# Trail Blazers Host Pryzbilla Signing Celebration



## GoTrailBlazers (Sep 22, 2005)

Check this out! I just heard about this!!!!

The Trail Blazers are going to be holding a public celebration on Monday morning to honor Joel's decision to return to Portland. The celebration will be at 10:45a alongside the Willamette River on the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade at the Salmon Street entrance. Joel and his wife Noelle will be the guests of honor and the blazers are going to then offically announce his decision to sign the five-year contract.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

GoTrailBlazers said:


> Check this out! I just heard about this!!!!
> 
> The Trail Blazers are going to be holding a public celebration on Monday morning to honor Joel's decision to return to Portland. The celebration will be at 10:45a alongside the Willamette River on the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade at the Salmon Street entrance. Joel and his wife Noelle will be the guests of honor and the blazers are going to then offically announce his decision to sign the five-year contract.


 Well he says he came back because he loves the city and the fans. Some of us spend a lot of time on this board and most of us appreciate players that show some dedication to the organization. Channel that enegry into something taht shows in the community. 

I'm putting a plug in that anyone who has time or can make time, let's show him he made the right decision. Not just attend but be vocal and get others (like significant others) out there with you.

Let's make a difference!


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## Pain5155 (May 28, 2006)

WOW!!! This is the first time ive heard of a guy getting a celebration for resigning when he averages more rebounds then points.


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## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

Pain5155 said:


> WOW!!! This is the first time ive heard of a guy getting a celebration for resigning when he averages more rebounds then points.


Chicago's not having one for Big Ben?


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

Pain5155 said:


> WOW!!! This is the first time ive heard of a guy getting a celebration for resigning when he averages more rebounds then points.


 Yea, Blazer fans can be fanatic around these parts . . . it's fun, you guys should try it up there some time.


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## GoTrailBlazers (Sep 22, 2005)

Yeah. I'd like to support Joel, especially since he has made it a point to verbally state numberous times how much he likes and enjoys our city. He enjoys the community and I appeciate that.


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## Captain Chaos (Dec 1, 2004)

What a class act by the Blazer organization...a very nice touch. I wonder if a nice story will make the Oregonian? I doubt it.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Captain Chaos said:


> What a class act by the Blazer organization...a very nice touch. I wonder if a nice story will make the Oregonian? I doubt it.


It absolutely will. The headline will be: "Cheap Blazers force Przybilla to sign contract near train tracks and I-5"


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## marcola-native (May 15, 2006)

I would go in a second if I didn't live on the east coast!!

I hope the turn out is great he deserves it! :clap:


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> Well he says he came back because he loves the city and the fans. Some of us spend a lot of time on this board and most of us appreciate players that show some dedication to the organization. Channel that enegry into something taht shows in the community.
> 
> I'm putting a plug in that anyone who has time or can make time, let's show him he made the right decision. Not just attend but be vocal and get others (like significant others) out there with you.
> 
> Let's make a difference!



He actually said he came back because Chicago signed Wallace. he also said that he's very glad he didn't have to make a choice between Portland and Chicago. 



You betcha, what a hero


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

This is one of those times where both sides win. Joel gets to wrap himself in the loyalty flag, knowing full well he stayed for the money. Of course if Chicago offered him even the same deal, he'd be signing his contract in the middle of Grant Park right now. But let's all pretend that Joel is a great guy for turning down Detroit and SA--denial is more than just a river in Egypt.

I, for one, look forward to him laying down the law on the team. He may not be the highest-paid Blazer, but he shares the longest contract with Zach. I expect Joel to be more assertive and take ownership of this team. Zach's a follower and will hopefully fall in line.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

maxiep said:


> This is one of those times where both sides win. Joel gets to wrap himself in the loyalty flag, knowing full well he stayed for the money. Of course if Chicago offered him even the same deal, he'd be signing his contract in the middle of Grant Park right now. But let's all pretend that Joel is a great guy for turning down Detroit and SA--denial is more than just a river in Egypt.
> 
> I, for one, look forward to him laying down the law on the team. He may not be the highest-paid Blazer, but he shares the longest contract with Zach. I expect Joel to be more assertive and take ownership of this team. Zach's a follower and will hopefully fall in line.



Let's hope you're right maxie.


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## Foulzilla (Jan 11, 2005)

I still don't understand why people seem to look down on the fact that players tend to go where they are offered money. _Most_ people will have no trouble taking a new job primarily because it pays more (of course, there are usually many other factors that go into the decision, but I don't think it's resonable to expect the money to not be a factor). Why should we hold NBA players to a higher standard.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Foulzilla said:


> I still don't understand why people seem to look down on the fact that players tend to go where they are offered money.


Yeah you do.


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## Foulzilla (Jan 11, 2005)

Samuel said:


> Yeah you do.


I'm really confused by this. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Foulzilla said:


> I still don't understand why people seem to look down on the fact that players tend to go where they are offered money. _Most_ people will have no trouble taking a new job primarily because it pays more (of course, there are usually many other factors that go into the decision, but I don't think it's resonable to expect the money to not be a factor). Why should we hold NBA players to a higher standard.


Hey, I'm a merchant banker. I'm all about the utils. I have posted for the past year that Joel was gone. I fully expected him to take the most money and run. I love that we were able to make the largest offer without overpaying for him.

My point was that he said quite a few things about showing loyalty to the club that gave him guaranteed money when everyone else thought he should be playing in Europe. I'm happy that he gets to say he was just being loyal when clearly it was the money that mattered.


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## ehizzy3 (Jun 12, 2006)

i might go but i am just wondering. how many ppl are actually going to go? my guess is not that much will show up


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> He actually said he came back because Chicago signed Wallace. he also said that he's very glad he didn't have to make a choice between Portland and Chicago.
> 
> 
> 
> You betcha, what a hero



The part about choosing Ptd was more in the context of turning down offers form the Pistons and the Spurs. 

I know you have been critical of the Joel signing (only after the signing), but if you can't see why it is a big deal for a player to pick a small market organization with the worst record in the league over two pernial playoff teams teams with legit chances at winning the championship . . . then what else can be said about this signing.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

maxiep said:


> Hey, I'm a merchant banker. I'm all about the utils. I have posted for the past year that Joel was gone. I fully expected him to take the most money and run. I love that we were able to make the largest offer without overpaying for him.
> 
> My point was that he said quite a few things about showing loyalty to the club that gave him guaranteed money when everyone else thought he should be playing in Europe. I'm happy that he gets to say he was just being loyal when clearly it was the money that mattered.


 Actually it had been reported by many sources that Detroit offered the same amount of money and SA offered something in the same range (same amount each year but one less year)


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

Hey, I'm just glad he's back.

Maybe he's not a hero, but he had other choices that had serious advantages over Portland and it's really nice to see as a fan, that he picked my favorite team.

You can crap on that all you like, but it means something to me - and I think it means something to a lot of other fans.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> Actually it had been reported by many sources that Detroit offered the same amount of money and SA offered something in the same range (same amount each year but one less year)


I believe Detroit offered the full MLE, which turned out to be five years at $30,594,324, although there were reports they offered five years at $28MM (a starting salary of $4.55MM)

I heard SA offered a four year MLE deal, which turned out to be $23,499,374.

We offered Joel the full EBE deal, which was five years at $32.156,523.

Our offer was at a minimum over $1.5MM more than Detroit's and perhaps more than $4MM in excess of their offer.

Joel took the most money.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Blazer Ringbearer said:


> Hey, I'm just glad he's back.
> 
> Maybe he's not a hero, but he had other choices that had serious advantages over Portland and it's really nice to see as a fan, that he picked my favorite team.
> 
> You can crap on that all you like, but it means something to me - and I think it means something to a lot of other fans.


Who is crapping on it? I'm thrilled. I'm just saying those that believe he returned for loyalty and those that believe he took the most money both get to be right.


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## Captain Chaos (Dec 1, 2004)

maxiep said:


> I believe Detroit offered the full MLE, which turned out to be five years at $30,594,324, although there were reports they offered five years at $28MM (a starting salary of $4.55MM)
> 
> I heard SA offered a four year MLE deal, which turned out to be $23,499,374.
> 
> ...


Of course he took the most money...do you blame him. I sure don't. So what if he did. Too many people harp on what players do and where they go. You get the most amount of money as you can.


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## Anonymous Gambler (May 29, 2006)

I don't think the money, broken down by yearly average, was really all that different.

I am thrilled to have Pryzbilla back. We need his D and his steady leadership by example.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

maxiep said:


> I believe Detroit offered the full MLE, which turned out to be five years at $30,594,324, although there were reports they offered five years at $28MM (a starting salary of $4.55MM)
> 
> I heard SA offered a four year MLE deal, which turned out to be $23,499,374.
> 
> ...


