NEW YORK -- In the judgment of billionaire Paul Allen, the last year of Steve Patterson's contract as the Blazers president/alternate governor/GM did not merit being exercised. This further confirms why I'll never be in position to make such weighty NBA decisions.

Clearly, I can't fathom what signifies success and who deserves a gold star on the forehead.

When Patterson arrived in Portland several seasons ago to disinfect Bob Whitsitt's toxic waste, the team was known nationwide as the Jail Blazers; its zealous fans and house organ (The Oregonian) had venomously turned on the town's only leading men; the company had lost $130 million and the team had paid $45 million in luxury tax for '02-'03; unemployment was at an all-time high 8 percent in the area; Allen's privately funded Rose Garden was $15 million -$20 million behind publicly financed arenas of relatively the same size (Memphis, for instance) the moment it opened for business each campaign; and there was $11 million in busted stuff inside that needed to be repaired.