# where's pryzbilla?



## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

I think he should be with the team during this workout session. he was the one who had the most disappointing season last year and needs to get familar with the team and the new players. he gets way too much of a pass when it comes to what he does for the team and what should be expected of him. even if he just showed up to shoot around, or work on his shot, that would be great. enough with one dimensional players, we need people who can do everything.


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

I hate to bring this up, I like Pryzbilla mind you, but one thing that has bothered me, is I never, ever hear of him working on his game during the summer. Mixed martial arts. Hanging out in Milwaukee. But never do you hear of him working on his game. It's not like he is good enough offensivly that he shouldn't work on his game. He just doesn't.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

tradetheo said:


> enough with one dimensional players, we need people who can do everything.


I'm not sure I agree. I think there's a place for specialists, both in the NBA in general and on the Blazers specifically.

Przybilla simply isn't a player that the offense is going to go through, unless you count the occasional pick-and-roll and the handful of put-backs he's getting over the course of a season. His value is almost entirely at the defensive end and, given that, I'd be fine with him working on getting that aspect of his game even stronger. Sure working on free throws might be a good idea but I don't think he needs to be working on an 18 foot jumper from the baseline. When he's in the game, almost regardless of who's in there with him, there'll be four better options on the offensive end.

That said, I agree that it's too bad he's not around right now. He could be gaining something from this time, especially considering that he's likely to be at least something of a rotation guy (though when Oden's on the bench I'd bet that Aldridge slides to center more often than not -- Aldridge at the 5 being paired with Frye, Outlaw, McRoberts, and even LaFrentz at the 4 potentially being more productive than Aldridge at the 4 with Przybilla at the 5).

Hopefully he shows up by Tuesday. Then again, this _is_ their down time, he _is_ a veteran, and he may well have had vacation plans. In the end, it seems like it's not that big a deal.


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## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

While it would be neat of Joel felt like being at the practice facility incredibly early like a lot of the other players, at the same time, I cannot fault him for taking the time off that he legally and contractually gets. I know I sure as hell wouldn't come back early from a work vacation (which as an analogy might say something for Joel's feelings towards the game, or perhaps not). I think it is great that the other players are going out of their way to get this thing together and fault them not, either. It seems as if people are piling on Joel a bit for wanting to take some time off (one must remember that he has not been the epitamy of health) during his "off season". 
This is like Jennifer Anniston's boss in Office Space getting down on her for not wearing more than the required 15 pieces of flair. Maybe if he wanted her to wear more than 15, it should have been made a requirement as well........ Unfortunately in Joel's case, an official mandate to come in early would be quite illegal.

prunetang


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## Masbee (Dec 31, 2002)

handclap problematic said:


> This is like Jennifer Anniston's boss in Office Space getting down on her for not wearing more than the required 15 pieces of flair. Maybe if he wanted her to wear more than 15, it should have been made a requirement as well........ Unfortunately in Joel's case, an official mandate to come in early would be quite illegal.
> 
> prunetang


Are you saying that Joel works for minimum wage plus mostly crappy tips?


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## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

Masbee said:


> Are you saying that Joel works for minimum wage plus mostly crappy tips?



Of course not silly! Although, of course you already knew that and made that remark to prove the point (at least I beleive so) that Joel's position in life, that of a highly payed (and some would argue, over payed) basketball player, creates different sets of responsiblities for him as opposed to other kinds of "workers". Is that a correct assumption, based on your question?

I can see that argument, and admit that higher measures of dedication are sometimes required of certain individuals. However, in my opinion, Joel is fullfilling his obligations to a T. Sure, like I said earlier, it would be cool, and would thusly speak volumes for for his character and dedication, if Joel would put the same time in that some of the younger players are, but it really is not required via his contract. Therefore, he is contractually and physically completing his obligations as a player and member of the NBA and its Players Association.
Does this make him seem a bit lazier than the other players? Probably. But, if held up to the same standards of every other team in the NBA, he would probably be looked at as the rule, rather than the exception. It just so happens that we, as Blazer fans, are being treated to something unusual and quite magical with the early preperation of most of our players. Possibly, holding every other player up to the same measuring stick may be a bit unjust. Just my opinion. I can see both ways.

prunetang


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## Draco (Jun 28, 2003)

I agree Joel gets a free pass from fans. Imagine if Miles or Zbo were the only players not practicing.