 Ok . . . technically. 

But when a person is given two options with the difference in pay being less than 1% over five years, hopefully that person is going to choose the job they want and that the money is not the factor in that decision.

Is that too much of a stretch to assume that?


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## Trader Ed (Jun 17, 2002)

I think it was a win win situation for both

We gave him just a bit more money (just a bit more is all), and he stayed where he was wanted and he apparently enjoys (his wife as well). But we gave him 5 years and SA only offered 4... SECURITY!

Good for both parties


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> Ok . . . technically.
> 
> But when a person is given two options with the difference in pay being less than 1% over five years, hopefully that person is going to choose the job they want and that the money is not the factor in that decision.
> 
> Is that too much of a stretch to assume that?


I'm sure I'm in the minority, but to me $1.5MM is a lot of money.


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## Blazer Maven (Sep 27, 2005)

maxiep said:


> I'm sure I'm in the minority, but to me $1.5MM is a lot of money.


It is when it's equal to what you will ever earn in your lifetime. When it is less than 5% of your salary, it makes a lot less difference.

For example, would you move to Detroit for an extra $5K/year??


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## Captain Chaos (Dec 1, 2004)

maxiep said:


> I'm sure I'm in the minority, but to me $1.5MM is a lot of money.


Yes, that is a lot of money to me and most average folks. Yet, that is very little when compare to over 30 million bucks.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Blazer Maven said:


> It is when it's equal to what you will ever earn in your lifetime. When it is less than 5% of your salary, it makes a lot less difference.
> 
> For example, would you move to Detroit for an extra $5K/year??


You all make a common mistake. There's a field out there called behavioral finance. If you're interested in it, Richard Thaler is among the best there is. Read "The Winner's Curse". The bottom line is that human thinking is backward. When dealing with small amounts, the mind thinks in terms of actual numbers. When dealing with large amounts, the mind thinks in terms of percentages. The reason for this phenomenon is that the mind is wired to be able to conceptualize small numbers well and large numbers poorly.

You want to change your mind to think exactly the opposite. Let's say you're spending $40,000 on a car. Let's say three miles away is a dealership that will give you the exact same car for $20 less. Most would say to themselves given $40,000, a Jackson isn't worth squabbling over. The more mathematically inclined would say to themselves it's only 5/100ths of a percent of the purchase price. The vast majority wouldn't drive to save that amount (this phenomenon has been objectively measured). 

Now say you were purchasing a $0.25 pencil and the same price difference exists. Only the foolhardy would spend $20.25 for a pencil if a $0.25 pencil existed three miles away.

Would I move for $5,000 to Detroit over five years? Of course not. The hassle cost makes that a negative alpha proposition. Would I move to Detroit for $1.5MM over five years? Probably. As long as I could have summers off.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Captain Chaos said:


> Yes, that is a lot of money to me and most average folks. Yet, that is very little when compare to over 30 million bucks.


$1.5MM is a lot of money any way you slice it. Even if you have $30MM.


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

maxiep said:


> $1.5MM is a lot of money any way you slice it. Even if you have $30MM.


I think you can place the "playing for a winner versus playing for a weiner" value as more than 1.5MM, in which case, the Blazers offered less, but Portland offered more... if you catch my meaning.


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## Blazer Maven (Sep 27, 2005)

maxiep said:


> You all make a common mistake. There's a field out there called behavioral finance. If you're interested in it, Richard Thaler is among the best there is. Read "The Winner's Curse". The bottom line is that human thinking is backward. When dealing with small amounts, the mind thinks in terms of actual numbers. When dealing with large amounts, the mind thinks in terms of percentages. The reason for this phenomenon is that the mind is wired to be able to conceptualize small numbers well and large numbers poorly.
> 
> You want to change your mind to think exactly the opposite. Let's say you're spending $40,000 on a car. Let's say three miles away is a dealership that will give you the exact same car for $20 less. Most would say to themselves given $40,000, a Jackson isn't worth squabbling over. The more mathematically inclined would say to themselves it's only 5/100ths of a percent of the purchase price. The vast majority wouldn't drive to save that amount (this phenomenon has been objectively measured).
> 
> ...


Nice book. To take something from the reviews, the Blazers may find themselves suffering the winner's curse by potentially bidding too high for Joel's services at the recent free agent auction.

However, you assume that Joel's motivations are the same as your own and that he would have taken the most $$ regardless of who offerred it. Joel just had the opportunity to take the most $$ in a location he happened to prefer. 

If Chicago had not signed Ben, we may have seen how much value he truly placed on staying in Portland. 

For a franchise and city that could use some good publicity, having your most popular player return to the team citing the city's quality of life as a contributing factor, can only help in the long run.


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

i wish i had a 1/30th of that 1.5mm


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Blazer Maven said:


> Nice book. To take something from the reviews, the Blazers may find themselves suffering the winner's curse by potentially bidding too high for Joel's services at the recent free agent auction.


I think if any team will be suffering that curse, it will be Chicago. The Winner's Curse is a condition of an unrestricted market bidding war. Neither Chicago nor Detroit had limitations other than the maximum contract allowed by the NBA. The Joel contract was defined by the MLE and the EBE.

If we would have had Joel's full Bird Rights and Chicago wanted him and the bidding would have gone up to Chandler/Dalembert/Nene levels I would be concerned. For a starting quality big man, the EBE is a steal.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

maxiep said:


> You all make a common mistake. There's a field out there called behavioral finance. If you're interested in it, Richard Thaler is among the best there is. Read "The Winner's Curse". The bottom line is that human thinking is backward. When dealing with small amounts, the mind thinks in terms of actual numbers. When dealing with large amounts, the mind thinks in terms of percentages. The reason for this phenomenon is that the mind is wired to be able to conceptualize small numbers well and large numbers poorly.
> 
> You want to change your mind to think exactly the opposite. Let's say you're spending $40,000 on a car. Let's say three miles away is a dealership that will give you the exact same car for $20 less. Most would say to themselves given $40,000, a Jackson isn't worth squabbling over. The more mathematically inclined would say to themselves it's only 5/100ths of a percent of the purchase price. The vast majority wouldn't drive to save that amount (this phenomenon has been objectively measured).
> 
> ...


Either you didn't bother to go into enough detail about that study or that study is weak . . . and I have studied and been to seminars on business relationship. There are so many more factors involed when deciding which company people decide to do business with . . . and we both know there are hundreds of books on this topic, so just because you read a throry doesn't make it true.

1.5 million is not alot any way you slice it. Slice it into the national deficit, slice it into the cost of the Iraq war, slice it into the cost of advertising v. the return for the advertising, slice it into the amount the fines micrsoft recieves for antitrust v. how much they make for doing business their way . . . I could slice 1.5 million a 1.5 million ways to show it's not a lot of money any way you slice it.

I'm not sure what you are trying to argue here. I thought is that you are implying Joel decided to chase the cash and proving this because the Blazers offered him the most money. Step back away from the ecomonic theories (there are thousands) and just look a the sitaution. Roughly: Detroit, 30 million over five years v. Blazers, 31.5 million over five years.

Niether of us know Joel so we can only guess. If you think Joel is just chasing the money, OK. I would hope that when one decides where and who to work for the next five years, and those are the numbers, that the numbers become a very small factor relative to all the other factors. Maybe that is hard to understand, but makes sense to me.

We know what Joel said, but if you don't want to belive him then we will just have to guess what motivated him. If he decided to pick Ptd because of the 1.5 million, I feel sorry for him and think he has his priorities in life all screwed up.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> Either you didn't bother to go into enough detail about that study or that study is weak . . . and I have studied and been to seminars on business relationship. There are so many more factors involed when deciding which company people decide to do business with . . . and we both know there are hundreds of books on this topic, so just because you read a throry doesn't make it true.
> 
> 1.5 million is not alot any way you slice it. Slice it into the national deficit, slice it into the cost of the Iraq war, slice it into the cost of advertising v. the return for the advertising, slice it into the amount the fines micrsoft recieves for antitrust v. how much they make for doing business their way . . . I could slice 1.5 million a 1.5 million ways to show it's not a lot of money any way you slice it.
> 
> ...


Congratulations on your business seminar attendance. It's amazing with the quality level of those things you keep missing the point. I guess the delicious snack bar they provided at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion was too much for you to pay attention. $1.5MM is an absolute amount. It's a good deal of money regardless of what it's compared to. The point is the comparison is irrelevant. The fact you're looking at it as a percentage shows you have no understanding of behavioral finance. That's cool, not everyone understands it.

