Blazers' image tarnished by string of events

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A blunt billboard on a busy downtown street makes clear how at least one fan of the Portland Trail Blazers feels about the team.

"Boycott Blazers," the sign reads. "We need a team that can beat L.A., not women and the justice system."

It's one symbol of growing disenchantment with a team whose players can't seem to stay out of trouble away from the court.

Damon Stoudamire and Rasheed Wallace were cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Washington state. Police were called to forward Ruben Patterson's home after his wife called 911, accusing him of assault.

Those events followed a less-serious on-court embarrassment in San Antonio, when Bonzi Wells spit on Spurs forward Danny Ferry during a game.

Stoudamire still faces marijuana charges stemming from a search of his home in February. Patterson already was on probation after a 2001 plea agreement in Washington state on charges he tried to rape his children's nanny.

"The players seem to be prima donnas without any discipline at all," said fan Geoff Gillam, who put up the billboard outside his office with the blessing of his boss at Image Media. "They're role models, whether they want to be or not. They need to be professionals in their jobs."

Fans still coming

Despite bad publicity and a poor start -- the Blazers were 7-9 through Thursday, their worst 16-game start since 1986-87 -- attendance is still strong, although slightly down from this point last season. Attendance averaged 18,899 for the first nine games at the Rose Garden, which has a capacity of 19,980; last season the average to date was 19,259.

Ron Tonkin, a high-profile local auto dealer and suite holder at the Rose Garden, expressed his frustration over the current state of the Blazers in a letter to The Oregonian newspaper.

"I, for one, have had it. The Blazers are a disgrace," he wrote. "We have nearly 800 employees and now have to spend time to find enough people who want to see the game to fill our corporate box. I can't wait until the expiration of our contract, because unless something pretty drastic is done to clean up the team, we certainly will not renew."

The Blazers did take some action Thursday in Patterson's case, fining him $100,000.

Shannon Patterson called police to their home Nov. 25, and her husband was taken into custody and later released on bail posted by a teammate. Washington County prosecutors decided this week not to pursue felony charges against the reserve forward, citing a lack of evidence after Shannon Patterson said she didn't want the case to proceed.

In addition to the fine, the Blazers have asked that Patterson get counseling. If the NBA and the players' association agree, Patterson will be required to participate or face a fine of $10,000 a day until he complies. The players' association was looking at the matter and could appeal.

"We care about Ruben and his family and want to respect their privacy as they deal with these personal issues," Blazers general manager Bob Whitsitt said. "However, each of our players needs to understand that there is a standard of conduct that they are expected to maintain as members of our team and this community."

More convictions

In addition to the attempted rape case -- in which Patterson entered a modified guilty plea, not admitting guilt but acknowledging there was enough evidence to convict him, and served 15 days of house arrest -- Patterson also was convicted of misdemeanor assault in February 2001 for attacking a man who scratched his car outside a Cleveland nightclub.

As for Wallace and Stoudamire, both entered innocent pleas this week after they were cited for marijuana possession during a Nov. 22 traffic stop in Washington State.

They were returning from a Trail Blazers' game against the Seattle SuperSonics.

Misdemeanor possession is punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 and up to three months in jail. Lewis County prosecutor Jeremy Randolph said pretrial hearings probably will be set for January for both men.

Veteran guard Scottie Pippen doesn't like the team's on-court performance, as he showed after Wednesday night's 103-88 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The Blazers were heard whooping it up as they watched a tight game between Indiana and Seattle on TV.

Pippen came out of the showers to see what was going on. Without a word, he turned off the set, and the room fell silent.