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

hasoos said:


> I hate to bring this up, I like Pryzbilla mind you, but one thing that has bothered me, is I never, ever hear of him working on his game during the summer. Mixed martial arts. Hanging out in Milwaukee. But never do you hear of him working on his game. It's not like he is good enough offensivly that he shouldn't work on his game. He just doesn't.


people use the excuse that he doesn't need to score, but he does. everybody should be expected to score. im not saying he needs to put up 16 ppg, but is 6-8 ppg really too much to expect? even with oden here, joel will be expected to be there when oden is in foul trouble or just having a bad game, and joel just doesn't give me any sense of relief at all while in the game. 6 million is way to much for one guy to make for only playing one end of the court, considering zbo got blasted daily for only playing one end of the court, very well I might add. but joel plays mediocre defense, and he's a savior. it's borderline racism if you ask me and i'm not even black.


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## Rip City Reign (Jul 1, 2007)

Joel has got to work on his inside game, his FT shooting and passing if he is to earn ANY significant PT on this team.

He is in jeopardy of falling behind Frye into the 3rd string C position. Joel is close to becoming a one trick pony a la Theo. He is a good guy but that may not be enough for him to justify his roster spot.


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

Rip City Reign said:


> Joel has got to work on his inside game, his FT shooting and passing if he is to earn ANY significant PT on this team.
> 
> He is in jeopardy of falling behind Frye into the 3rd string C position. Joel is close to becoming a one trick pony a la Theo. He is a good guy but that may not be enough for him to justify his roster spot.


This is basketball, you need skill to play. enough with having guys as fillers, if this team ever wants to win anything, we need good players from 1-12. but alo you need people you can rely on, and you just can't rely on joel to do anything but miss a lot of games.


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

if i were in his shoes, i wouldnt show up til i had to either. he's getting paid 5/6 mil a year and he's probably going to lose the starting job anyways and play 10 mpg. i personally cant blame him. 

now as a blazer fan, i'm not too mad. as long as he shows up to training camp on time and not FAT, no worries. he's a defensive center. there's no real reason for him to be working on his offense that he knows he doesnt need to provide. 

imagine him shooting 15 footers.... OUCH.


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## Rip City Reign (Jul 1, 2007)

tradetheo said:


> This is basketball, you need skill to play. enough with having guys as fillers, if this team ever wants to win anything, we need good players from 1-12. but alo you need people you can rely on, and you just can't rely on joel to do anything but miss a lot of games.


That's why SA chose Elson and Oberto over Joel.


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## Sug (Aug 7, 2006)

Joel will be fine, what people don't realize is that he is simply working on his role as well. See it will be pretty common to have 12 to 14 players working out and playing games while Joel is not able to step foot on the floor. 

This is sarcastic and I hope that I am wrong, but let's be honest Joel has been about as productive as Miles since signing his contract. Joel gets a pass because he is white and does not get in trouble.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Rip City Reign said:


> That's why SA chose Elson and Oberto over Joel.


that's total bunk. Oberto was signed a year before san antonio was courting Pryzbilla. The spurs wanted pryzbilla and said so publically. 

Pryzbilla re-signed with portland on 7/17/06. The spurs, disappointed on losing pryzbilla, then went on a search and over 2 weeks later (8/2/06) signed restricted FA elson to his deal. The nuggets declined to match the offer.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

this is a ridiculous thread.

people have no idea on the motivations guiding pryzbilla, yet seem to be judging him harshly because he chooses to play basketball for 9 months instead of for 10.

