Blazers discipline Patterson for cursing at coach
We will not tolerate this type of behavior from any player. We will continue to demand a higher level of professionalism and personal responsibility from all of our players or we will continue to take appropriate action.
- John Nash, Portland TrailBlazers General Manager
One of the things that has progressively soured me on professional sports is the parade of spoiled, pampered prima donnas who clearly seem to live in an alternate reality in which the world revolves around them. Because of their surpassing talent and their world-class insecurities, these idiots (Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, et.al.) live in a place in which there certainly is no “I” in “TEAM”, but they would be the first to point out that “TEAM” can’t be spelled without “ME”. ME…ME…ME…ME…ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
For too long now, coaches and management of professional sports teams have allowed the inmates to run the asylum, with predictable results. No team has illustrated this truism more effectively than the Portland TrailBlazers. When I lived in Portland, the Blazer players were a collection of solid, team-oriented professionals, involved in the community, and fully cognizant of just how incredibly blessed they were. After I left Portland, however, management became more concerned with winning above all else…and yes, you can pretty much say that things went to Hell in a handbasket.
Before long, the TrailBlazers became known as the JailBlazers, and players were just as likely to found on a police blotter as in a box score. The list of spoiled, criminal, prima donnas is long and not so terribly distinguished. Yes, the Blazers had it all- sex offenders, pot heads, dog fighters, wife beaters…never mind the inability to put their own egos and narrow self-interest aside for the good of the team. No, it was all about touches and minutes and who the plays were being called for…and in the end the team imploded. Owner Paul Allen allowed ex-GM Bob Whitsitt to bring in thugs and spoiled children all the while paying them fabulous sums of money for precious little in return.
All Hail John Nash….
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Trail Blazers have placed forward Ruben Patterson on the inactive list after he cursed at coach Nate McMillan during Sunday’s loss to the New York Knicks over his lack of playing time.
Patterson will remain in Portland while the rest of the team is on a six-game road trip….
The Blazers lost to the Knicks 103-92, committing 23 turnovers, allowing 18 points off offensive rebounds and virtually not bothering to show up on defense against a New York team that was without several key players.
Patterson’s tirade over playing time came during the team’s huddle between the third and fourth quarters.
Jeez, whatever happened to acting like a professional? Instead of realizing that basketball, particulary at the NBA level, is a team game, Patterson has proven himself to be the sort of narrow-minded, immature, self-absorbed jackass (dare I say DUMB@$$??) that has been the hallmark of Blazer teams over the past few years. And it’s not as if Patterson has been a model citizen during his NBA career:
Patterson, who declared last year he had given up alcohol, has become known for off-court incidents.
In 2001, Patterson pleaded guilty in the state of Washington to an attempted rape charge for allegedly forcing his children’s 24-year-old nanny to perform a sex act. Patterson had to register as a sex offender in Oregon and was suspended for the first five games of the following season by the NBA.
In February 2001, he was convicted of misdemeanor assault for attacking a man who scratched his car outside a Cleveland night club.
In November 2002, he was arrested on felony domestic abuse charges. His wife, Shannon Patterson, later dropped the charges, but the couple divorced.
The ONLY way that Portland will regain credibility as a franchise and win its’ fans back will be for management to demonstrate that they will no longer tolerate criminals, thugs, miscreants, and immature, whiny prima donnas. Would yoy pay upwards of $50 a ticket to watch a collection spoiled children who ultimately care for little more than their own contract, playing time, and statistics.
Back in the 80s and early to mid-90s, TrailBlazer fans were some of the most devoted in the NBA. After all, the Blazers are the only game in town, and their 1977 NBA championship is still the stuff of legend in Portland. Blazer fans are a long-suffering, forgiving lot, but can you blame them for staying home in droves given the product they’ve been asked to pay for over the past few years?
As She Who Endures My Myriad Eccentricities pointed out, “How many of us would be able to keep OUR jobs if we acted like that?” Indeed…and that is EXACTLY why I’d like to buy John Nash a beer. By simply doing the right thing, he is going a long way towards demonstrating that the inmates will no longer run the asylum in Portland…and yes, it’s about damn time….
