Zach Randolph was in the Los Angeles Clippers' locker room Tuesday night. He just wasn't in a Clippers' uniform, as the trade between Los Angeles and the New York Knicks was held up by what a source said were concerns about Cuttino Mobley's heart.
Mobley and Tim Thomas were sent to New York in exchange for Randolph and Mardy Collins on Friday in a deal that gives the Clippers a low post presence in Randolph and gives the Knicks more cap space for the 2010 free-agent market.
The source said Mobley would see a heart specialist on Tuesday. Normally players have 48 hours to report to their new teams and take a physical examination, followed by another 24 hours for all the test results to come in. Because this trade was completed after business hours on Friday, the teams agreed to an additional 24-hour period, which ends at 6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Source: ESPN.com
As an opponent of this trade, I would love to see Randolph come back to New York. But at this point, will he want to come back? Will he play 100%? Will he feel welcomed and wanted on a team that just traded him?
Knowing Zach's personality and history of spats with management in Portland, it would not be a good idea to bring him back, at this point.
Imagine having to work in an enviornment where you know for a fact that the organization tried to get rid of you. Or in a place where there is an extremely good possibility that you will uprooted and sent elsewhere. Those thoughts would be in the back of Zach's head if he returned to the Knicks.
Hopefully Mobley's heart is fine so everyone can just move on.
UPDATE: From what I've heard/read so far today, there is a very small chance that this trade will not go through. According to Newsday's Alan Hahn, "Donnie Walsh can simply waive the physical to complete the trade". He would most likely do that in order to avoid any uncomfortable situations and to stay in position to be under the cap in 2010.
-Max Caster
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