Perhaps Joel has decided that his priority is to maximize the time he spends with his wife and children rather then cater to the whims of some in an internet chatroom.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Sug said:


> Joel will be fine, what people don't realize is that he is simply working on his role as well. See it will be pretty common to have 12 to 14 players working out and playing games while Joel is not able to step foot on the floor.
> 
> This is sarcastic and I hope that I am wrong, but let's be honest Joel has been about as productive as Miles since signing his contract. *Joel gets a pass because he is white *and does not get in trouble.


wtf?...maybe the "pass" he gets is that he's not required to participate

I don't believe James Jones has participated this week yet, and for sure Sergio hasn't...what "passes" do they have?


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## Sug (Aug 7, 2006)

moldorf said:


> wtf?...maybe the "pass" he gets is that he's not required to participate
> 
> I don't believe James Jones has participated this week yet, and for sure Sergio hasn't...what "passes" do they have?


I am not only talking about this summer. In general Joel has sucked since signing his contract. The main reason he has sucked is due to injury. The Miles story is basically the same story with a main character that is african american and has had some off the court issues in the past.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Joel takes fewer vacation days than our Non-elected President, accumulates much less wealth in return, and as far as I know has neither sent any Americans to their death nor committed treason by outing any CIA agents.

He's really not such a bad guy in the bigger scheme of things.

:cheers:


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Sug said:


> I am not only talking about this summer. In general Joel has sucked since signing his contract. The main reason he has sucked is due to injury. The Miles story is basically the same story with a main character that is african american and has had some off the court issues in the past.


he signed his contract a year ago and di have a terrible season due to injury.

miles is going to the blazer's training facility twice a day and the team is letting him through the door. The team has paid his medical bills and has recently brought in the specialist that worked with amare stoudamire in his rehab....at the team's expense.

I don't see how the blazers are giving a "pass" to pryzbilla they're not giving to miles.

If you're just referring to some 'fans', there may be some doing what you describe. Although, considering the demographic of NBA players, ascribing racism as the motivation for why a fan feels more positive about one player over another would be difficult to prove.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

moldorf said:


> wtf?...maybe the "pass" he gets is that he's not required to participate
> 
> I don't believe James Jones has participated this week yet, and for sure Sergio hasn't...what "passes" do they have?


Raef's not there either.

Sergio is playing for his Nation's team, and Jones would just get in the way.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

MARIS61 said:


> Raef's not there either.
> 
> Sergio is playing for his Nation's team, and Jones would just get in the way.


I know what sergio is doing...maybe he gets a 'pass' because he's spanish


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

moldorf said:


> this is a ridiculous thread.
> 
> people have no idea on the motivations guiding pryzbilla, yet seem to be judging him harshly because he chooses to play basketball for 9 months instead of for 10.
> 
> Perhaps Joel has decided that his priority is to maximize the time he spends with his wife and children rather then cater to the whims of some in an internet chatroom.


they must have added months, because there is no way he spends 9 months a year playing basketball. with the season he had last year and considering the fact he's a professional basketball player, he needs to get out there and play. and not only play, but actually improve at something. people like you are the reason why the nba is the way it is, but giving certain players a pass because they are nice guys.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

tradetheo said:


> they must have added months, because there is no way he spends 9 months a year playing basketball. with the season he had last year and considering the fact he's a professional basketball player, he needs to get out there and play. and not only play, but actually improve at something. people like you are the reason why the nba is the way it is, but giving certain players a pass because they are nice guys.


rather then respond directly to your assinine and ignorant "people like you" assertion...

...I'll make my own assertion...you do not have a clue what Joel Pryzbilla's reasons are for not attending 3 voluntary, unofficial, informal practices. Did he have a prior event planned?...is he in town?...is he in europe with his family?....or is he just with his family?...but since you're the one saying his character is at fault for not being at those practices, then you must know exactly where he was, what he was doing, and that it was less important then being at those practices. Which of course means, that you have determined that you are better able to assign Joel his life's priorities then he or his family are.

since you apparently can't grasp nuance, I'll be direct: you don't know those things, you are not better able to judge where joel should be or when, and you're simply expelling gas in binary form.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Rip City Reign said:


> That's why SA chose Elson and Oberto over Joel.


I thought they signed Elson after Joel said no?


