Reggie Evans and Ruben Patterson have a pact: Patterson has vowed to back Evans tonight in his grudge match against Seattle, his old team, if Evans does the same when the Nuggets face Patterson’s former teammates in Portland on April 10.
“It’s a little friendly deal we’ve got with each other,” said Evans, who has averaged nine rebounds and 4.8 points as Denver has gone 9-4 with him.
The forward hardly regrets Feb. 23, the day he arrived with Patterson from the SuperSonics as part of a four-way trade. Once a central part of Seattle’s rotation, he dressed without playing 12 times in 25 games after interim coach Bob Hill replaced Bob Weiss.
“It was difficult because I didn’t know what the reason was, why I’m on the bench,” Evans said. “Give me a reason why I’m on the bench. Then I’d have an opportunity to play and I’d play a good game. Then I’d be back on the bench. That was just the most frustrating part. Let me know what’s up. Then if you let me know, I can work on that and help my team.”
Evans said he has nothing to say to Hill, who reasoned at the time that Sonics big men Johan Petro and Robert Swift needed more time to develop.
Evans said that was nonsense “because them young guys play the five. I play the four. Do the math on that.”
With Seattle’s frontcourt thin with forwards Danny Fortson (left knee) and Nick Collison (left foot) out, Evans has plenty of room to state his worth tonight.
