T
The420Guy
Guest
Oh, those wacky Portland Jail Blaz.. er, um Trail Blazers.
Armed with a new 25-point code of conduct that management insisted on to clean
up their image as drug-addled thugs who treated fans and each other with
disdain
bordering on disgust, the Blazers were supposed to be new, and nicer, this
year.
That lasted a week. Bonzi Wells was fined $10,000 by the team this week after
he: (a) threw a water bottle and a towel on the court after being taken out
of a
game; and (b) flipped the bird to a pair of abusive fans behind the bench who
were climbing all over him and Rasheed Wallace.
Wells, of course, tried to deny to the media that he ever gave the fans the
finger, but he did acknowledge the act when being fined by president Steve
Patterson.
"I would say having been there that the two guys were verbally abusive and
we're
going to have to do a better job in security at the building to keep that from
happening, but that doesn't excuse what Bonzi did," said Patterson. "So we
fined
him, he's accepted the fine, and we'll move on from here."
Wallace was also dragged in for a little chat with management because he'd been
refusing all media requests, against that new team policy. Now, whether anyone
really wants to write down or record any of Wallace's little gems is up for
debate ,but seems his talk with management worked. He did a post-game interview
with the team broadcasters. But with Wells and Wallace already acting up, and
the Blazers having drawn two of their smallest crowds ever this week, one
wonders when Portland will start blowing up the team.
And with them needing a perimeter shooter and the Raptors coveting Wallace for
years, how long 'til the Toronto-Portland rumours with Morris Peterson and
Antonio Davis front and centre, start cooking up again.
Armed with a new 25-point code of conduct that management insisted on to clean
up their image as drug-addled thugs who treated fans and each other with
disdain
bordering on disgust, the Blazers were supposed to be new, and nicer, this
year.
That lasted a week. Bonzi Wells was fined $10,000 by the team this week after
he: (a) threw a water bottle and a towel on the court after being taken out
of a
game; and (b) flipped the bird to a pair of abusive fans behind the bench who
were climbing all over him and Rasheed Wallace.
Wells, of course, tried to deny to the media that he ever gave the fans the
finger, but he did acknowledge the act when being fined by president Steve
Patterson.
"I would say having been there that the two guys were verbally abusive and
we're
going to have to do a better job in security at the building to keep that from
happening, but that doesn't excuse what Bonzi did," said Patterson. "So we
fined
him, he's accepted the fine, and we'll move on from here."
Wallace was also dragged in for a little chat with management because he'd been
refusing all media requests, against that new team policy. Now, whether anyone
really wants to write down or record any of Wallace's little gems is up for
debate ,but seems his talk with management worked. He did a post-game interview
with the team broadcasters. But with Wells and Wallace already acting up, and
the Blazers having drawn two of their smallest crowds ever this week, one
wonders when Portland will start blowing up the team.
And with them needing a perimeter shooter and the Raptors coveting Wallace for
years, how long 'til the Toronto-Portland rumours with Morris Peterson and
Antonio Davis front and centre, start cooking up again.