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## HurraKane212 (Aug 2, 2007)

The difference between The Vanilla Gorilla and Miles is not one of race. Joel doesn't frequent strip clubs where guns are fired. Joel's game is not as reliant on athleticism as Darius. Joel is not perceived to be a "locker room cancer" as some have claimed Darius is. It's neither players fault that they are injured, however, each player must assume responsibility for what they do off court. To my knowledge, Joel doesn't make headlines much, good or bad. Darius does. Darius *was* the more exciting player with the bigger contract, he's under greater expectations and subsequently, greater buyers remorse.

Race has nothing to do with it.~Nathan


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

Sug said:


> I am not only talking about this summer. In general Joel has sucked since signing his contract. The main reason he has sucked is due to injury. The Miles story is basically the same story with a main character that is african american and has had some off the court issues in the past.


no buddy. joel has always sucked. people dont realize how near average he really is as a center these days. yeah he can block some shots with the best of them, but that's about it. 

now dont get me wrong, i like joel and what he brings. but realize, it's not required he be here yet!


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Hap said:


> I thought they signed Elson after Joel said no?


that's exactly what the spurs did...I posted the dates of both signings in an earlier post


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

deanwoof said:


> no buddy. joel has always sucked. people dont realize how near average he really is as a center these days. yeah he can block some shots with the best of them, but that's about it.
> 
> now dont get me wrong, i like joel and what he brings. but realize, it's not required he be here yet!



you're correct: joel has a limited game and that's phrasing it kindly.

The things he does... defense, shotblocking, and setting screens aren't going to be improved by a few informal scrimmages.

Against teams like the spurs joel will get some minutes, but against running, small-ball teams like the suns or warriors, he may not leave the bench


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

why is it too much to ask for joel to score some points? and his defense isn't that great, besides shotblocking, he is a poor rebounder and man to man defense is poor. he gets beat a lot. if the blazers were to play the zone, he might have a place here, but i say get what you can for him now, because he wont be here when the team is ready to compete.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

It is true that we don't know why Joel and Raef are not present. They may, in fact, have legit reasons.

Still, given that both players have a history of injuries, it is understandable that people are concerned over what kind of shape they are in. It is natural for fans to wonder if they are not here because they are not physically ready for full-court practice. The speculation may be in error, but it is understandable. 

IMHO, dragging Sergio into the conversation is silly. The guy is playing on his national team and is clearly in game shape.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Oldmangrouch said:


> It is true that we don't know why Joel and Raef are not present. They may, in fact, have legit reasons.
> 
> Still, given that both players have a history of injuries, it is understandable that people are concerned over what kind of shape they are in. It is natural for fans to wonder if they are not here because they are not physically ready for full-court practice. The speculation may be in error, but it is understandable.
> 
> *IMHO, dragging Sergio into the conversation is silly. The guy is playing on his national team and is clearly in game shape*.


I think it's actually quite relevant. Everybody knows sergio's reasons for not being in portland this week, and judges those reasons to be sufficient justification. Nobody apparently knows Joel's reasons for not being there. However, that ignorance doesn't keep some from determining joel's unknown reasons as inadequate, and judging his character deficient as a result.


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## Masbee (Dec 31, 2002)

MARIS61 said:


> Raef's not there either.


Raef showed up on Friday:



> Sorry, don't mean to trivialize the "breaking news" clause... but nine-year NBA veteran Raef LaFrentz showed up at the Blazers practice facility on Friday.


http://blog.oregonlive.com/johncanzano/2007/08/breaking_news_raef_shows_up_in.html


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

by reading canzanos post, i am convinced that this is bs. miles goes to ny to see a knee specialist, and everybody is cracking jokes about how zach found a new strip club. but joel isn't in portland but at home and everybody says he's a family man and they wouldn't be there either. that is bs, he has had 6 months off to spend with his family, he needs to be in portland. this is just proof that joel gets a pass. at least when miles played, he did something. Joel has done nothing but block some shots. go ahead and give the old off the court issues excuse, but this is bs. this is joels job, to play basketball, not sit at home with his family. why is it ok for him when every other person would be fired if they wanted some family time? keep making the excuses, but i'm not buying it.


