TUALATIN, Ore. - Portland Trail Blazers president and general manager Steve Patterson abruptly resigned Thursday after owner Paul Allen refused to renew his contract.

Portland Trail Blazers President Steve Patterson speaks with reporters at Media Day at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore., in this Oct 2, 2006 file photo. Trail Blazers president and general manager Steve Patterson unexpectedly resigned Thursday March 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)

The move came with the Trail Blazers in next-to-last place at 24-34, a season after they had the worst record in the NBA.

Tod Leiweke, chief executive officer of the Seattle Seahawks, will take over while a full-time replacement is found. Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, also owns the Seahawks.

"I think we've had a lot of successes over the last three, four years, but maybe haven't gotten as far as we wanted to on lot of things," Patterson said. "Sometimes it's better for somebody to take the ball the last 10 yards than somebody's who's taken it the first 90 yards."

Patterson said his contract was to expire soon. He had been the team president since 2003 and became the GM after John Nash was fired last May.

"At the end of the day this is all going to be about Portland and the Blazers," Leiweke said. "We're going to find leadership that lives here, that gets out of bed every day thinking about how we're going to rebuild this franchise and turn it into a championship franchise."

The Blazers, fourth in the Northwest Division, have regrouped after going 21-61 last season. The improvement has been sparked by a flurry of draft-day trades and an infusion of young talent, including Brandon Roy.

Patterson took over a franchise that was burdened with a high payroll and a sullied reputation from a chain of player arrests and bad behavior. Fans turned away from the once-beloved team that had won the NBA championship in 1977.

He said he was proud of the Blazers' turnaround under his watch.

"Now we got a young exciting club of folks that represent the community well and want to live here as opposed to a number of the guys that didn't share this community's values and didn't represent it well," Patterson said.

Leiweke will remain in his role with the Seahawks.

"Putting the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks under a common management umbrella underscores my commitment to the future of both franchises," Allen said in a statement. "Tod has done great things for the Seahawks, and I fully expect similar results for the Trail Blazers."

Leiweke said the search for a new president and general manager would begin immediately.

Leiweke also will become the CEO of a newly formed management company, Vulcan Sports & Entertainment, which will oversee both the Trail Blazers and Seahawks organizations.

He will retain that position after the new management for the Blazers is in place.