# Denver's reaction to Boo



## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

In case you haven't already seen it

http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?...MPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

Denver is excoriating Kiki and the Nugs for bringing in a rapist. Calvin Natt was on 950 AM here in the Mile High and was asking everyone to give him a chance. It seems his background was unknown before the trade and given what's happened with Melo and the drug DVD and Martin and him sending a member of his posse into the stands, people are afraid they're going to be the new JailBlazers.

Damn, schadenfreude feels good! Now, he's someone else's problem.


----------



## ProudBFan (Apr 29, 2003)

I don't think Ruben's gonna cause any problems in Denver off the court (other than the occasional rant to the media).

PBF


----------



## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

I don't think Ruben will complain as much about playing time - how could anyone demand more playing time behind 'Melo? Then again, this is Ruben we're talking about.

He'll be a good soldier for awhile.


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

ProudBFan said:


> I don't think Ruben's gonna cause any problems in Denver off the court (other than the occasional rant to the media).
> 
> PBF


all they gotta do is worry about the team not living up to rubens expectations and him not getting minutes and ranting then.

I'm not sure if Ruben will go Derek Anderson on the Nuggets, but anythings possible with Captain Smeg for Brains.


----------



## RedHot&Rolling (Jun 26, 2004)

Well, well, well. Isn't this a nice turn about.

The Nuggets are poised to become the new "jail-rocks" of the league. Bad boys, Martin, Patterson, Najera, and Evans, with Melo - become the Blazers ala Mid-West!!

Remember we're choir-boy clean now.


----------



## gatorpops (Dec 17, 2004)

RedHot&Rolling said:


> Well, well, well. Isn't this a nice turn about.
> 
> The Nuggets are poised to become the new "jail-rocks" of the league. Bad boys, Martin, Patterson, Najera, and Evans, with Melo - become the Blazers ala Mid-West!!
> 
> Remember we're choir-boy clean now.


I loved *our * "Choir Boy" last night! 24 pts and 8 rebounds. Nice kid, Martell.

gatorpops


----------



## ryanjend22 (Jan 23, 2004)

wastro said:


> I don't think Ruben will complain as much about playing time - how could anyone demand more playing time behind 'Melo? Then again, this is Ruben we're talking about.
> 
> He'll be a good soldier for awhile.


I personally think hes going to be happy in Denver.

He *****ed about PT in Portland because he TRULY felt he could win us some games, and I agreed with him when he did complain alot of the time.

In Denver, he will realize he's a role player and he will be alot more content. IMO anyway.


but yeah, the city has a right to be concerned. They dont know him. All they see is "RAPIST".


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

I bet the first time he loses playing time to Eduardo Najara he will go ape, but fortunately for them, most of the guys in Denver are well capable of putting Ruben in his place.


----------



## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

Poor Ruben, demanding a trade, then when he finally gets it, he's welcomed with boos and will get less playing time than he did in Portland.

The Denver fans will forgive him though when they see what a fireplug of a player he is.


----------



## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

Denver's reaction to Boo- I'm sure there will be some mixed reaction to Rube there, but I don't think an article blandly recapping the questions around him constitutes the fanbases reactions... especially since he hasn't even played for them yet.



wastro said:


> I don't think Ruben will complain as much about playing time - how could anyone demand more playing time behind 'Melo? Then again, this is Ruben we're talking about.
> 
> He'll be a good soldier for awhile.


I think Rube will probably be starting and getting 25+ minutes a game there easy. I'm guessing a majority of his minutes will be combining at the 2/3 with Carmelo, not backing him up. Who has he got to beat out for those minutes? Julius Hodge? Boykins? I see him guarding the tougher wing on D, and playing his scrappy hustle game in the paint on O. He may also see significant time taking Kenyon's minutes when his troublesome knee acts up as it's been doing of late. 

I doubt we'll be hearing of him complaining as Denver seems a much better situation for his talents and of course they're heading to the playoffs playing winning ball. I like the move from Portland's perspective for the same reasons repeatedly stated by others, but opposed to some here I expect and hope RP does well.