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

PorterIn2004 said:


> I'm not sure I agree. I think there's a place for specialists, both in the NBA in general and on the Blazers specifically.
> 
> Przybilla simply isn't a player that the offense is going to go through, unless you count the occasional pick-and-roll and the handful of put-backs he's getting over the course of a season. His value is almost entirely at the defensive end and, given that, I'd be fine with him working on getting that aspect of his game even stronger. Sure working on free throws might be a good idea but I don't think he needs to be working on an 18 foot jumper from the baseline. When he's in the game, almost regardless of who's in there with him, there'll be four better options on the offensive end.
> 
> ...


who said anything about 18 footers? how about 5 foot jump hooks or even 10 footers? or any type of offensive move that could help the team. there are going to be nights when the scorers arent scoring, so we need people to step in and score.


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

handclap problematic said:


> While it would be neat of Joel felt like being at the practice facility incredibly early like a lot of the other players, at the same time, I cannot fault him for taking the time off that he legally and contractually gets. I know I sure as hell wouldn't come back early from a work vacation (which as an analogy might say something for Joel's feelings towards the game, or perhaps not). I think it is great that the other players are going out of their way to get this thing together and fault them not, either. It seems as if people are piling on Joel a bit for wanting to take some time off (one must remember that he has not been the epitamy of health) during his "off season".
> This is like Jennifer Anniston's boss in Office Space getting down on her for not wearing more than the required 15 pieces of flair. Maybe if he wanted her to wear more than 15, it should have been made a requirement as well........ Unfortunately in Joel's case, an official mandate to come in early would be quite illegal.
> 
> prunetang


he's been off since feb. how much time off does he need? and he had a knee injury, not cancer. jesus, the passes just keep coming.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

well, I think we found our scapegoat.


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

Hap said:


> well, I think we found our scapegoat.


he's not a scapegoat, it is just really annoying how no matter what, people make excuses for him. he is a one dimensional player who gets a ton of praise, but zach was a one dimensional player who was way better on offense then joel could ever dream to be on defense, and he was talked about without end and then shipped out with total fan approval. it just speaks a lot about how much fans in here really know about basketball.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

tradetheo said:


> he's not a scapegoat, it is just really annoying how no matter what, people make excuses for him. he is a one dimensional player who gets a ton of praise, but zach was a one dimensional player who was way better on offense then joel could ever dream to be on defense, and he was talked about without end and then shipped out with total fan approval. it just speaks a lot about how much fans in here really know about basketball.


obviously it's because joel is white and zach is black. I mean, it can't be clearer.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

tradetheo said:


> he's not a scapegoat, it is just really annoying how no matter what, people make excuses for him. he is a one dimensional player who gets a ton of praise, but zach was a one dimensional player who was way better on offense then joel could ever dream to be on defense, and he was talked about without end and then shipped out with total fan approval. *it just speaks a lot about how much fans in here really know about basketball*.


LOL...now this is quite funny. Because some disagree with what passes for your logic on this issue, they obviously don't know basketball as well as you....according to you.

The title of this thread is "Where's Pryzbilla". The simple fact is nobody has answered that question and before it's answered all of the other yakyak is quite irrelevant.

Some people, such as myself, have concluded we simply don't know enough about Pryzbilla's whereabouts or his motivation for being wherever that is, to draw any conclusion. Futhermore, without being able to "look into his heart" we almost certainly wouldn't have enough insight into his reasons for not being at some pickup scrimmages last week, to make any judgement on the validity of his reasons, or how those reasons reflect on his character.

You on the other hand, have used his absence from this weeks voluntary activity, to both dismiss his abilities and attack his character.

And not satisfied with that, you have further classified those that disagree with you as racist and ignorant of basketball.

The old adage: "when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!" might be useful for you to think about, especially if your other option is to wonder where pryzbilla is...you're not to good at that.


