NBA Draft: 5 best picks of lottery era at No. 31
By Phil Watson
3. Ruben Patterson, 1998, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired a 1998 second-round pick from the moribund Vancouver Grizzlies in July 1996, sending George Lynch, Anthony Peeler and a couple of second-rounders to Western Canada to get 1998 and 1999 second-round selections in a salary cap relief move.
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Ruben Patterson didn’t play much in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season after signing with the Lakers, who didn’t tender a qualifying offer after Patterson’s one-year deal expired.
He spent two years with the Seattle SuperSonics, one as a starter and one as a top-flight reserve, before signing with the Portland Trail Blazers in the summer of 2001.
He had his longest stint with Portland, playing 4½ seasons, but he was also plagued by off-the-court problems, most notably an attempted rape charge for which he pleaded guilty to in 2001, landing him as a registered sex offender.
There was also the time he was punched by teammate Zach Randolph shortly after another Portland player, Qyntel Woods, had been arrested on drug charges.
And, of course, we can’t forget the time he was suspended by the Blazers in 2005 after cursing at coach Nate McMillan during a game.
His two best seasons weren’t as a Trail Blazers, but rather his second year in Seattle and his lone season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2006-07, his penultimate NBA season.
With the Bucks, he averaged 14.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.0 minutes per game as a part-time starter.
He played 10 years in all, averaging 10.7 points over 649 NBA games, also spending time with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers and had a short stint with a club in Lebanon in 2009.