "heartless" is ridiculous. Furthermore, I can't see how the Blazers would have betrayed anyone's privacy by saying that Zach was going to attend the funeral of a boyhood friend. That would have satisfied most of us, I'm sure.

As a side bar, the same people who have so much sympathy for Zach, and Qyntel Woods, and Shawn Kemp, and Bonzi Wells, and all the other thugs who have played for this team over the years generally have very little sympathy for anyone on the other side of the political aisle, and enjoy hurling hateful epithets at those who speak out for the other side in such debates. Their "tolerance" seems to be very selective, indeed.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> It obviously sucks that a friend of his died, but in reality the world doesn't need people who are wanted for murder and wind up dead because they went to kill someone else. And sorry, but yes this is a good thing for the Blazers and Zach. One less bad influence on an easily influenced man


Never mind . . . I really shouldn't particiapate in this thread.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> Never mind . . . I really shouldn't particiapate in this thread.




I kept saying that after each post, It appears you made the right move


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## dudleysghost (Mar 24, 2006)

Talkhard said:


> ... generally have very little sympathy for anyone on the other side of the political aisle, and enjoy hurling hateful epithets at those who speak out for the other side in such debates.


:lol:

I can't imagine that you have a straight face while you type that.


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

Will someone tell Talkhard, since he does not read my posts, that were he, god forbid, to suffer the loss of a family member or friend I would extend my condolences. Because I do NOT gloat over someone else's bereavement. 

And I fail to see how bereavement makes Zach a thug. And I never defended Qyntel Woods or Bonzi Wells or Shawn Kemp. And I simply cannot see the Blazers organization being dishonest enough to say someone is on bereavement leave when he is just sulking.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

Talkhard said:


> So . . . when the Blazers announced that Zach was taking a "bereavement" leave, some of us naturally were suspicious. It sounded like a coverup for something else. To say that anyone who even doubted the announcement is "callous" or "heartless" is ridiculous. Furthermore, I can't see how the Blazers would have betrayed anyone's privacy by saying that Zach was going to attend the funeral of a boyhood friend. That would have satisfied most of us, I'm sure.


So why continue the callous, heartless commentary even after the media (the same media that loves to dish dirt on the Blazers whenever they can) revealed the identity of the victim?

Statements like:



Talkhard said:


> I'm sure when we know all the facts we'll find out that this guy was an upstanding citizen with no criminal record who was just getting harrassed by the cops because he was black.


really make you look stupid (in addition to callous and heartless) now that the facts have been reported. Your statement in ignorant, biased and prejudiced - not to mention wrong.

Fact, the funeral Zach will be attending is for Lamar Cannon.

Fact, Cannon is a first cousin of Zach's long time girlfriend Faune Drake

Fact, Cannon was not the gunman.

Fact, Cannon was not the intended target of the shooter. He was a bystander that tried to intervene and was killed in the process.

Still think he got what he deserved and the world is better off without him?

BNM


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> Fact, the funeral Zach will be attending is for Lamar Cannon.
> 
> Fact, Cannon is a first cousin of Zach's long time girlfriend Faune Drake
> 
> ...


Fact: When I made the above post, the only news report I had read said that it was the shooter who was Zach's friend. An individual, by the way, who was wanted for murder and had been on the run from the law.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

Talkhard said:



> Fact: When I made the above post, the only news report I had read said that it was the shooter who was Zach's friend. An individual, by the way, who was wanted for murder and had been on the run from the law.


Link please. The only article linked in this thread before your comment mentioned that Otis Donald and Lamar Cannon were both high school classmates of Zach's and that Zach and Otis Donald were close friends in high school. It mentions nothing about a warrant for murder, and most importantly, mentions nothing about Zach being granted bereavement leave to attend Donald's funeral. In your rush to condem, you seem to have jumped to some conclusions. Unless, of course you can provide a link specifically saying Zach was granted leave to attend the funeral of the gunman Otis Donald. Or, did you just assume it was Donald, the shooter, and not Cannon the intervening bystander, whose funeral Zach would be attending?