As to what I'm arguing, I'm not arguing anything. It is others that seem to have their panties in a twist. I'm just saying this is one of those serendipitous times when we can tell ourselves Joel stayed for loyalty, even though we just happened to be the club that offered him the most.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

maxiep said:


> Congratulations on your business seminar attendance. It's amazing with the quality level of those things you keep missing the point. I guess the delicious snack bar they provided at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion was too much for you to pay attention. $1.5MM is an absolute amount. It's a good deal of money regardless of what it's compared to. The point is the comparison is irrelevant. The fact you're looking at it as a percentage shows you have no understanding of behavioral finance. That's cool, not everyone understands it.
> 
> As to what I'm arguing, I'm not arguing anything. It is others that seem to have their panties in a twist. I'm just saying this is one of those serendipitous times when we can tell ourselves Joel stayed for loyalty, even though we just happened to be the club that offered him the most.


 What the hell is with your attitude. "you all make the common mistake" "congratulations on your business seminar" "too much for you to pay attention" "not everyone understands it" something about snacks.

Get off your high horse, no one is buying it. I disagree with the study, that 1.5 million is a lot of money and that Joel chased the money. Do those points drive the need for you to be an ***?


Fine you aren't arguing anything. You just felt the need to point out that Joel signed for the most money. Great point.


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

Again, the negative value of Portland being the worst team in the NBA outweighs the 1.5mil over five years. There's some people like Joe Johnson who sign with bad teams for *a lot* more than the good team they were on could offer. But 1.5mil difference? The Blazers offered less than Detroit with that in mind. However, Portland isn't a sinkhole of depravity, and Joel liked what he saw this summer. 1.5mil is less than will be taken out in taxes each year; it's hardly a big "bonus" worthy of "chasing the money." Joel did not come back to Portland so they could "CTC."


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> What the hell is with your attitude. "you all make the common mistake" "congratulations on your business seminar" "too much for you to pay attention" "not everyone understands it" something about snacks.


My attitude? I wasn't the one who brought up their extensive business education. If you're going to bring up business seminars you've attended in support of your contention, you can expect me to address them and have a good snicker. There are all types of people on these forums with all types of backgrounds and specialties. Some will be impressed by business seminars, some less so.



> Get off your high horse, no one is buying it. I disagree with the study, that 1.5 million is a lot of money and that Joel chased the money. Do those points drive the need for you to be an ***?


You may not be buying it and may disagree with the field of behavioral finance all you wish, but know plenty of others are buying it. Billions are made off of its main thesis every day--that there are exceptions to the economic model of human beings as rational actors. The discipline finds where humans don't seek to maximize their utility and offers a roadmap to take advantage of it.

And I'm glad you're so wealthy that you disagree $1.5MM is a lot of money. Which one of us is on their high horse, scoffing at such a figure? 

As for the namecalling, I can tell you're a bit frustrated, so I won't take it personally.



> Fine you aren't arguing anything. You just felt the need to point out that Joel signed for the most money. Great point.


You wanted to argue with me, when I wasn't really forwarding an argument but rather making a comment. You can try to build a castle out of smoke, but eventually it will just blow away.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

maxiep said:


> My attitude? I wasn't the one who brought up their extensive business education. If you're going to bring up business seminars you've attended in support of your contention, you can expect me to address them and have a good snicker. There are all types of people on these forums with all types of backgrounds and specialties. Some will be impressed by business seminars, some less so.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yea, I'm real frustrated with you. Let's see, your a being a jerk on another thread, you have a history of it on O-live, you have no idea what you are talking about and you think a certain amount of money is either a lot or little and it doesn't matter who you are. Yep, you got me nailed.

What I laugh at is you are so inconsistent with your own logic. If I don't feel 1.5 million is alot, what does it matter if I'm weathly or not. According to you, 1.5 is a definite amount and it doesn't matter how you slice it or who you are, 1.5 million is a lot.

Dude, you are making no sense. I know it is hard to understand for you, but to some people, 1.5 is not a lot of money. To some people 100 dollars is a lot of money. You can spew all day long (I know that because I unfortunately have read you spew all day long) but it isn't going to change the fact that your idiotic theory is lauagble.

And I mention I attended business seminars so your going to have fun with it . . . I'm a merchant banker . . . and not be so impressed . . . I'm a merchant banker. . . . because you would never try to impress anyone . . . I'm a merchant banker . . . and would expect people . . . I'm a merchant banker. . .to have fun with you if you did something like that . . .I'm a merchant banker . . . oh and have I told you I'm a merchant banker who studies behavioral finance that has to be correct because it is making billions and billions of dollars . . . I'm a merchant banker . . .

Oh wait, I know I had too many snacks . . . I wish I was eating snacks during your enlighting "comment"


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> Yea, I'm real frustrated with you. Let's see, your a being a jerk on another thread, you have a history of it on O-live, you have no idea what you are talking about and you think a certain amount of money is either a lot or little and it doesn't matter who you are. Yep, you got me nailed.


Well, you seem to know a lot about me from my O-Live postings. What is your moniker there? I used to be maxiep, but now I'm RiggoDrill because of an unfortunate foray into the Mlive Pistons forum. Fair is fair.

As to me being a jerk on another thread, that's your opinion. I'm merely defending myself against some nasty name calling. Note that I haven't returned it in that thread, yet you're calling me a jerk and letting the others off with a free pass. I frankly think you're being a little bit hostile, but to each his own.

In terms of me having no idea what I'm talking about, when it comes to basketball I'll agree. I'm just a fan who likes to learn about the game from the insights of others. In terms of Economics, well, that's another issue. I would tell you more about my background, but you appear to be so insecure, you would call my statements of fact bragging. 



> What I laugh at is you are so inconsistent with your own logic.


Actually, my logic hasn't moved. Perhaps you're Mother Earth and you have yet to discover Capernicus was correct. To you it looks like my logic is moving all about, but that's because you have mistakenly assumed that you are viewing it from a stationary position. My initial point was that Joel Przybilla had the luxury of saying that he stayed for loyalty when in fact we don't know that to be true because we also paid him more than any other team. I also made the objective statement that $1,500,000 is a lot of money.



> If I don't feel 1.5 million is alot, what does it matter if I'm weathly or not. According to you, 1.5 is a definite amount and it doesn't matter how you slice it or who you are, 1.5 million is a lot.
> 
> Dude, you are making no sense. I know it is hard to understand for you, but to some people, 1.5 is not a lot of money. To some people 100 dollars is a lot of money. You can spew all day long (I know that because I unfortunately have read you spew all day long) but it isn't going to change the fact that your idiotic theory is lauagble.


Re-read your post and ask which one of us isn't making sense. You seem to be flailing wildly.

My point is that $1.5MM can purchase many goods and services. In fact, US median per capita income is roughly $40K. $1.5MM by my rudimentary math equals 37.5 times that figure. The normal person works 45 years. If you asked the average person if 83.3% of their lifetime earnings was a lot of money, the average person would agree with you. Conversely, if you walked up to Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Paul Allen on the street and asked them for $1.5MM becuase they had it, their response would probably be that it was a lot of money for which to ask. Opinion has nothing to do with it. It is objectively a good deal of money. I'm sorry if that makes no sense to you.



> And I mention I attended business seminars so your going to have fun with it . . .


Of course I'm going to have fun with it. If I proudly announced that I knew more than you about math becuase I took pre-algebra in the 5th grade, you would have a good laugh at my expense too. It was a silly statement when you don't know with whom you're chatting. Learn to laugh at yourself and lighten up.



> I'm a merchant banker . . . and not be so impressed . . . I'm a merchant banker. . . . because you would never try to impress anyone . . . I'm a merchant banker . . . and would expect people . . . I'm a merchant banker. . .to have fun with you if you did something like that . . .I'm a merchant banker . . . oh and have I told you I'm a merchant banker who studies behavioral finance that has to be correct because it is making billions and billions of dollars . . . I'm a merchant banker . . .
> 
> Oh wait, I know I had too many snacks . . . I wish I was eating snacks during your enlighting "comment"


Why do you assume that I was bragging when I mentioned what I did for a living? You seem to be threatened by my occupation. It's a pretty simple job, really. My partners and I issue debt and equity instruments as well as make capital investments for commercial real estate properties and retail enterprises. What do you do for a living? There was a whole thread on it in here a few months ago and nobody seemed to be threatened by what other people did for their vocation. I'm curious as to why it bothers you now?

I don't currently study Behavioral Finance, but it's a part of any competent Economics graduate program. Your misplaced anger and ranting is amusing. If you choose not to believe in a discipline that is put to use by virtually every company on the face of the planet, from those that build airplanes to those that make aglets, that's your choice. But it makes you pretty dumb if you don't. It's the economic equivalent of being a member of the Flat Earth Society. Again, don't hate me, hate the Economics.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

Guys...can we just let this one slide? We're all Blazer fans and you're really fighting over nothing at this point.


