since its a slow day... http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2003/0617/1569242.html Report: Texans senior VP jumps to Portland -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press HOUSTON _ The senior vice president of the Houston Texans is set to become the president of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, a Houston television station reported Tuesday. KRIV-TV reported that Steve Patterson, who most recently worked for the Texans but spent nine years with the Houston Rockets as the team's general manager and general counsel and built most of the pieces of the franchise's NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, was on his way to Portland on Tuesday for Wednesday's announcement. Patterson could not be reached for comment Tuesday. "I can't confirm that right now," Texans spokesman Tony Wyllie told The Associated Press Tuesday. "We will have a statement at the appropriate time." Reached at his Houston home by The Oregonian newspaper of Portland, Ore., Patterson would say only: "Where they are right now, if anyone is going to comment, it ought to be the Blazers." The newspaper also reached a spokesman for the Texans, who said: "To be honest, we don't really have any comment until everything is official. Our comment is we're not going to comment until an announcement is made." Patterson, a 1984 graduate of the University of Texas Law School, became one of Houston's most successful professional sports executives, moving from the NBA Rockets to the International Hockey League's Aeros to the NFL's Texans. During his tenure as the Rockets' general manager from 1989-93, Patterson drafted Alabama's Robert Horry, signed free agent Matt Bullard, and negotiated trades for Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Otis Thorpe and Carl Herrera. All were key parts of the Rockets' 1994 NBA championship team. ------------------------------------------------ Do you think Patterson will trade Rasheed Wallace to the Rox for Jason Collier?
I've always liked that guy...his father too. Our loss is Portlands gain. Good luck Steve. You're going to need it...
Steve Patterson has done it all: Main architecht of an NBA champion Helped build the Aeros into a minor league hockey champion Helped build the Houston Texans and now back to Bball. Good luck Steve. You are gonna need it in Portland.
Damn! In 2 or 3 years, Patterson will transform the Jail Blazers into model citizen title contenders! You won't be able to count on the Blazers beating themselves!
I never thought Patterson was that great. I don't know if it was his fault or Charlie Thomas' though. They turned the drafting over to Rudy when they got Horry. Before that the drafting was just awful. Rudy/CD get Horry, Cassell, and Elie. Patterson & Co. basically surrounded Hakeem with the bare minimum necessary to win a championship. Kenny Smith? Maxwell? Geez. The Thorpe trade was his best move, I guess. Was he even responsible for that? Or was that before him?
My memory might be failing, but wasn't it Steve who accused Hakeem of faking an injury in the early 90's?
Steve was areal humble and a great guy. Hopefully, he won't regret taking the job as apresedent of Jailblazers! Good luck Steve, because you needed it!
Patterson was a humble guy? I take it that you do not know him very well. Also he almost traded Olajuwon for Glen Rice and trash. Yes, quite the GM. All of his draft picks really did well do, especially Buck Johnson, Dave Jamison, Turner and other stiffs. The guy was not all that great.