BNM


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> Your statement in ignorant, biased and prejudiced - not to mention wrong.
> 
> Fact, the funeral Zach will be attending is for Lamar Cannon.


Fact, we don't currently know whether he is attending one or both funerals. He has been linked to both dead guys.



> Fact, Cannon was not the gunman.


Not a known fact. Someone shot Otis, and that gunman hasn't been identified. Could have been Cannon.



> Fact, Cannon was not the intended target of the shooter. He was a bystander that tried to intervene and was killed in the process.


Not really a known fact, that's just what the article says. I wouldn't place a whole lot of faith in it, given that the police admit they don't know what happened or why. 

barfo


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> Link please. The only article linked in this thread before your comment mentioned that Otis Donald and Lamar Cannon were both high school classmates of Zach's and that Zach and Otis Donald were close friends in high school. It mentions nothing about a warrant for murder, and most importantly, mentions nothing about Zach being granted bereavement leave to attend Donald's funeral. In your rush to condem, you seem to have jumped to some conclusions. Unless, of course you can provide a link specifically saying Zach was granted leave to attend the funeral of the gunman Otis Donald. Or, did you just assume it was Donald, the shooter, and not Cannon the intervening bystander, whose funeral Zach would be attending?
> 
> BNM


Check the link embedded in the Columbian story.

barfo


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

barfo said:


> Fact, we don't currently know whether he is attending one or both funerals. He has been linked to both dead guys.


The article in the Oregonian specifically says he will be attending the funeral of Lamar Cannon. It doens't even mention Otis Donald. While we have no proof that he won't attend Donald's funeral, I don't imagine his girlfriend or her family would appreciate him attending services for the guy who gunned down a family member.



barfo said:


> Not a known fact. Someone shot Otis, and that gunman hasn't been identified. Could have been Cannon.


You're right. At this time the second shooter has not been identified - although from the description of the events, it seems a long shot that Cannon could have been fatally wounded inside the club and still shot and killed Otis Donald as the shooting carried on outside of the club. Not impossible, but unlikely. Also, IF Cannon had fired back after Donald had shot him, it would have been in self defense. AND the article in the Oregonian described Cannon as someone who intervened, not the intended target or the second shooter. I guess we'll find out once police release the rest of the details, but all we have to go on is that Donald shot Cannon, who was intervening, and then someone shot Donald. 



barfo said:


> Not really a known fact, that's just what the article says. I wouldn't place a whole lot of faith in it, given that the police admit they don't know what happened or why.


Yes, that's "just what the article says" but I put more stock in that than blind assumptions from people 2000 miles away who rush to judgement without any first hand knowledge of the crime scene or events.

BNM


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> The article in the Oregonian specifically says he will be attending the funeral of Lamar Cannon. It doens't even mention Otis Donald. While we have no proof that he won't attend Donald's funeral, I don't imagine his girlfriend or her family would appreciate him attending services for the guy who gunned down a family member.


Maybe, but maybe the family is also attending the Donald funeral. You don't know, they may all be friends. Maybe that's why Cannon intervened. Or maybe Cannon was shagging Otis's girlfriend and Otis intended to kill him. Or they were both killed by Kevin Pritchard. 



> Yes, that's "just what the article says" but I put more stock in that than blind assumptions from people 2000 miles away who rush to judgement without any first hand knowledge of the crime scene or events.
> 
> BNM


Well, Talkhard is much closer to the scene than 2000 miles, so his views are somewhat more reliable. 

Where was that article in the Oregonian written? Was it written in Portland Oregon by someone without any first hand knowledge of the crime scene or events? 

It's fine to put more stock in the article than the mad ravings of lunatics on a basketball board, I would myself, but something being printed in the Oregonian does not make it "fact". 

barfo


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

sick sick sick thread


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## dudleysghost (Mar 24, 2006)

barfo said:


> It's fine to put more stock in the article than the mad ravings of lunatics on a basketball board, I would myself, but something being printed in the Oregonian does not make it "fact".


Don't you think that's nitpicking? A newspaper's primary job is to get the facts, so if you read a claim of fact in one, it's usually safe to assume that it is true.