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

After 33% taxes, per year, Przybilla's bonus for signing with the Blazers instead of the Pistons is $207,700. Assuming he gets paid twice a month, that's $8,654 extra per paycheck. By way of comparison, a 5-year mortgage on a $1,000,000 home has a monthly payment of around $19,800. Przybilla's extra 1.55mil will pay for 87% of his monthly payment on his $1,000,000 home.

1.55mil is a lot of money, agreed, but the economics of scale are real; many rich people don't live on $40,000 a year and pocket the rest. Expenses expand in every tax bracket and income level so that spending as a percentage of income is kept as high as possible. The richer the person, the more exotic and extravagent the "essentials" become.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Tince said:


> Guys...can we just let this one slide? We're all Blazer fans and you're really fighting over nothing at this point.


I'd like to, but I keep getting called out.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

BlazerCaravan said:


> After 33% taxes, per year, Przybilla's bonus for signing with the Blazers instead of the Pistons is $207,700. Assuming he gets paid twice a month, that's $8,654 extra per paycheck. By way of comparison, a 5-year mortgage on a $1,000,000 home has a monthly payment of around $19,800. Przybilla's extra 1.55mil will pay for 87% of his monthly payment on his $1,000,000 home.
> 
> 1.55mil is a lot of money, agreed, but the economics of scale are real; many rich people don't live on $40,000 a year and pocket the rest. Expenses expand in every tax bracket and income level so that spending as a percentage of income is kept as high as possible. The richer the person, the more exotic and extravagent the "essentials" become.


Please, let's not add taxes to the discussion. You would be surprised on a percentage scale how little wealthy people actually pay in taxes. Tax lawyers are really, really, really clever people. But again, it's not a discussion of relativism. All I said was that it was objectively a lot of money based on the goods and services one could purchase with it. Some people felt like creating an argument from the ether. All I tried to do was add a little economic theory to the party.

Besides, most of the rumors had Detroit offering only $28MM over five years. I gave the full benefit of the doubt by saying it was $1.5MM. It could actually have been over $4MM.


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

who is going to the celebration?

why cant they ever have these things west of portland?


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

maxiep said:


> Please, let's not add taxes to the discussion. You would be surprised on a percentage scale how little wealthy people actually pay in taxes. Tax lawyers are really, really, really clever people.


And not exactly cheap, either. If he's the type to have a tax lawyer setting up a shelter for him, he'll be paying for that lawyer, too. And relavtivism, no matter how you try to deny it, a relavent to the topic. 99.9% of us will never have the opportunity to earn 33mil over five years. Add in the new and supposed essentials, and you have a realtivistic discussion.

Hell, those of us making $60,000 *could* be living on $20,000 a year and saving the rest. But many of us consider the CMC apartment complex lower than the minimum, not because the CMC doesn't have a roof or walls or a floor on which to put your bed, but because, at the $60,000 income level, the essentials are higher. We "don't have to live like that". So, we have a queen-sized bed. We have cable. We live in a nicer apartment, or maybe we've taken the dive on a house (if there's a pair of us earning $60K each). We go out to eat a Mortons once every few months, and the nicer convenience restaurants more often. Not necessary to survive, but the baseline has been raised, the expectations higher for life.

There's no reason to think that, at 1Mil and higher, the expectations aren't higher, the baseline for "surviving" no higher than basic cable, a queen bed, 1000sqft, and a washer/dryer in each unit. Hell, he now needs a lawyer just to keep more of his money. That's an essential, and an expensive one.

You can't simply state that, in absolute terms, 1.5mil is a lot of money because it's more than 100K dollars or 1 dollar, and expect the discussion to accept that without context. Considerations (which you have ignored, like the Blazers not being a winner, and Detroit being a helluva lot better even without Joel) have to also be considered when valuing the Blazer money. It's almost like a "quality of life" conversion rate. 

Anyway, I disagree with your assessment that Joel "gets to pretend to be loyal when he's actually just after the money" because you aren't really taking context into consideration, which to me leaves your argument cold and in the end book-smart-but-uninformed.


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## Storyteller (Dec 31, 2002)

Nothing like holding a rally at a time when the greatest number of people are free to attend.... 

What would have been wrong with a Saturday afternoon gathering?


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

Today's Oregonian:

"Pat Casey said Friday that his decision to turn down a lucrative contract from Notre Dame and remain the the baseball coach at Oregon State had little to do with money.
It was more about the people"

I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that money is not the only factor in considering what job to take . . . in fact to some, like myself, money is a small factor relative to other considerations.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

Storyteller said:


> Nothing like holding a rally at a time when the greatest number of people are free to attend....
> 
> What would have been wrong with a Saturday afternoon gathering?


 Because then they couldn't require . . . I mean strongly encourage . . . Blazer employees to attend. :biggrin:

I agree, Saturday would have been better.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

maxiep said:


> I'd like to, but I keep getting called out.


 Yea that's it. You're the innocent victim in all these threads and do not bring any of this on yourself.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Storyteller said:


> What would have been wrong with a Saturday afternoon gathering?


Patterson and Pritchard are out playing golf with Ron Tonkin then. Sorry.

Ed O.


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## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

I'd be interested in hearing from people who have been offered a lot more money for a similar job and turned it down. I have - because I liked my current situation, the new job would carried some unknowns (as virtually all new jobs do), the amount of money I was/am earning from my current job wasn't a *problem*, I liked the people I worked with, enjoyed the hours and conditions, etc. 

I think this discussion about economics, while very intriguing, misses the greater point that decisions about where to work have as much to do with working conditions, quality of life issues, family influence, overall geography, climate, expectations (both of employer and employee), fringe benefits, and relationships with people (both at the old job and the proposed one), as they do with money. In some cases, the other things matter far more. Ask any human resources' director and they'll tell you - everyone's circumstances are different, every job offer is different, every decision is made for similar but different reasons. 

Is $1.5 mil a lot of money? Sure. But, does it substantially influence the decision when all the other factors listed above are pulling someone in the same direction (as Joel Przybilla would have us believe)...? Only Joel knows for sure. Did he come to the place that offered the most money? Yes. Is that WHY he came? Don't know. All I do know is that the Blazers are better for it.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

Public Defender said:


> I'd be interested in hearing from people who have been offered a lot more money for a similar job and turned it down. I have - because I liked my current situation, the new job would carried some unknowns (as virtually all new jobs do), the amount of money I was/am earning from my current job wasn't a *problem*, I liked the people I worked with, enjoyed the hours and conditions, etc.
> 
> I think this discussion about economics, while very intriguing, misses the greater point that decisions about where to work have as much to do with working conditions, quality of life issues, family influence, overall geography, climate, expectations (both of employer and employee), fringe benefits, and relationships with people (both at the old job and the proposed one), as they do with money. In some cases, the other things matter far more. Ask any human resources' director and they'll tell you - everyone's circumstances are different, every job offer is different, every decision is made for similar but different reasons.
> 
> Is $1.5 mil a lot of money? Sure. But, does it substantially influence the decision when all the other factors listed above are pulling someone in the same direction (as Joel Przybilla would have us believe)...? Only Joel knows for sure. Did he come to the place that offered the most money? Yes. Is that WHY he came? Don't know. All I do know is that the Blazers are better for it.


It's good to hear other opinons. I wasn't trying to say 1.5 million dollars, alone, wasn't alot, but that if you are signing a contract for 30 million, then hopefully an additonal 1.5 million (less than 1% of the five year contract) isn't a significant factor compared to all the other factors you mentioned above, when deciding where to work.

Job satisfaction, I would hope, is a huge factor when deciding where to work. I too (mentioned in another thread) was offered a similar position in So Cal with almost a 40% increase (with potential bonuses). Sounds crazy to turn it down, but when considering cost of living, expectations, livibility of the city and that I love my job and the outdoors, I didn't think it was that crazy to turn it down . . . but it was a hard decision. 

I'm guessing here in Ptd, there are many such stories. I have friends who work in Intel that if they transfer to Santa Clara, get a cost of living increase and potential to move up the corprotate ladder faster. They decide to turn it down because they enjoy raising a family in the NW.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> It's good to hear other opinons. I wasn't trying to say 1.5 million dollars, alone, wasn't alot, but that if you are signing a contract for 30 million, then hopefully an additonal 1.5 million (less than 1% of the five year contract) isn't a significant factor compared to all the other factors you mentioned above, when deciding where to work.
> 
> Job satisfaction, I would hope, is a huge factor when deciding where to work. I too (mentioned in another thread) was offered a similar position in So Cal with almost a 40% increase (with potential bonuses). Sounds crazy to turn it down, but when considering cost of living, expectations, livibility of the city and that I love my job and the outdoors, I didn't think it was that crazy to turn it down . . . but it was a hard decision.
> 
> I'm guessing here in Ptd, there are many such stories. I have friends who work in Intel that if they transfer to Santa Clara, get a cost of living increase and potential to move up the corprotate ladder faster. They decide to turn it down because they enjoy raising a family in the NW.