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

moldorf said:


> LOL...now this is quite funny. Because some disagree with what passes for your logic on this issue, they obviously don't know basketball as well as you....according to you.
> 
> The title of this thread is "Where's Pryzbilla". The simple fact is nobody has answered that question and before it's answered all of the other yakyak is quite irrelevant.
> 
> ...


you must post on olive a lot huh? my point is that people give pryz a pass when he doesn't deserve one. he didn't deserve the contract he got and has proven it with last seasons performance. yes, he was injured, but even when healthy he doesnt deserve what he got. i will admit im wrong if he has a strong season, but i think he has gotten off on the wrong foot by not showing up like the rest of his team mates, with the exception of serg, who is playing with his national team. keep defending joel, but time will tell.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

I'm not sure why everyone is impressed with the guys showing up early to work on their game.

Used to be Zach was the only one who kept working hard on his own to improve during the summer. For his extra effort and results he got a ticket to NY.

Now you're happy because they are emulating Zach?

I sense a 20 player trade in the near future.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

MARIS61 said:


> I'm not sure why everyone is impressed with the guys showing up early to work on their game.
> 
> Used to be Zach was the only one who kept working hard on his own to improve during the summer. For his extra effort and results he got a ticket to NY.
> 
> ...


you notice that the players that were on the team when Zach was "the only one" who kept working hard to improve during the summer (he realistically did that one year) are all gone, right? 

This isn't about finding people hypocritical for praising players for doing something that they didn't praise Zach for (if you paid attention, people were impressed by Zach's work ethic, and hardly anyone who watched the games said anything about his work ethic)...but that would take away from your subtle implication of people being hypocritical.

If Zach was so great at doing this, does anyone know if he's gotten the Knicks together like he "did" last year (which iirc, it was as much Roy and Jack as anyone)?


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## gatorpops (Dec 17, 2004)

One thought that has not entered in to this discussion, is that Raef's wife just recently had a baby and I am sure that has taken some of the priority in that family. It is good to see that he showed up on Friday. 

To change the subject a little, the teams has certainly added depth to the front court stable. We have a lot of guy that can play and excell at different facets of the game. This gives Nate much more opption to play better players to their specialty than last year. Much of last year we had Raef and Magloire, and that was it. Yes Zack was there to score, but that was all. I am looking forward to this year. Can't wait!

gatorpops


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## Resume (Jul 17, 2007)

good lord in heaven tradetheo is the biggest crycaby i have seen on any forum in years lol. a hint of racist too? trying to compare miles to joel behavior wise? a pass? well yes the pass is in his contract that says he does not HAVE to show up early. and why the hell do you people EVEN CARE what he does with his personal time?


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## Resume (Jul 17, 2007)

i can't believe some of you are turning this into a race issue anyways. must be some black guys on this thread.


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

tradetheo said:


> who said anything about 18 footers? how about 5 foot jump hooks or even 10 footers? or any type of offensive move that could help the team. there are going to be nights when the scorers arent scoring, so we need people to step in and score.


any game where the offensive contributions of Przybilla comes into play we are going to lose. plain and simple. 

I couldn't care less if he never takes a shot beyond 3 feet. it's not his strength and it never will be. he's all about clogging the middle and playing quality man and team defense. 

I don't care what your profession is, most of the time you are better off focusing on augmenting your strengths than minimizing your weaknesses. Zach Randolph got a max contract not because he improved his defense, but because he continued to expand his offensive arsenal. Jason Kidd will never win a three point shootout, but developed his passing and defense into the best in the business. Steve Nash would never have the size or mindset to be a great defender, but he improved on a decent perimeter jumper to make him the best PG in the game. 

if Przybilla could stay healthy, he can follow the career path of guys like Dale Davis, Ben Wallace, Theo Ratliff and Dikembe Mutombo. defend, knock guys down, rebound and intimidate. and if somebody is dumb enough to give you the ball when you are not in position to dunk, get rid of it before you screw up.


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

First of all, I read in the same post that Przybilla is an average player AND that he sucks. An average NBA player does not suck. 

I think he is probably an average player. He went lottery in a weak draft. He has certain tools and does not try to do what he can't. That's worth something. 