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## ehizzy3 (Jun 12, 2006)

this thread is a disgrace, delete this


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

barfo said:


> Maybe that's why Cannon intervened. Or maybe Cannon was shagging Otis's girlfriend and Otis intended to kill him.


Can we please end all the baseless speculation? I fail to see the point of playing "what if" and "maybe" games when the preliminary police findings are available online. There is enough evidence for the police to state very clearly that Cannon was not the intended victim. That he intervened and was shot in the back by Otis Donald. There have been plenty of details released that anyone who is actually interested in what happened can find it online within seconds with a google search. For those not willing to take the word of the Oregonian, how about the local Marion paper. Note the article headline:

Police: Member shot while breaking up fight

and the very first sentence from the article:

"_Otis D. Donald's original intent wasn't to shoot Lamar S. Cannon when he entered the National Chapter of the Black Dragons Motorcycle Club on Sunday morning, police say._"

The details on who shot Donald have still not been released, but I think that should end all speculation about whether or not Cannon was the intended target of the shooting.

BNM


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

dudleysghost said:


> Don't you think that's nitpicking? A newspaper's primary job is to get the facts, so if you read a claim of fact in one, it's usually safe to assume that it is true.


Not at all nitpicking. Newspapers sometimes get facts wrong. Usually they don't get the main story wrong, but they do sometimes get the details wrong. I've seen it myself in cases where I had first hand knowledge of the events, and I've deduced it from seeing inconsistencies between different reports on the same event. 

But in this case, they were writing before the facts of the matter were known to anyone but some bikers who may or may not have just killed someone. Under those circumstances, I think it's fair to question whether a third-hand report is accurate. 

barfo


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> Can we please end all the baseless speculation? I fail to see the point of playing "what if" and "maybe" games when the preliminary police findings are available online. There is enough evidence for the police to state very clearly that Cannon was not the intended victim. That he intervened and was shot in the back by Otis Donald. There have been plenty of details released that anyone who is actually interested in what happened can find it online within seconds with a google search. For those not willing to take the word of the Oregonian, how about the local Marion paper. Note the article headline:
> 
> Police: Member shot while breaking up fight
> 
> ...


If we quit all baseless speculation, there will be very very few posts on this board. I'm glad you found that article and posted it here; now we know more than we did before you gave us the link. 

I notice you were unable to provide any evidence that Pritchard didn't kill Donald, however.

barfo


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## Nate Dogg (Oct 20, 2006)

Yeah, I think the management is trying to keep it hush hush about his connection with Donald and also his girlfriend.
But then again Z-bo needs to stay away from bad family individuals.


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## CocaineisaHelluvaDrug (Aug 24, 2006)

missing 2 games to go to the funeral of the cousin of his girlfriend??

sorry but thats bs,i`d have refused to let him go....if your mother/father/brother/sister/wife etc die then fair enough.

What coach wants a player taking off to go to the funeral of the 2nd cousin of the best friend of the guy from the bakerys sister or some ****...sets a dangerous precedent if you ask me


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

www.starbury.com said:


> missing 2 games to go to the funeral of the cousin of his girlfriend??
> 
> sorry but thats bs,i`d have refused to let him go....if your mother/father/brother/sister/wife etc die then fair enough.
> 
> What coach wants a player taking off to go to the funeral of the 2nd cousin of the best friend of the guy from the bakerys sister or some ****...sets a dangerous precedent if you ask me



I don't think the team really cares if Zach plays or not at this point. Besides, we are now 2-0 without him.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

From Cran --



> Will someone tell Talkhard, since he does not read my posts, that were he, god forbid, to suffer the loss of a family member or friend I would extend my condolences. Because I do NOT gloat over someone else's bereavement.
> 
> And I fail to see how bereavement makes Zach a thug. And I never defended Qyntel Woods or Bonzi Wells or Shawn Kemp. And I simply cannot see the Blazers organization being dishonest enough to say someone is on bereavement leave when he is just sulking.