By Jove, you've fallen bass-ackward into maximizing your utils! Well done!

The fact that you're still missing the point shows, however, that you need to attend more "business relationship" seminars. Oh well, as the Honorable Elihu Smails once said, "The world needs ditch-diggers too."


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

maxiep said:


> By Jove, you've fallen bass-ackward into maximizing your utils! Well done!
> 
> The fact that you're still missing the point shows, however, that you need to attend more "business relationship" seminars. Oh well, as the Honorable Elihu Smails once said, "The world needs ditch-diggers too."


That you didn't respond to my last post must mean I have your respect, since you seem to post only to belittle others.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

BlazerCaravan said:


> That you didn't respond to my last post must mean I have your respect, since you seem to post only to belittle others.


Everyone has my respect until they show they don't deserve it. I only belittle those who cross the line first.

I didn't respond to your post because it was the same relativist argument as before. I wasn't making a relativist argument, in fact it's been proven through economics to be a fallacy. If you'd like me to respond to your post above let me know. But thanks for joining in on the callout.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

maxiep said:


> By Jove, you've fallen bass-ackward into maximizing your utils! Well done!
> 
> The fact that you're still missing the point shows, however, that you need to attend more "business relationship" seminars. Oh well, as the Honorable Elihu Smails once said, "The world needs ditch-diggers too."



The scary thing is that I think you actually take yourself seriously. 

You're a joke.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> The scary thing is that I think you actually take yourself seriously.
> 
> You're a joke.


You really do have quite the fertile imagination. I assure you, I'm the last person to take me seriously. I'm sorry you couldn't wrap your mind around Behavioral Finance, but I thank you for your opinion of me. I have yet to make my mind up about you. Toodles!


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Maybe Joel didn't sign with the Pistons because the wrong Wallace left?? 

I'm glad Joel is staying and wish I could be there Monday.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

I didnt read all the posts in this thread, so maybe this has already been posted, but Courtside Monday Night will be at GI JOES in Delta Park, Joel will be there.

I'm going to the celebration!


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

B_&_B said:


> I didnt read all the posts in this thread, so maybe this has already been posted, but Courtside Monday Night will be at GI JOES in Delta Park, Joel will be there.
> 
> I'm going to the celebration!


Are you sure it's at the Jantzen Beach GI Joes? I could have sworn Barrett said it was going to be at the ToiletTown GI Joes, on Boones Ferry just east of I-5.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

from www.trailblazers.com



> If you can't make it that afternoon, we will be broadcasting Courtside Monday Night from the G.I. Joe's store at Delta Park starting at 6:00pm. Don't miss this opportunity to see Joel during the live broadcast and thank him for choosing the city of Portland.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

maxiep said:


> Are you sure it's at the Jantzen Beach GI Joes? I could have sworn Barrett said it was going to be at the ToiletTown GI Joes, on Boones Ferry just east of I-5.


There isn't a GI Joes on Jantzen Beach.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

Tell your boss you are sick... get in your car... and get your butt down to the celebration!


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

Anyone going to this? I'm downtown, but there's no way I can get out of work for a 10:45 celebration on the other side of the river. Why didn't they schedule this around the noon hour so people could go over there on lunch? :curse:

-Pop


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

zagsfan20 said:


> There isn't a GI Joes on Jantzen Beach.


Delta Park, Jantzen Beach, it's the same thing to a SW guy. It doesn't really matter because I just read Barrett's Blog and I was wrong

http://fans.blazers.com/blogs/mike_barrett/2006/07/courtside-monday-night-change.html


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

SodaPopinski said:


> Anyone going to this? I'm downtown, but there's no way I can get out of work for a 10:45 celebration on the other side of the river. Why didn't they schedule this around the noon hour so people could go over there on lunch? :curse:
> 
> -Pop


Because our PR department isn't exactly top notch. I'm with you; it doesn't make much sense.


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## HAMMERHEAD (Jul 7, 2005)

SodaPopinski said:


> Anyone going to this? I'm downtown, but there's no way I can get out of work for a 10:45 celebration on the other side of the river. Why didn't they schedule this around the noon hour so people could go over there on lunch? :curse:
> 
> -Pop





maxiep said:


> Because our PR department isn't exactly top notch. I'm with you; it doesn't make much sense.



Gotta love it when guys criticize the team before they know the facts. A friend in the media said the press conference was at 10:45am because Nate had to catch a flight back east for his Team USA duties.


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## ABM (Dec 30, 2002)

HAMMERHEAD said:


> Gotta love it when guys criticize the team before they know the facts. A friend in the media said the press conference was at 10:45am because Nate had to catch a flight back east for his Team USA duties.



...and Joel had boxing lessons @ 11:30. :laugh:


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

HAMMERHEAD said:


> Gotta love it when guys criticize the team before they know the facts. A friend in the media said the press conference was at 10:45am because Nate had to catch a flight back east for his Team USA duties.


Then it should have been scheduled for another day, don't you think?


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

maxiep said:


> Then it should have been scheduled for another day, don't you think?


I'm sure they wanted to have it as soon as possible. Who knows how long Nate will be gone with Team USA, my guess is that they didnt want to wait for him to return. I went, and there was a solid # of fans there.

Mike Barrett said that you can buy your "Joel Pryzbilla Fan Club" t-shirts at GI JOES for $10, and $3 of that goes to Dornbechers Childrens Hospital. Not sure if all GI JOES will have the shirts, or if they will only be at the Delta Park GI JOES tonight.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

B_&_B said:


> I'm sure they wanted to have it as soon as possible. Who knows how long Nate will be gone with Team USA, my guess is that they didnt want to wait for him to return. I went, and there was a solid # of fans there.
> 
> Mike Barrett said that you can buy your "Joel Pryzbilla Fan Club" t-shirts at GI JOES for $10, and $3 of that goes to Dornbechers Childrens Hospital. Not sure if all GI JOES will have the shirts, or if they will only be at the Delta Park GI JOES tonight.


So why not last Friday? The first signing date was July 12th. Today is the 17th. Why the delay?


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

maxiep said:


> So why not last Friday? The first signing date was July 12th. Today is the 17th. Why the delay?


Hmmm... maybe Joel couldnt be here, maybe Patterson was out of town, etc. etc. etc. etc. I guess next time they should call you and make sure it fits in with your schedule also.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

Didn't know about the McMillan conflict forcing the Blazers to host the press conference early. Maybe that would have called for a change of venue. I may have been able to run over there for a few minutes if it would have been held downtown. Waterfront Park? Pioneer Courthouse Square? The Park Blocks?

The Eastbank Esplanade is very cool, and I'm sure the backdrop of the Portland skyline was incredible, but I really would have liked to go.

All that said, I'm not the only Blazer fan, and the organization certainly doesn't need to cater to me.

Looking forward to seeing/hearing Joel's comments and some photos from the press conference. Welcome back, Joel!

-Pop


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

B_&_B said:


> Hmmm... maybe Joel couldnt be here, maybe Patterson was out of town, etc. etc. etc. etc. I guess next time they should call you and make sure it fits in with your schedule also.



Well, if it were to fit into my schedule, it would have been nice if the signing would have been in Denver.

I'm glad to hear there were a lot of people at the Przybilla signing.


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## blakeback (Jun 29, 2006)

Pretty funny to read people bashing the Blazers for time/date/venue of the Prz celebration :laugh:


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

blakejack said:


> Pretty funny to read people bashing the Blazers for time/date/venue of the Prz celebration :laugh:


That was bashing? Boy, I remember when it was much worse.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

blakejack said:


> Pretty funny to read people bashing the Blazers for time/date/venue of the Prz celebration :laugh:


Not bashing, just questioning. I'm sure the Blazers had their reasons, but 10:45 in the morning on a Monday seems odd to me, especially if you're encouraging the public to attend. Sounds like they were sort of bound by scheduling conflicts among the necessary attendees. Fair enough.

-Pop


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

I still can't get over the fact that they had a celebration at all. Joel is a great guy, and a solid player but this isn't like us signing Lebron James or someone like that. Joel averaged 7 and 6 and won't make a difference in any way for making the playoffs or a championship run. Those numbers don't scream "signing celebration", they say press conference at the practice facility. It shows a definate small town mentality for Portland IMO.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> It shows a definate small town mentality for Portland IMO.



