Zach Randolphs "Hoop family"

[PortlandForever]

I never met Ruben Mata. But I now know he was 32 years old, a kind man, and that he had three children -- Joshua (13 years old), Martin (10) and Isiah (4). And I know those kids lost their father when he was shot to death in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Police will tell you that Mata, who worked as a bouncer at Club 915, was shot and killed in the street outside the club. And they'll tell you that terrible things such as these happen when you mix alcohol, a gun and foolishness. And so, the first homicide of 2011 passed in this city with police busy building a case, and the mayor declaring it tragic and all of this happened without anyone thinking a bit about the Trail Blazers.

But Blazers basketball philosophy is all I can think about now that I've learned who allegedly shot Mata.

Police identified Kevin Charles Moffett as the shooter. He's 31. Moffett was arrested, booked into Multnomah County Jail, and he quickly hired a prominent local attorney.

There's a memorial service pending for Mata, and friends placed lilies, carnations and a lone Virgin of Guadalupe candle on the sidewalk near where Mata took his final breath. But I'm wondering how much, or if any, of this could have been avoided had the Trail Blazers not waited so long to figure out who forward Zach Randolph was. And I'm hopeful owner Paul Allen and his front office don't abandon their good-guy philosophy in the face of more adversity this season.

Moffett was a member of the "Hoop Family," Randolph's unsavory band of friends of acquaintances.

I'm not sure if Moffett was wearing his diamond-studded "Hoop Family" necklace when the shooting occurred. But when the neighbors in the Stafford home that Randolph owned while he played for the Blazers heard "Kevin Charles Moffett" on the news reports of the homicide, they sat up in their living room chairs.

Moffett ran with Randolph's entourage. He attended Blazers games, along with other members of Randolph's crew, which wore the necklaces, and sometimes drag-raced, and rode ATV's and shot guns on the five-acre parcel the star basketball player owned.

Neighbors celebrated when the Blazers traded Randolph in 2007. They figured the shooting would stop, and that we were all lucky that nobody had been killed. Maybe that was true until that bullet was fired and Mata lay on the corner of Southwest 2nd Ave. and Taylor Street dying.

The justice system will do its thing now. And who knows what Moffett's plea will be. But here's a plea that I can't go another day without making to the Trail Blazers -- keep valuing character.

We talk all the time about character with our sports teams, and we talk about the virtue in the context of discipline, and rules. And we forget that critical roster decisions that an NBA team makes in bringing athletes to Portland includes those who run with the athlete, and extends, ultimately, to the community around us.

Remember when Sebastian Telfair "accidentally" brought his firearm on that Blazers road trip several years ago? It was whispered among teammates and the coaching staff that it wasn't a mistake at all. That Telfair was carrying because someone in the "Hoop Family" had threatened him. Telfair never confirmed that, but the incident illustrates the distrust many of the Blazers had toward the Hoop Family.

I thought about that when I heard Mata died. I looked, too, at the promoter at the New Year's Eve party that night. His name: Anthony "Brotha Luv" Blake. Also, "Hoop Family." He was always with Z-Bo.

Police invested so many resources and so much time with Randolph while he was with the Blazers that they must have celebrated with those giddy Stafford neighbors when he was traded. When Randolph was cited for drag racing, and carrying his firearm in downtown Portland, rather than cooperate, the basketball player quickly locked his car door and threw his keys inside, forcing police to wait for a locksmith.

There were other investigations, and the bureau's gang-enforcement team grew tired of dealing with Randolph, the Hoop Family and the hangers-on they attracted.

The basketball organization hired a private investigator in 2007, who returned with a three-inch file on his activities and the "Hoop Family." A couple of months later, Portland traded Randolph to the Knicks for what amounted to Channing Frye and a Steve Francis contract they later bought out. Basically, flushed him. Done.

But this city is still dealing with Z-Bo's "Hoop Family" remnants.

Mata is dead. Someone put lilies and carnations and a Virgin of Guadalupe candle on the sidewalk near where he was shot. Friends are holding a fundraiser for his three children and his ex-wife. But nobody will ever be able to make sense of his death. We should never forget that the responsibility to community safety belongs not just to police, but to all of us. That includes businesses like Trail Blazers Inc., who I'm hoping pay close attention to an incident like this one.

Ultimately, nobody can hold Randolph or a basketball organization accountable for Mata's murder. Our friends are a reflection of us, but nothing more. Ultimately, they own their actions. Moffett faces charges. But as he does, we also should be thankful that the Blazers are better citizens today.

When the Blazers traded Randolph, they also swapped philosophies. I think about that as I see Lamarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and their teammates battle in a league that is quick to wave off a bad actor as an "acceptable risk." As if the risk was only to winning basketball, nevermind the safety of a community.

At a time like this, with the team questioning where it goes from here, it's worth recognizing that the "Hoop Family" is still hanging around in Portland.

[GrizzledGrizzFan]

Sad, sad story. I hope Zach's still not running with this guy. So far, while in Memphis, he's been able to keep at arms length from his "former" cronies. The incident in Indiana has past, and while in Memphis, Zach's been a pillar of the community. In no way shape or form am I absolving Zach of his past or saying there's no way he's still involved with his Hoops Family. Since joining the Grizz Zach's claimed to have turned over a new leaf, claims to have distanced himself from his past running mates and committed himself to being an active member of the community.

Last winter he, on his own, had power restored to the homes of a dozen or so families that had been disconnected. He's bought large numbers of tickets and given them to Boys/Girls Club kids. He's often at St. Jude and the Grizzlies house. Likely, if there's a story on the local news about a Grizzlies community event, Zach's involved. Rudy's the NBA face of the Grizzlies, but Zach has been the face of the team locally since arriving.

Again, I'm not saying Zach's some kind of saint. I'm not saying that he's not only doing these things as a conscious attempt to rehab his image. However, in the season and a half he's been here, the only peep out of him is that he would like a long term deal - to stay here if at all possible. I can't speak for Zach prior to being in Memphis, and I'll wholly admit I wasn't on board with bringing him in, but there is no denying he's stepped it up in regards to his personal/professional life in Memphis.

Very sorry to hear about the Portland community's loss, seemed like a good man senselessly lost his life.

[jefe]

So three/four years ago Zbo allegedly knew someone who allegedly committed murder recently? Why did you come from the Blazers board post an entire article without providing a link on the Memphis board?

[GrizzledGrizzFan]

Here's a link that the OP failed to cite:

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregon ... _of_z.html

[jman3134]

I guess we are supposed to rethink having Randolph on our team because his entourage isn't safe?

[dark-child]

Like Jefe, I fail to see how this unfortunate incident is a Zach Randolph problem that necessitates the post on a Basketball website. To my knowledge Zach Randolph did not give birth to Kevin Moffett, he was not at the club on that night so he is not a witness. Even the author of the article should really move on as he is attempting to make the story bigger than it is by including Zach when Stevie Wonder can see he has nothing to do with what happened.

I think Blazer Nation has enough problems of there own rather than going around with this guilt by association tag. This is very low for a once very proud organization.