STOMP


----------



## ColoradoBlazerFan (Feb 16, 2006)

Front page of this mornings Rocky Mountain News..."Advocacy group protests newest Nugget, Patterson to reister as a sex offender." Continued on page 24A..."Nuggets blasted over trade." The article goes on to explain his history in Seattle. The last paragraph and sentence of the article is funny. "Patterson majored in criminal justice in Cincinnati, according to the NBA's web site."

What's odd is most of the AM radio guys were pumped initially.


----------



## BlazerFanFoLife (Jul 17, 2003)

People see the word sex offender and think hes a bad guy right away, he wasnt convicted he entered a bargain, for whatever reason. Maybe it was a good deal? A way of saying sorry for cheating to his wife? He couldn't risk the chance of the judge ruling against him. I think Ruben will be happy in a city where he can win, your AM guys were right to be pumped, Portland right now with our influx of young players isn't/wasn't the place for Ruben. People filing petitions and the such probably dont even know what happend or why he is a regestered offended just that he is.


----------



## chromekilla (Aug 21, 2005)

I hope ruben causes them to get some type of bad reference.I hope they are the new jail blazers.


----------



## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

Zidane said:


> I hope ruben causes them to get some type of bad reference.I hope they are the new jail blazers.


Why anyone would hope that another person or team would be league scapegoats like the Blazers were is something I don't understand. Anyways, since Nuggets and Jail don't rhyme, I doubt you'll get your wish.

STOMP


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

STOMP said:


> Why anyone would hope that another person or team would be league scapegoats like the Blazers were is something I don't understand. Anyways, since Nuggets and Jail don't rhyme, I doubt you'll get your wish.
> 
> STOMP


danny fortson and nuggets do rhyme tho.


----------



## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

darn i want the jail - flakers


----------



## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

What puzzles me is this idea that no one knew of his background before the trade. It's a matter of public record and his mishaps have been amply reported in the NBA. Seems like it's pretty odd that Kiki Vandewegh would not know.


----------



## soonerterp (Nov 13, 2005)

Is it possible that maybe with this fresh start in Denver this might afford him the opportunity to seek redemption (not that he'll get it, just depends I guess).

I can't help but be offended by the way (some accounts have it) that he was joyous in the Blazers' locker room following the loss to Charlotte while his soon-to-be former teammates were sullen and ticked off. Now that's just another thing that makes Ruben a [insert euphemism for male anatomical part here] aside from his past legal issues. For the most part I had thought he was trying to live up to that letter he had to sign after his New York outburst earlier this season.

As a more or less dispassionate outsider's opinion, Portland may be better off without him.



RedHot&Rolling said:


> ... The Nuggets are poised to become the new "jail-rocks" of the league. Bad boys, Martin, Patterson, Najera, and Evans, with Melo - become the Blazers ala Mid-West!!


Maybe I'm not following you, but I've always been of the impression that Ed Najera was anything but a "bad boy."


----------



## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

crandc said:


> Seems like it's pretty odd that Kiki Vandewegh would not know.


Did he claim that he didn't?

It seems pretty obvious that everyone that follows basketball knows that Ruben's had problems with the law. It just looks like Kiki looked at the situation and decided it was best for the team to get him, and some people don't agree with it. I don't know if GM ignorance comes into play here.

Ed O.


----------



## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

soonerterp said:


> I can't help but be offended by the way (some accounts have it) that he was joyous in the Blazers' locker room following the loss to Charlotte while his soon-to-be former teammates were sullen and ticked off.


I don't see what's so terrible about that. He's supposed to overlook the fact that he'd been traded? He's supposed to pretend that the disappointment of the loss is larger than the joy getting the trade he'd been asking for for two years? Ruben's not the kind of guy that can pull that sort of acting job off. You'd need a phony like DA for that.

barfo


----------



## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

I guess Kobe can always lend him a chair down there in Colorado..


----------



## soonerterp (Nov 13, 2005)

barfo said:


> I don't see what's so terrible about that. He's supposed to overlook the fact that he'd been traded? He's supposed to pretend that the disappointment of the loss is larger than the joy getting the trade he'd been asking for for two years? Ruben's not the kind of guy that can pull that sort of acting job off. You'd need a phony like DA for that.



True ... I had kind of forgotten about the fact that he KNEW he was going to be traded.

But it still didn't seem to be very considerate. It came off to me like he was taunting the other guys who are left behind.