Is that a bad thing?


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

mediocre man said:


> I still can't get over the fact that they had a celebration at all. Joel is a great guy, and a solid player but this isn't like us signing Lebron James or someone like that. Joel averaged 7 and 6 and won't make a difference in any way for making the playoffs or a championship run. Those numbers don't scream "signing celebration", they say press conference at the practice facility. It shows a definate small town mentality for Portland IMO.


It shows how bad we are, I agree. That being said, he seems to one of the few guys on our team that most people get behind. He's white, shiny, blue collar and just oozes that wholesome Midwestern vibe.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> I still can't get over the fact that they had a celebration at all. Joel is a great guy, and a solid player but this isn't like us signing Lebron James or someone like that. Joel averaged 7 and 6 and won't make a difference in any way for making the playoffs or a championship run. Those numbers don't scream "signing celebration", they say press conference at the practice facility. It shows a definate small town mentality for Portland IMO.


Bah. I think the Blazers are just making it a priority to open these things up for fans. It's a PR initiative for sure, but I like it. The very first sports press conference I'd gone to was last year when they opened the Nate McMillan new coach press conference to the public up by the Rose Garden in Washington Park. I thought it was pretty cool, and I definitely would have gone to the Joel press conference today if I could have gotten away from the office.

Maybe it appears "small town" to people outside of Portland, but if the organization wants to get back to the Blazermania days where thousands of fans would wait at the Hillsboro Airport just to welcome the team back from a standard three-game road trip, they need to start finding a way to reconnect with the community. This doesn't get them all the way there, but it's a very cool way to make their players/coaches/management more accessible to fans.

To me, this is a no-brainer. Open these things up to the public. Hold them at places that are "uniquely Portland." Why not? It doesn't cost any more (save minor travel expenses for the necessary people from the organization) to hold a press conference at the Eastbank Esplanade than it does to hold it at the practice facility. The A/V needs are the same. Setting up the table and the backdrop have to happen regardless.

I think I'm a pretty good lithmus test as to whether or not these things are good PR, since I tend to be pretty skeptical at times (if you haven't been able to tell). :laugh:

-Pop


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

maxiep said:


> It shows how bad we are, I agree. That being said, he seems to one of the few guys on our team that most people get behind. He's white, shiny, blue collar and just oozes that wholesome Midwestern vibe.



I agree with all of that. Teams just don't have celebrations to sign role players. Someone let me know when any other team has their celebration for signing a journeyman NBA player.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

SodaPopinski said:


> Bah. I think the Blazers are just making it a priority to open these things up for fans. It's a PR initiative for sure, but I like it. The very first sports press conference I'd gone to was last year when they opened the Nate McMillan new coach press conference to the public up by the Rose Garden in Washington Park. I thought it was pretty cool, and I definitely would have gone to the Joel press conference today if I could have gotten away from the office.
> 
> Maybe it appears "small town" to people outside of Portland, but if the organization wants to get back to the Blazermania days where thousands of fans would wait at the Hillsboro Airport just to welcome the team back from a standard three-game road trip, they need to start finding a way to reconnect with the community. This doesn't get them all the way there, but it's a very cool way to make their players/coaches/management more accessible to fans.
> 
> ...



But I remember those 80's teams, and there were no "celebrations" when we signed any of those players. Buck wasn't given a party when we traded for him. Ainge wasn't either. 

While I think he's a bad coach, opening up the press conference for Nate was worthy. That was a much bigger deal nationwide. I think the signing of Joel made it across the bottom line on ESPN 3 times before it became officially old news.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> Is that a bad thing?




YES!!!! Portland is such a wonderful city, but the problem with it is this. Half of the people living in it want it to be a small town, while the others want it to grow. If you want MLB or the NHL then you need to think big. If you want small town wonderfullness then say goodbye to pro sports and development.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

SodaPopinski said:


> To me, this is a no-brainer. Open these things up to the public. Hold them at places that are "uniquely Portland." Why not? It doesn't cost any more (save minor travel expenses for the necessary people from the organization) to hold a press conference at the Eastbank Esplanade than it does to hold it at the practice facility. The A/V needs are the same. Setting up the table and the backdrop have to happen regardless.
> -Pop



I argee and think that is a unique trait only small market teams have. Most of places the Blazers have these events are known to the locals and very accessible. There are a lot of things to like about a small community. There are obvioulsy some disadvantages to small communities, but if you can have a professional sports team in a city and keep that small community feel, to me, that is a good thing.

The frustration with having a professional team in a small market city is that it is very hard to be competitive. These kids get all wrapped up in the "bling" and don't appreciate what a small community has to offer them (which actaully probably isn't that much for a young twenty something millionaire). 

But for some of us sports fans it is cool to live in a small city. You feel like you can have a direct impact on the community and have sports teams in which it is not uncommon to run into a player now and then . . . now if the Blazers could just win another championship, I'll raise my microbrew in the air and say it doesn't get much better than this.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> YES!!!! Portland is such a wonderful city, but the problem with it is this. Half of the people living in it want it to be a small town, while the others want it to grow. If you want MLB or the NHL then you need to think big. If you want small town wonderfullness then say goodbye to pro sports and development.


I agree with your assessment wholeheartedly, but I don't see how the team holding public press conferences conflicts with acting like a big city. To me, it's just a sports franchise working hard to reconnect with their fans and to become relevant again in the eyes of the media and the on-the-fencers.

I'm not sure why you're making such a big stink about this. I don't recall you objecting to the Blazers holding a public press conference for Sergio Rodriguez. Surely you don't think the Sergio Rodriguez signing was more newsworthy than the Joel Przybilla signing.

-Pop


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

SodaPopinski said:


> I agree with your assessment wholeheartedly, but I don't see how the team holding public press conferences conflicts with acting like a big city. To me, it's just a sports franchise working hard to reconnect with their fans and to become relevant again in the eyes of the media and the on-the-fencers.
> 
> I'm not sure why you're making such a big stink about this. I don't recall you objecting to the Blazers holding a public press conference for Sergio Rodriguez. Surely you don't think the Sergio Rodriguez signing was more newsworthy than the Joel Przybilla signing.
> 
> -Pop



For one I didn't know about the Sergio Rodriquez "celebration" I knew he had a press conference, and I thought it was much more low key than Joel's "celebration" 

Sergio was also a draft pick that couldn't be here with the others for their press conference. 

Having a press conference for Joel would have been plenty. there was no need to parade him out and about like he was the final piece to our championship puzzle.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> YES!!!! Portland is such a wonderful city, but the problem with it is this. Half of the people living in it want it to be a small town, while the others want it to grow. If you want MLB or the NHL then you need to think big. If you want small town wonderfullness then say goodbye to pro sports and development.



I'm a huge sports fan, but as I get older, I tend to appreciate a lot of other things besides sports. Unfortunately, if it takes growth of the city, and everything that goes along with that, to attract more sports, I would not want it. But I know that is just me and I would not have said that 10 years ago.

But I'm an opptomist and think that you can have sports and the small community feel.

My fear is that by losing the small city feel, Portland loses becoming such a wonderful city.


Sidenote: Maybe that is why Seattle is local to me. I can have my cake and eat it to. Live in Ptd, but catch a short train ride to Seattle to take in a baseball game. In fact the further Seattle is away from Ptd, the better to me. But I spent my life in big cities and am burnt out on the atttitude and materialism I associate with big cities.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> For one I didn't know about the Sergio Rodriquez "celebration" I knew he had a press conference, and I thought it was much more low key than Joel's "celebration"
> 
> Sergio was also a draft pick that couldn't be here with the others for their press conference.
> 
> Having a press conference for Joel would have been plenty. there was no need to parade him out and about like he was the final piece to our championship puzzle.


Yeah - I think you're overanalyzing the organization's use of the word "celebration." To me, it didn't look like they had balloons and free hot dogs and ice cream carts and things like that. I'm on the 26th floor of a building downtown, and I have a pretty good view of the river and the east bank, and from my vantage point it just looked like a press conference. B&B can probably give a much more detailed review of the event. I don't look at this any differently than when they held the press conference for Theo Ratliff in the commons area outside the Rose Garden. Just a press conference, open to the public. The Nate McMillan thing, however, was a celebration. They did have signs, balloons, free hot dogs and ice cream, etc.

I think our difference in opinion sounds more like arguing over semantics. If the organization called it a "Przybilla press conference" vs. a "Przybilla celebration," would it change your opinion?

