RIDER WANTS POT CONVICTION TOSSED

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A state appeals court on Tuesday was urged to throw out
Portland Trail Blazers guard Isaiah Rider's conviction for possessing a
small amount of marijuana.

The talented but troubled Blazers star was cited in October 1996 after a
sheriff's deputy spotted him in the back seat of a car in Lake Oswego,
allegedly getting ready to smoke marijuana from a crude pipe made from a
soda pop can.

Rider, who denied the marijuana was his, was not present for the arguments
before the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is not a crime in Oregon.
Still, Rider's lawyer, Robert Weaver of Portland, said the conviction and
$500 fine should be tossed out because the deputy who testified against
Rider was ``confused'' about what he saw.

``Mr. Rider didn't do what the officer said he did. It's important to him
to clear his name,'' said Weaver, who also defended ice skater Tonya
Harding after the plot to injure rival skater Nancy Kerrigan.

Douglas Zier, an assistant attorney general who argued the state's case,
said there was no doubt that marijuana was found in the car.

Furthermore, Zier said, the deputy ``saw the defendant holding the Coke can
about two inches from his mouth'' as he was preparing to light it.

The appeals court didn't indicate when it would rule on Rider's marijuana
conviction, one of several brushes with the law the Blazers guard has had
over the years.

Last season the NBA suspended Rider for five games - two following his
marijuana conviction and for possessing unregistered cellular phones in
California, and three for spitting at a fan in Detroit.

In two seasons with the Blazers, Rider also has been repeatedly benched for
missing team meetings, shootarounds and flights.

In February, Rider was suspended for a game by Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy
after Rider walked out during the fourth quarter of a win over the Lakers.
The next day, he launched into a lengthy tirade to reporters, alleging
racism by Portland fans and by some members of the Trail Blazers
organization.

Rider's marijuana possession citation came after two Clackamas County
sheriff's deputies saw two cars stop in a dark spot and turn off their
lights along Oregon 43 in Lake Oswego.

The deputies, who were walking back to their cars after checking out
another call, approached the two cars, expecting to find young people
drinking or using drugs.

That's when one of the deputies peered into one of the cars and saw Rider
allegedly preparing to smoke the marijuana. The other four people in the
cars were not cited or searched, and no other drugs were seized.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)