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

soonerterp said:


> True ... I had kind of forgotten about the fact that he KNEW he was going to be traded.
> 
> But it still didn't seem to be very considerate. It came off to me like he was taunting the other guys who are left behind.


thats ruben being ruben. think the guys expected any different from the man who was convinced he deserved starters minutes ahead of the "younger players" who were playing?

This is the same man who basically said that this team would suck without him, and that he was the only one holding it afloat.

I bet most of the players were glad his dumb *** was gone, as I bet most fans will be in the long run too.


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

barfo said:


> I don't see what's so terrible about that. He's supposed to overlook the fact that he'd been traded? He's supposed to pretend that the disappointment of the loss is larger than the joy getting the trade he'd been asking for for two years? Ruben's not the kind of guy that can pull that sort of acting job off. You'd need a phony like DA for that.
> 
> barfo



Or a professional. Or an adult.


----------



## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

It's one thing if Kiki didn't know. It's another if Kiki knew and kept it to himself. But of course, in his shoes - what's he going to do? Tell the Nuggets' fan base "oh, we might want to trade some deadweight benchwarmer for one of the league's best defenders, who - by the way - had to enter a 'no contest' plea in a sex abuse charge in Washington...?" Kiki had to make a judgment call. If he didn't know, he didn't do his homework. If he did know, he's banking on the forgiving nature of the Nuggets' fans. I bet in time, they'll accept Ruben. While I don't condone whatever it was he did by any stretch, it does seem that he's matured since then.


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Public Defender said:


> It's one thing if Kiki didn't know. It's another if Kiki knew and kept it to himself. But of course, in his shoes - what's he going to do? Tell the Nuggets' fan base "oh, we might want to trade some deadweight benchwarmer *for one of the league's best defenders*, who - by the way - had to enter a 'no contest' plea in a sex abuse charge in Washington...?" Kiki had to make a judgment call. If he didn't know, he didn't do his homework. If he did know, he's banking on the forgiving nature of the Nuggets' fans. I bet in time, they'll accept Ruben. While I don't condone whatever it was he did by any stretch, it does seem that he's matured since then.



Why would Kiki flat out lie to his fan-base like that?


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Public Defender said:


> It's one thing if Kiki didn't know. It's another if Kiki knew and kept it to himself. But of course, in his shoes - what's he going to do? Tell the Nuggets' fan base "oh, we might want to trade some deadweight benchwarmer for one of the league's best defenders, who - by the way - had to enter a 'no contest' plea in a sex abuse charge in Washington...?" Kiki had to make a judgment call. If he didn't know, he didn't do his homework. If he did know, he's banking on the forgiving nature of the Nuggets' fans. I bet in time, they'll accept Ruben. While I don't condone whatever it was he did by any stretch, it does seem that he's matured since then.


He knew.

A quote from Kiki about the outrage over Patterson:

“I’ve never been one to deny somebody another chance. We did a lot of research, because that particular question is very important to us,” general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. “We came to an understanding of what had happened in the past, that Ruben had certainly put it behind him. He had nothing going on for a number of years. We dug down and got into the facts of what happened. Different things that come out are misunderstood. It was a definite concern, but we’re not going to deny somebody a chance at a new beginning.”


----------



## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Fork said:


> Or a professional. Or an adult.


He signed with Portland because the team was competitive, and he saw Nash pull whatever chances they had to win down. He heard Nash claim that he was nothing more than a bench player. He knew that he was going to make more money if he got traded.

He got traded to a division leader.

Any normal person would be ecstatic at the turn of events. Whether one would be bubbling over with enthusiasm or not probably depends on one's personality.

Ruben played hard for the Blazers and he deserves to be happy. I don't begrudge him showing the same level of happiness after learning since he showed so much emotion at all the losses.

Ed O.


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Ed O said:


> He signed with Portland because the team was competitive, and he saw Nash pull whatever chances they had to win down. He heard Nash claim that he was nothing more than a bench player. He knew that he was going to make more money if he got traded.
> 
> He got traded to a division leader.
> 
> ...


Your statement should have ended after 'He signed with Portland.'

The man signed a contract. He should have been more of a professional and not complained and he most definitely shouldn't have reacted with such glee in the lockerroom after the game when he knew he was getting traded. If he wasnt to be happy NOW, as a Denver Nugget...right on. Good luck Rube. But when he was still wearing a Blazers' uniform, not acceptable.


