“He turned into Incredible Hulk”: Rasheed Wallace narrates the notorious locker room fight between Ruben Patterson and Zach Randolph
Recently on Gilbert Arenas' "Gil's Arena" podcast, former Portland Trail Blazers forward Rasheed Wallace spoke about a locker room fight between Zach Randolph and Ruben Patterson that he helped instigate with Bonzi Wells. It started during a team practice, with everyone being competitive and talking trash to one another.
The locker room fight ended with Ruben Patterson getting the better of Zach Randolph by putting him in a disadvantageous situation and slamming Randolph on the floor. He was then out for two weeks with a back injury.
Things became even worse when Randolph returned to the team and got into another fight with Patterson. Zach Randolph decided to strike Patterson in the face as they got into another violent argument. Rasheed Wallace then discussed how difficult it was to keep the big man down when he was enraged by what Randolph had just done.
"I was never more scared in the NBA at this time," Wallace said. "And I've seen some s***, been through some s***, he turned into the Incredible Hulk. Ruben Patterson turned into the Incredible Hulk. It took like nine people to stop him from getting at Zach."
It was an ugly situation through and through, with both sides reaching their tipping point due to the previous fight. Wallace then went on to say that after hitting Ruben Patterson in the face, Zach Randolph went back to the locker room, acting as if nothing happened.
Rasheed Wallace advised Randolph to bolt out of the locker room, as he was not sure how long they could get Patterson back.
Rasheed Wallace connects Draymond Green's behavior to the 2004 Detroit Pistons
In another appearance on Gilbert Arenas' "Gil's Arena," Rasheed Wallace talked about Draymond Green's behavior and mentioned how it was influenced by the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
"That's out fault ... because he [Draymond Green] grew up in that [2004 Detroit Pistons] locker room," Wallace said. "One of his best friends was the son of the GM, so he was around us ... Practice, in the locker room, after games, before games, he heard the different language, and we all know it's a different language when the cameras are not there."
"That's why he doing the bully s*** he doing now," Wallace added. "He caught all that shit in our locker room."
According to Rasheed Wallace, Draymond Green had a friend who was the son of the team's general manager. Green would then become acquainted with how the team operated at team practice and even in the locker room, picking up some of their language and conduct.
The 2004 Detroit Pistons were known for their hard-nosed brand of basketball, similar to the 1989 Pistons, who were famously known as "The Bad Boys." There's no denying that the similarities can be seen in how Draymond Green presents himself on the court as one of the most competitive athletes while also being an imposing presence to opponents and even to his teammates.