-Pop


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> I'm a huge sports fan, but as I get older, I tend to appreciate a lot of other things besides sports. Unfortunately, if it takes growth of the city, and everything that goes along with that, to attract more sports, I would not want it. But I kow that is just me and I would not have said taht 10 years ago.
> 
> But I'm an opptomist and think that you can have sports and the small community feel.
> 
> ...


If you believe the article on the front page of the Tribune from last Tuesday, Portland is supposed to welcome in over 1 million new residents in the next 25 years. I think attracting more sports is inevitable. There will be no way MLB or NHL or NFL will be able to avoid this market. Portland is already underserved in terms of major sports.

-Pop


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

yes portland is on the list (well paul t's list) of cities for a nfl team 

portland should already have an mls team 

mlb should be eyeing the city


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

SodaPopinski said:


> If you believe the article on the front page of the Tribune from last Tuesday, Portland is supposed to welcome in over 1 million new residents in the next 25 years. I think attracting more sports is inevitable. There will be no way MLB or NHL or NFL will be able to avoid this market. Portland is already underserved in terms of major sports.
> 
> -Pop


 No worries . . . I'll be retired and be living in Bend by then. :biggrin: 

Then all you yougins can have all the sports this city can handle. Not saying that is a bad thing . . . and if anything I miss the days of catchig a baseball game without breaking the bank.

I'm just ing getting old.


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## Blazer Maven (Sep 27, 2005)

Utherhimo said:


> yes portland is on the list (well paul t's list) of cities for a nfl team
> 
> portland should already have an mls team
> 
> mlb should be eyeing the city


We need a plan for a big time stadium before we get MLS/NFL/MLB.

PGE Park is nice, but it's still a minor league park. The lack of a Division I college program in the metro area hurts us immensely.

Even SLC has an MLS team for pete's sake.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

-Pop


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## BlazeTop (Jan 22, 2004)

SodaPopinski said:


> -Pop



I love Nate's and KP's casual look for today!


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## GoTrailBlazers (Sep 22, 2005)

That's a great picture of Joel on the boat!


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

Look at that wheather . . . it's like that all year around here. :biggrin: 

(Thanks for the pictures)


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

I want that shirt Nate's wearing.


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## talman (Dec 31, 2002)

Who's the mousy looking guy in the black suit??


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

talman said:


> Who's the mousy looking guy in the black suit??


I'd assume Joel's agent.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

talman said:


> Who's the mousy looking guy in the black suit??



Erik Sten?


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

Hope it was not as hot in Portland as it was by the Bay. Joel would be getting heatstroke in that suit.


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## CatchNRelease (Jan 2, 2003)

mediocre man said:


> I still can't get over the fact that they had a celebration at all. Joel is a great guy, and a solid player but this isn't like us signing Lebron James or someone like that. Joel averaged 7 and 6 and won't make a difference in any way for making the playoffs or a championship run. Those numbers don't scream "signing celebration", they say press conference at the practice facility. It shows a definate small town mentality for Portland IMO.


To me, what screams "signing clebration", such as it was, is the fact that Joel CHOSE to be here. He had better options. Not one...but TWO, contenders pursued our role player. If I understand it right, they both planned on starting him, too.

Go Blazers


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## blakeback (Jun 29, 2006)

talman said:


> Who's the mousy looking guy in the black suit??


That is City Commissioner Erik Sten. City Commissioner Diane Lane spoke at the "Nate McMullen" signing celebration, not sure if commissioners were present at other Blazers announcements too.

Erik Sten looks like a dwarf compared to Przybilla, and I mean Mrs. Przybilla.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Thanks for the pics, SP.

On another matter: what is Portland's record since we added that stupid mascot?

Ed O.


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## BlazeTop (Jan 22, 2004)

zagsfan20 said:


> I want that shirt Nate's wearing.



Yea For Reals, I didnt know Portland made a team bowling shirt :rotf:


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

CatchNRelease said:


> To me, what screams "signing clebration", such as it was, is the fact that Joel CHOSE to be here. He had better options. Not one...but TWO, contenders pursued our role player. If I understand it right, they both planned on starting him, too.
> 
> Go Blazers



Actually they weren't better options. Portland paid him the most money period. Joel sounds like he really wanted to go to Chicago but they found a better option so he settled back in POrtland for the most money. 

Listening to some sports radio yesterday through the internet people around the country feel the same way I do. It was cheesy, and that the franchise is grasping for anything it can right now. The station out of San Antonio I was listening to was clowning on the team and saying Joel would have been lucky to get his own press conference down there. after all he's just a role player....There words, not mine


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

mediocre man said:


> Listening to some sports radio yesterday through the internet people around the country feel the same way I do. It was cheesy, and that the franchise is grasping for anything it can right now. The station out of San Antonio I was listening to was clowning on the team and saying Joel would have been lucky to get his own press conference down there. after all he's just a role player....There words, not mine


Boo hoo for San Antonio. Which role player did they sign when Joel turned them down?

barfo


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

barfo said:


> Boo hoo for San Antonio. Which role player did they sign when Joel turned them down?
> 
> barfo




LOL. MM's just bitter


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

Cheesy? Why is having a little public press conference to welcome a re-signing player cheesy?
Sounds like sour grapes, not cheese, to me.
Losing sleep over what talk radio says is not a good idea.


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## CatchNRelease (Jan 2, 2003)

mediocre man said:


> Actually they weren't better options. Portland paid him the most money period. Joel sounds like he really wanted to go to Chicago but they found a better option so he settled back in POrtland for the most money.


Yeah, he would have made a little less money, but he would have been playing for a contender. He chose PDX over the Spurs and the Pistons.



> Listening to some sports radio yesterday through the internet people around the country feel the same way I do. It was cheesy, and that the franchise is grasping for anything it can right now. The station out of San Antonio I was listening to was clowning on the team and saying Joel would have been lucky to get his own press conference down there. after all he's just a role player....There words, not mine


They must have bitter beer face in SA. Weren't they going to start Joel?

This was a very modest celebration for signing our starting center, who happens to be a good character guy, that chose the Blazers over two contenders that wanted to start him, for a good price. I just don't get what's so bad about that.

Go Blazers


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

crandc said:


> Cheesy? Why is having a little public press conference to welcome a re-signing player cheesy?
> Sounds like sour grapes, not cheese, to me.
> Losing sleep over what talk radio says is not a good idea.



Riding in on a boat is not a little press conference.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> Riding in on a boat is not a little press conference.


Riding in on a boat? The jet boat rides where offered by the Trail Blazers AFTER the press conference. Joel didnt ride in on the boat. It was just something fun to do after it was over. Unfortunatly, I had to get back to work and didnt get to go for a ride.

It wasnt really a "celebration", it was just a normal, short press conference that was held outside on a nice summer day here in Portland. 

Joel is a fan favorite here in Portland, that's why him staying is a big deal.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

B_&_B said:


> Riding in on a boat? The jet boat rides where offered by the Trail Blazers AFTER the press conference. Joel didnt ride in on the boat. It was just something fun to do after it was over. Unfortunatly, I had to get back to work and didnt get to go for a ride.
> 
> It wasnt really a "celebration", it was just a normal, short press conference that was held outside on a nice summer day here in Portland.
> 
> Joel is a fan favorite here in Portland, that's why him staying is a big deal.



Fair enough. Still a bit overboard IMO


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> Listening to some sports radio yesterday through the internet people around the country feel the same way I do. It was cheesy, and that the franchise is grasping for anything it can right now. The station out of San Antonio I was listening to was clowning on the team and saying Joel would have been lucky to get his own press conference down there. after all he's just a role player....There words, not mine


That's not bad. you should hear what the FAN had to say about the Blazers draft and the Blazers in general . . . and that was local sports radio.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

I guess the point that mediocre man seems to be missing, perhaps because he's not living in the area, is that most local Portland fans really like Joel and have been hoping that the Blazers would find a way to re-sign him. Is he the best center in the league? No. But he was the best free agent at that position available this summer after Ben Wallace. Not only that, but he's a hard worker and a great guy. Re-signing him made most Blazer fans happy. So, why the heck shouldn't we celebrate his re-signing?

If that irritates some people's sensibilities or makes Portland look small-time, I couldn't care less. Let them find something significant to grouse about.


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

mediocre man said:


> Fair enough. Still a bit overboard IMO



dude, why are you such a negative nancy =)

seriously *****ing about Joel's signing press conference/celebration? come on..... LOL


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

e_blazer1 said:


> I guess the point that mediocre man seems to be missing, perhaps because he's not living in the area, is that most local Portland fans really like Joel and have been hoping that the Blazers would find a way to re-sign him. Is he the best center in the league? No. But he was the best free agent at that position available this summer after Ben Wallace. Not only that, but he's a hard worker and a great guy. Re-signing him made most Blazer fans happy. So, why the heck shouldn't we celebrate his re-signing?
> 
> If that irritates some people's sensibilities or makes Portland look small-time, I couldn't care less. Let them find something significant to grouse about.