----------



## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Fork said:


> Your statement should have ended after 'He signed with Portland.'


Why? Since when have players acted like robots after signing on the dotted line?



> The man signed a contract. He should have been more of a professional and not complained and he most definitely shouldn't have reacted with such glee in the lockerroom after the game when he knew he was getting traded. If he wasnt to be happy NOW, as a Denver Nugget...right on. Good luck Rube. But when he was still wearing a Blazers' uniform, not acceptable.


Well, the Blazers had a contract to remain competitive, didn't they? Or was it just a plan, or a pledge, or whatever?

Patterson has always been an emotional guy, and the Blazers knew it when they signed him. For them--or any fans that have paid attention--to expect him to change his ways from emotional to apathetic just because they changed their ways from seeking to win to seeking to rebuild would make no sense.

Whether he was "wearing a Blazers uniform" or not is really splitting hairs. He knew he was being traded. He still hasn't worn a Denver uniform... does he need to wait until he puts on a Denver uni, or can he be happy when he passes a physical? Or did he have to wait until all the players in the deal pass THEIR physical before he could be happy?

The Blazers' loss was insignificant to the franchise and to the team, given all the other losses. To a man that had just learned he'd been traded out of this mess, how can he possibly have any significant dejected feelings about it?

Ed O.


----------



## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

Fork said:


> Your statement should have ended after 'He signed with Portland.'
> 
> The man signed a contract. He should have been more of a professional and not complained and he most definitely shouldn't have reacted with such glee in the lockerroom after the game when he knew he was getting traded. If he wasnt to be happy NOW, as a Denver Nugget...right on. Good luck Rube. But when he was still wearing a Blazers' uniform, not acceptable.


Signing a contract has never entailed signing away your rights to make your feelings known. I don't see why he has to remove his uniform and leave the building before he can be legitimately and visibly happy.

If a team knew a player was being unwillingly traded but have just come off the floor of a huge win, does professionalism demand that they not celebrate the win? If so, I don't think that's a realistic standard of professionalism. If not, I think that's inconsistent, that the player "owes" the team behaviour that the team does not "owe" the player.


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Minstrel said:


> Signing a contract has never entailed signing away your rights to make your feelings known. I don't see why he has to remove his uniform and leave the building before he can be legitimately and visibly happy.
> 
> If a team knew a player was being unwillingly traded but have just come off the floor of a huge win, does professionalism demand that they not celebrate the win? If so, I don't think that's a realistic standard of professionalism. If not, I think that's inconsistent, that the player "owes" the team behaviour that the team does not "owe" the player.


He hadn't been traded yet. That's the bottom line...he hadn't actually been traded. That's why what he did was unacceptable. That trade could have just as easily broken down. 

As for your scenario...if a guy is involuntarily traded, I doubt he would even WANT to celebrate with the former team. I know I wouldn't. I bet 99% of people would agree. Although, none of that would matter, because if the guy actually HAD been traded, they'd pull him from the floor and send him packing before the game was over.


----------



## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

soonerterp said:


> I can't help but be offended by the way (some accounts have it) that he was joyous in the Blazers' locker room following the loss to Charlotte while his soon-to-be former teammates were sullen and ticked off.


More likely the emotion they were feeling was jealousy.


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Ed O said:


> Whether he was "wearing a Blazers uniform" or not is really splitting hairs. He knew he was being traded. He still hasn't worn a Denver uniform... does he need to wait until he puts on a Denver uni, or can he be happy when he passes a physical? Or did he have to wait until all the players in the deal pass THEIR physical before he could be happy?
> 
> The Blazers' loss was insignificant to the franchise and to the team, given all the other losses. To a man that had just learned he'd been traded out of this mess, how can he possibly have any significant dejected feelings about it?
> 
> Ed O.


Nice straw man arguments. 

Should he wait until the physicals are passed? Obviously not. Should he wait until he gets put into the game as a Nugget? Obviously not. I never suggested any such thing.

I think he could have waited until he was out of the lockerroom. I don't think that's too much to ask, especially since the deal wasn't even announced and easily could have fallen apart. 