As for his not being here, not only is it true that we are not in his head and have no idea what is going on, not only does he have a perfect right to his time off, but as I see it this early arrival is a special, probably one time, deal to get the young guys to learn each other's game and shorten the learning curve that would otherwise not begin until October. It is commendable, but probably Joel would not add a great deal. Saying he's a bum because he uses the time off he's entitled to reminds me of a former supervisor who said I was unprofessional because I worked 8 hour days instead of unpaid overtime (meanwhile I did his work as well as mine in my 8 hours because he was so incompetent).

And tradetheo, I'd be more likely to read your posts if you put in a punctuation mark to end a sentence and a capital letter to start one. Endless words run together are hard to read and so far I have not seen content that is worth the trouble.


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## Resume (Jul 17, 2007)

i think we found at least one black guy lol


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

mook said:


> any game where the offensive contributions of Przybilla comes into play we are going to lose. plain and simple.
> 
> I couldn't care less if he never takes a shot beyond 3 feet. it's not his strength and it never will be. he's all about clogging the middle and playing quality man and team defense.
> 
> ...


yet, without end people could only talk about what zach couldn't do besides what he did do. and no matter what, you take offense from where you can get it. you don't have to run the offense through joel every play down the court, but is it really too much to expect him to do something on the offensive end? I'm not saying it's required, it would just help out a lot. having it 4-5 on offense is not the way you win. sorry, you are wrong about this, any coach would be crazy to say it's ok for a guy to not be expected to play both ends of the court.


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

crandc said:


> First of all, I read in the same post that Przybilla is an average player AND that he sucks. An average NBA player does not suck.
> 
> I think he is probably an average player. He went lottery in a weak draft. He has certain tools and does not try to do what he can't. That's worth something.
> 
> ...


oh, please read my posts. please.... I could care less if you read them and like them. I have a point here which for some reason people keep defending joel on. It wasn't required of any of the players, yet he is the ONLY one not there besides sergio, who is playing for his national team, which means he is playing basketball and practicing, just not in portland. Unless Joel is playing pickup games somewhere, he has no excuse to not be there. And another thing, he has had 6 months off, how much time does one person get? He missed a ton of time at the beginning of the season as well. Saying here he deserves his time off is a little ridiculous. Any normal person is lucky to get a month off a year, while having to work 40 hour+ a week, but he gets 6 months off while only appearing in around 55 games? sorry, your excuse making is just annoying.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

A. Zach is gone. It hardly matters anymore what anyone said about him. It's in the past.

B. None of us know why Joel isn't here. Maybe he feels it's more important for him to work with his trainer in Minnesota. Maybe he has some injury issues we haven't heard about. Maybe he has family issues. Maybe, as you seem to want to assume, he's just blowing off the team and enjoying his vacation. Maybe, just maybe, he's been told that there's a trade brewing and it isn't worth his time to be here. 

There's no requirement by the league or the Blazers that he report to Portland for this pre-camp practice. We'd all like to know why he's not here, but ... WE DON'T FLIPPING KNOW WHY HE ISN'T SO THIS WHOLE THREAD IS STUPID!


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## tradetheo (Feb 24, 2005)

e_blazer1 said:


> A. Zach is gone. It hardly matters anymore what anyone said about him. It's in the past.
> 
> B. None of us know why Joel isn't here. Maybe he feels it's more important for him to work with his trainer in Minnesota. Maybe he has some injury issues we haven't heard about. Maybe he has family issues. Maybe, as you seem to want to assume, he's just blowing off the team and enjoying his vacation. Maybe, just maybe, he's been told that there's a trade brewing and it isn't worth his time to be here.
> 
> There's no requirement by the league or the Blazers that he report to Portland for this pre-camp practice. We'd all like to know why he's not here, but ... WE DON'T FLIPPING KNOW WHY HE ISN'T SO THIS WHOLE THREAD IS STUPID!


but if miles wasn't there, what would people be saying? not the same things as are being said about joel. I know miles has a bad attitude, but does that mean he is a criminal like many in here want to believe? you people sure do know how to make a champ out of nothing and a villian out of nothing as well. so good at it, that sheed and now zach get shipped out because of it. stick to what you know best, nothing.


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

It looks like everything that can be said has been said and sinct this thread doesn't seem to be going anywhere except leading to bickering I'm closing it for now.


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