I haven't lived in the Portland area for a grand total of 6 months. To say I don't understand something about the city is uninformed at best. Joel is a great guy, and a hard worker, and yes the second best player at his possition that was available. Ben Wallace being the first, and I don't remember seeing his outdoor celebration in Chicago? I don't believe it was even a public press conference. 

It's nice that Joel made the really hard decision to stay in Portland over SA and Detroit, only after Chicago didn't want him any longer. I think he is a great guy although overpaid for his production. Throwing an outdoor signing party for him is a little excessive, that's all


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> I haven't lived in the Portland area for a grand total of 6 months. To say I don't understand something about the city is uninformed at best.


Note the use of the word "perhaps" in my post. I wasn't aware of the mediocre man moving schedule, I was just trying to cut you some slack about why you might not be in tune with how most Portlanders feel about Joel. 



> It's nice that Joel made the really hard decision to stay in Portland over SA and Detroit, only after Chicago didn't want him any longer. I think he is a great guy although overpaid for his production.


Yada, yada, yada. 

You've made your position well known in a whole bunch of posts on this subject.



> Throwing an outdoor signing party for him is a little excessive, that's all


Hmmm, did people go to the signing party and have some fun? I couldn't make it myself, but from the pictures I've seen, it looks to me like they did. What's wrong with that?


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

mediocre man said:


> I think he is a great guy although overpaid for his production. Throwing an outdoor signing party for him is a little excessive, that's all



Wow. How in the heck do you think Blazermania is even going to spark, let alone come back, when stuff like this is spewed from supposed "fans" mouths.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

mediocre man said:


> Joel is a great guy, and a hard worker, and yes the second best player at his possition that was available. Ben Wallace being the first, and I don't remember seeing his outdoor celebration in Chicago? I don't believe it was even a public press conference.


I thought they threw a little welcome for Big Ben in Grant Park, but I could be wrong.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> Ben Wallace being the first, and I don't remember seeing his outdoor celebration in Chicago? I don't believe it was even a public press conference.


Chicago isnt trying to re-connect with their fans like the Trail Blazers are right now. Portland is also a small town compared to Chicago, and the Trail Blazers are the only show in town... that makes a difference.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

e_blazer1 said:


> Note the use of the word "perhaps" in my post. I wasn't aware of the mediocre man moving schedule, I was just trying to cut you some slack about why you might not be in tune with how most Portlanders feel about Joel.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Actually Joel having a very very tough decision to make between Us, SA and Det were his words. He also said he's very happy he didn't have to decide between us and the Bulls.


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

Anyone else remember June 1990? The Rip City Rally after the Finals? It was noted at the time that it was the first time a city threw a rally for a team that lost the championship. But Portlanders wanted to celebrate going to the finals for the first time in 13 years and thank the team for their season. Was that wrong? Excessive? Cheesy? I had a friend in Detroit and he said they laughed at Blazers fans for that rally. Should we care? After all, we know how they celebrated their championship. 

Godamighty, the fans had fun, the player was welcomed, a little money was spent by the team, I mean, is there a war or something you can get upset over?


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

crandc said:


> Anyone else remember June 1990? The Rip City Rally after the Finals? It was noted at the time that it was the first time a city threw a rally for a team that lost the championship. But Portlanders wanted to celebrate going to the finals for the first time in 13 years and thank the team for their season. Was that wrong? Excessive? Cheesy? I had a friend in Detroit and he said they laughed at Blazers fans for that rally. Should we care? After all, we know how they celebrated their championship.
> 
> Godamighty, the fans had fun, the player was welcomed, a little money was spent by the team, I mean, is there a war or something you can get upset over?



So going to the NBA finals and re-signing Joel Przybilla is the same? OK, that's fair I guess.


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## blakeback (Jun 29, 2006)

Pretty funny to read people bashing the Blazers for the Prz celebration :laugh:



mediocre man said:


> To say I don't understand something about the city is uninformed at best.


Who are you, and why is everyone on the internet supposed to know what you do and do not understand? 

I was not informed.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> So going to the NBA finals and re-signing Joel Przybilla is the same? OK, that's fair I guess.


I think may need to change your description of yourself to "wet blanket fat guy".


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

e_blazer1 said:


> I think may need to change your description of yourself to "wet blanket fat guy".



So because my opinion differs from most on this subject it's a reason to call me names? A reason to moniker me? A reason to leave out cool things like verbs in your post?


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

mediocre man said:


> So because my opinion differs from most on this subject it's a reason to call me names? A reason to moniker me? A reason to leave out cool things like verbs in your post?


Is "moniker" a verb?

And is "you" a verb?

Irrespective of the merits of this discussion, I giggled at that post, mm. 

Ed O.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Ed O said:


> Is "moniker" a verb?
> 
> And is "you" a verb?
> 
> ...



Yeah, I got a little carried away. I just don't like being called names because I differ on a subject.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

Didn't Bill Clinton get in trouble for getting Monickered? :biggrin: 


Referring to you as a wet blanket isn't name calling, it's just a reasonable description to apply to your somewhat obsessive insistance that other Blazer fans shouldn't be allowed to celebrate the re-signing of Joel Przybilla. Nobody says you have to be thrilled about it, but don't rain on our fun.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> Ben Wallace being the first, and I don't remember seeing his outdoor celebration in Chicago? I don't believe it was even a public press conference.


We arent the only teams having press conferences this offseason:



> Report: Pistons Acquire 'Flip' Murray
> "Get ready for the bad double 'Flip' puns; sometime next week, the Detroit Pistons will have two men with that cutesy nickname on their payroll. Coach Flip Saunders, meet your newest reserve, Ronald 'Flip' Murray. A person within the Detroit Pistons organization confirmed Friday that the team will introduce Murray, a guard, alongside Ben Wallace's stand-in, center Nazr Mohammed, at a press conference early next week," writes Krista Jahnke of the DETROIT FREE PRESS.





> CHICAGO (AP) - Ben Wallace, who agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract to join the Chicago Bulls earlier this month, will be introduced by the team Thursday at a United Center news conference.





> Mike James will be formally introduced at a Thursday afternoon news conference. Though the team's announcement merely touted a "new free agent signee," Stack confirmed the contract was official and predicted that the 31-year-old would complement perennial All-Star forward Kevin Garnett well.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

mediocre man said:


> Yeah, I got a little carried away. I just don't like being called names because I differ on a subject.


I totally feel you about being in a minority (sometimes of one) on this board. I was just playing with you. Dawg.

(Not sure why I used that voice for this post, but a "Dawg" seemed appropriate for some reason...)

Ed O.


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## Trader Ed (Jun 17, 2002)

Maybe it was time for the semi annual Trenton Hassel news conference type of thang ?????


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

What's worse:

the Blazers overdoing the signing of Joel

Or having a ten page thread on whether the Blazers are overdoing the signing of Joel?

:biggrin:


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

Kiss_My_Darius said:


> What's worse:
> 
> the Blazers over doing the signing of Joel
> 
> ...


:laugh:

This thread needs to be closed... its pointless anymore.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

Sorry to resurface the thread, but I had to share some comments from Ron Pivo of KGW that I think echo what most of us thought of the Przybilla signing celebration on the waterfront:



Ron Pivo said:


> It's called "Winning the News Conference" and people who do Public Relations and Media Relations first told me of the phrase. What you want to do is control the situation whether it is good news you want to send to the public or even bad news. Show and tell people that you are in control and send them the message you want them to hear.
> 
> Last July the Blazers introduced Nate McMillan at Washington Park overlooking the city of Portland. Today they did the same with Joel Przybilla on the waterfront.
> 
> ...


-Pop


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## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

Thanks for sharing, Pop. I think it's healthy for this franchise when you consider how far we had fallen. Things are looking up now, and I'm glad that the Blazers are focusing on the positives.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

Some people will think it's over the top, but I guess I'm in the minority. Perhaps it's my age and the fact that my youth was steeped in Blazermania, but I think the team has something special with the fans that can be recaptured. I didn't look at the Blazers as being desperate to get good news out, I looked at it as the opportunity for the community to show Joel how much they appreciated him. 

It's like a wedding. It's a little embarrassing while you're doing it and it seems like a lot of fuss at the time, but afterward it's a great memory.

I could care less whether the ceremony is for our best player or our worst, I like the idea that we throw a "glad you're here" party for our players. These events can be building blocks to show the players that Portland really is a different place.


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