I wasn't expecting 'dejected feelings.' Just not the pure, unprofessional, joy he showed in the lockerroom. And honestly, I don't care what he did. I don't care if he's happy or not. I'm stoked he's gone. And he acted unprofessionally. Not that big a deal...but it's a fact.


----------



## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Fork said:


> Nice straw man arguments.
> 
> Should he wait until the physicals are passed? Obviously not. Should he wait until he gets put into the game as a Nugget? Obviously not. I never suggested any such thing.
> 
> I think he could have waited until he was out of the lockerroom.


Wait... out of the lockerroom, or out of a Blazers uniform?

If you're going to criticize a man for acting a way, and then demand such an exact time when he can emote about it, it seems like you could be consistent. If you meant LITERALLY wearing a uniform, then that's one thing, if you meant FIGURATIVELY wearing a uniform, then my questions about physicals are nothing like straw men... they seek to determine when you, arbitrarily, think that it was "safe" for Ruben to express his joy.



> I wasn't expecting 'dejected feelings.' Just not the pure, unprofessional, joy he showed in the lockerroom. And honestly, I don't care what he did. I don't care if he's happy or not. I'm stoked he's gone. And he acted unprofessionally. Not that big a deal...but it's a fact.


Is crying after a loss "unprofessional"?

Is cursing at a ref after a bad call "unprofessional"? 

I'm just wondering, because clearly in many professions crying or cursing WOULD be unprofessional, but they're part and parcel of the NBA game (at least when players really care about things). Similarly, while I wouldn't expect a coworker to dance around when she's about to change employers, I'm also not in a field where my movement is restricted.

Ed O.


----------



## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

Fork said:


> He hadn't been traded yet. That's the bottom line...he hadn't actually been traded. That's why what he did was unacceptable. That trade could have just as easily broken down.


That's a technicality. Emotion doesn't work based on official status, it works on information. Patterson had the information that he had been traded; that's when he became happy. A lottery winner doesn't become thrilled only after all the paperwork is finished, they become thrilled when they first learn they won the lottery.



> As for your scenario...if a guy is involuntarily traded, I doubt he would even WANT to celebrate with the former team. I know I wouldn't. I bet 99% of people would agree.


No, I asked if his _teammates_ should not celebrate their huge win, in my scenario. To show the same respect and professionalism to him that you would expect him to show his teammates if he were happy to be traded and they had just lost badly.


----------



## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

seriously??? this is another one of those 'worthless threads of the week' things...


----------



## Redbeard (Sep 11, 2005)

This all seems ridiculous to me.

Who cares if Ruben was elated after learning he was being dealt, even if he didn't know where. He came out and played hard and had a good game, unfortunately they barely lost it. I can't fault him for not being down. I wouldn't be. After loosing so many games this seasons, the Blazers should be almost immune to that feeling.

Also, if I was a young SF on this team, I would probably be happy for him to move on. I think everyone knew he wanted to leave and it was only a matter of time. I would have been glad that he came and played in that last game, let alone score 25 pts.

As for the Denver reaction; it seems a little ironic the the state that was trying to convict Kobe of rape ends up trading for the only guy in the league that is a registered offender. I can understand there concern, but I think it is excessive. The whole reason to register ofenders is so the public can know that if it happens again it will mean serious consiquences. Had he had multiple incidents, he probably wouldn't be in the league anymore. You have to give people a second chance, especially when they may be the link to winning a championship.


----------



## wizmentor (Nov 10, 2005)

Highly non-radical predictions:

Denver fans get upset about RPs "past"
Denver fans learn more about it, and are won over his hustle plays
Denver fans estatic as team makes playoffs and wins a playoff games
RP opens his mouth, opposing teams posts his comments
Nugs lose playoff series.

I like RP. I was happy when we originally signed him.
He's a great player to have on a playoff team - if
only he could keep his mouth shut!


----------



## sa1177 (Feb 18, 2005)

Yega1979 said:


> Poor Ruben, demanding a trade, then when he finally gets it, he's welcomed with boos and will get less playing time than he did in Portland.
> 
> The Denver fans will forgive him though when they see what a fireplug of a player he is.


Or they will hate him when he eventually opens his big mouth...Ruben is just to dumb to shut up.


----------