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

ProudBFan said:


> I simply cannot believe this is a topic of discussion.
> 
> The guy had one to several close friends killed, and wants to go home to attend funerals and do what he can do to help those left behind pick up the pieces. Probably talking multiple funerals here. Is two games of Zachs involvement really all that important right now?
> 
> ...


jeez, PBF. you've lost all perspective. Zach's off having fun at funerals instead of doing the hard work of playing a child's game in front of thousands of fans. we've got to hold Zach accountable, and the only way to do it is to blindly speculate on this bulletin board. [/sarcasm]

anyway, for those (like me) who just got around to this thread, are looking at the last couple posts and are deciding to read it from the beginning to figure out what the deal was, don't bother. it's just ugly and depressing. 

take those two minutes and go browse some porn instead.


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## craigehlo (Feb 24, 2005)

The self-righteousness of the "I can't even believe this is a topic" people is just as annoying as folks implying that there's some sort of criminal connection between Zbo and his girlfriend's dead cousin.

Basketball is game, but the Blazers are a business on which a lot of people rely on. It's up to Zbo to balance his family responsibilities with his responsibilities to his teammates and the organization.


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## porkchopexpress (May 24, 2006)

craigehlo said:


> Basketball is game, but the Blazers are a business on which a lot of people rely on. It's up to Zbo to balance his family responsibilities with his responsibilities to his teammates and the organization.


I could understand this if these last few games meant something. If we lost all of the games that he is to miss, which after last night is impossible, we will be no worse than we would have been if we won them all. If on the other hand this team was fighting for a playoff spot, or for a higher seed, or if this was the playoffs, your argument makes more sense. To me, he did weigh his personal and professional responsibilities, and at this time his family, or GFs fam, needs him more.


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## dudleysghost (Mar 24, 2006)

craigehlo said:


> The self-righteousness of the "I can't even believe this is a topic" people is just as annoying as folks implying that there's some sort of criminal connection between Zbo and his girlfriend's dead cousin.


The man had slipped and fallen in the pig sty just as his neighbors were walking by. Embarassed, he looked up at them and said "what are you looking at?"


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## CocaineisaHelluvaDrug (Aug 24, 2006)

anyone for strippers ?


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

The Blazers have issued a statement regarding Zach's "incident:"


Portland Trail Blazers said:


> "We have made tremendous strides this season in developing a culture that values character, both on and off the court.
> 
> "We think we've made significant progress in that regard as a team and an organization and our fans have responded with renewed enthusiasm and support.
> 
> ...


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## TLo (Dec 27, 2006)

*bump*

I just HAD to bump this thread! Some posters made fools out of themselves. Or maybe Zach made fools out of the posters?


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

was I really "made a fool of" for giving the guy the benefit of the doubt? I guess in some eyes, yes. I personally don't think so. 

it's never foolish to look for the best in people, especially if it costs you nothing. it's quite dreary to do the opposite.


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## TLo (Dec 27, 2006)

mook said:


> was I really "made a fool of" for giving the guy the benefit of the doubt? I guess in some eyes, yes. I personally don't think so.
> 
> it's never foolish to look for the best in people, especially if it costs you nothing. it's quite dreary to do the opposite.



Yes. Yes you were.


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

TLo said:


> *bump*
> 
> I just HAD to bump this thread! Some posters made fools out of themselves. Or maybe Zach made fools out of the posters?


It'd be one thing if he was out clubbing, but he obviously wasn't doing that. He stop to kill a hr on the way to the airport instead of hitting a airport bar for a hr, big deal. Blown way out of proportion as is par for course.

As you said some posters made fools out of themselves, now that the facts are out it's no big deal.


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## TLo (Dec 27, 2006)

mgb said:


> It'd be one thing if he was out clubbing, but he obviously wasn't doing that. He stop to kill a hr on the way to the airport instead of hitting a airport bar for a hr, big deal. Blown way out of proportion as is par for course.
> 
> As you said some posters made fools out of themselves, now that the facts are out it's no big deal.


$106 tab.


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

TLo said:


> $106 tab.


So, they usually have a $50 cover or so, that could be just a steak and a drink. They said they weren't worried about him paying it so that's not a issue. Unless somone wants very badly to make it one.


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

close this


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