<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I think his will, his willpower is stronger than anything," Redd said. "He's determined to get the ball, he's determined to get to that spot, and he's determined in everything." Where there's a will . . . there's the 6-foot-5, 223-pound Patterson, never backing down despite giving up inches and pounds while playing the power forward position for the Milwaukee Bucks. The 31-year-old Patterson came to the Bucks as a bit of a question mark during the summer, after playing for both Portland and Denver last season. He was acquired as insurance at the small forward spot, in case something happened to starter Bobby Simmons. When Simmons went down immediately with a right heel injury in training camp, Patterson embraced the starting opportunity at small forward. Later, when 6-11 power forward Charlie Villanueva hurt his left elbow, Patterson moved to the 4 spot in a downsized Bucks lineup. Patterson's arrival in the Bucks' trade with Denver brought up questions about his off-court behavior, including a guilty plea to attempted sexual assault in 2001 in the state of Washington. And he had a quite public feud with Portland coach Nate McMillan over playing time last season, a spat that led to his move to the Nuggets in a four-team deal at the trade deadline in late February. But thus far Patterson has avoided any problems with the Bucks, while salvaging what might have been a dire situation in the frontcourt. "Everybody has made mistakes in life," Patterson said. "I'm 31 now. You can't ever look back, just look forward. God has blessed me with the opportunity to help this team win, and I'm glad to be here." Patterson admitted that he's motivated by another dollars-and-cents issue: This is the final year of a contract that pays him $7.8 million for the 2006-'07 season.</div> Source
For all of Ruben's negatives and off the court troubles, he's actually been our 2nd best player this year. He's THE only player who shows up on defense every single night, and he's scored more than I thought he would. If I were starting a team, would I want him? Nope, that hasn't changed. But he has been a helpful part of the team so far. I'll give him that.
Ruben is slowly but surely turning into my favorite player for the Bucks. He always hustles on both D and O..........he is having one of his best years with us.
