Ruben

Patterson

“Ruben has been so good. So good,” Cheeks said. “If he isn’t the best player we have had, he is close to it. Maybe his statistics don’t show it in terms of getting 22 points and 15 rebounds, but he has just been like a man possessed.” Patterson has made a big turnaround in his personal life since going through a divorce and conquering his drinking, and he’s out to prove the Portland brass wrong. He believes Cheeks has a mandate from GM John Nash not to use Patterson too much. Nash stated before the season that he wants Shareef Abdur-Rahim to pad his stats at small forward to make him valuable in a midseason trade, and wants Darius Miles to get the remainder of the minutes. Patterson shouldn’t have much value, but this is something to watch.

Patterson is the embodiment of hard work and effort that Cheeks has been preaching to his team. Last night, he again was in the middle of the game’s most exciting moments, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals.

Patterson is questionable for tonight’s game.

Patterson skipped Tuesday morning’s practice because of his illness, but he was on time for the team’s afternoon flight to Dallas and should be in uniform for tonight’s game.

The Pistons want some help at small forward, but Patterson doesn’t appear to be someone they desire.

The Bucks were stressing about not having a backup small forward for Bobby Simmons, so this gives them a defensive standout who can score to spell Simmons off the bench. They could also afford to give up some size here after acquiring Charlie Villanueva from the Raptors. He’ll still be a backup off the bench like he would have been in Denver, but has a little fantasy value in Roto leagues based on his defensive skills.

It took the Trail Blazers way too long to diagnose this injury. Patterson is expected to sit out at least three games and could go on the injured list.

Patterson did not score.

Patterson could help a lot of teams as a bench player, but as the Blazers’ third small forward, he doesn’t figure to play much.