Q&A With Joel Przybilla

Standing in at a shy 7-1, Joel “The Thrilla” Przybilla has emerged over the years as a grizzled veteran on a young team full of promise.

Always a hard worker but never a prolific scorer, Przybilla is known for his shot blocking and rebounding abilities – a combination that has allowed him to fill an important role with the Trail Blazers. This season, Przybilla has once again embraced his role, coming off the bench and contributing a consistent 20 minutes and 8 rebounds per game. Teamed with 21 year old Greg Oden, the two centers make for a fearsome duo in the Western Conference, standing tall among the best big-men in the game.

Casey Holdahl recently caught up with Joel to discuss his place on a team that has high hopes for the 2009-10 season.

You’ve one of the veterans on this team and have been around longer than just about anyone else on the roster. How have you seen this team come together?

JP: You can see it by our play on the floor. We’ve always had a close-knit team, everyone enjoys each other. This year, throughout the preseason and the first couple of games, we weren’t playing that well because we’re still trying to figure out our roles. We’ve got a lot of guys on this team that know how to play and now we’re starting to realize this is what we have to do to win when coach calls upon me to get in the game. Everyone is starting to adjust real well.

You’ve transitioned from a starter to coming off the bench. How have you adjusted to that change?

JP: My role has always been to play defense, rebound, block shots. Any points from me are a bonus. My job is coming in and being a defensive prescience, and that never changes. Last year I was in and out of the starting lineup. Things can change. Right now I’m not starting but as the season goes on anything can happen. I’ve just got to be ready to play.

It’s a great luxury for Coach McMillan to have two starting-caliber centers.

JP: I think it’s big for us. Greg and myself, we’re more defensive centers. We protect and control the paint. We’re the anchors for the defense. Especially on this last road trip, the reason we won a lot of those games is because of our defense. The games weren’t shootouts. A lot of the games we held teams to under 90 points and in a lot of stretches the bigs on the defensive end set the tone. I think we’ve done a good job with that this year.

You’re tied for first in the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes and eighth in rebounds per 48 minutes. What makes a player a good rebounder or a good shot blocker?

JP: I’ve been in this league for 10 years and for me, rebounding is hard work and determination. I’ve realized that I want the ball more than the opposing opponent or team, then I go out and get it. It’s like playing defense, the will to defend. Not everyone in this league can score but everyone in this league, I guarantee you, can play defense. But it’s the guys who want to play defense, who want to rebound, who want to take that charge, because it takes determination and will. It’s hard work when it comes down to it.

Shot blocking is a little different. Not everyone can block shots. For me, shot blocking is something I’ve always had a knack for. It’s just timing and studying the opposing teams. Knowing things like a player’s tendencies or plays that are run so you’re in the right spot at the right time. I’m not the biggest guy out there and I’m definitely not the quickest or highest jumper but I know how to be in the right place at the right time, and that makes a difference.

A lot of it has nothing to do with athletic ability. Like I said, defense comes down to effort. You may attempt to block a shot ten to fifteen times a game and you may only block one shot. That’s a lot of jumping effort and work to do that.

You’re a guy who never seems to shy away from confrontation on the court. Where does that mentality come from?

JP: I think intensity is part of the game. I’m very bullheaded sometimes, very stubborn. Sometimes I go against an opposing player who is the same way and isn’t going to back down. It’s like two sticks of dynamite.

I’m not going to back down from anyone. I may back down from people off the court, but when I step on the court I’m a different person. That’s just the way I am. I’ve always been like that. I just don’t want to be known as a soft player. That’s just not me. I’m not getting into it to be on Sportscenter. Trust me, I’d rather save my money and be quite and walk off the court with a win but if somebody is going at me or a teammate, that’s what gets me going. I see myself as one of the elders on the team and I want to protect my players. When you have a close group of guys and you’ve been around them so much and you enjoy them you don’t like seeing guys get picked on. You’re going to step up for them and have their backs.

Finally, word is you and your wife are expecting a new addition to the Przybilla family.

JP: I’ve been wanting a second child for a long time now. We’re expecting the first couple weeks in May, so we’ll be having it here in Portland. Don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, but as long as it’s healthy. I love my son Anthony so much that I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to have another one. It’s exciting. My wife will be laying or sitting down and Anthony will go up and start talking to her belly. ‘Hello in there, this is Anthony.’ That’s what he says. He wants a sister. Mike Barrett has a daughter, Gabby, that Anthony knows, so he says ‘I want a little sister like Gabby.’ He says he’s going to take care of her.

Don't Play With The Game

The current iteration of the Portland Trail Blazers have never won in ORACLE Arena. Nate McMillan, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge: none have won as Trail Blazers at Golden State. Only Joel Przybilla and Travis Outlaw were on Portland’s roster the last time the Blazers beat Golden State 78-75 at ORACLE on November 3, 2004, though neither played. That was the season opener, by the way.

Why so much trouble at ORACLE? Who knows? Could be that the home team gets the boost when teams that play wildly different styles, as the Warriors and Trail Blazers do.

Looking at their statistics this season, it’s hard to imagine two teams more dissimilar. Trail Blazers allow the fewest points per game in the NBA (87.5), Warriors allow the most (113.3). Trail Blazers opponents take the fewest number of shots per game (32.2), Warriors opponents take the most (42.6). Warriors tally more steals per game than anyone in the league (9.55), while the Trail Blazers rank 25th (6.23). Basically Portland and Golden State ends up on opposite ends of any pace-dependant statistic.

None of this should matter tonight. The Trail Blazers have more talent and better chemistry. The Warriors are playing their first home game after 1-4 Eastern Conference road swing, which should help tilt the scale in Portland’s direction. The Warriors don’t really have the size to make the Trail Blazers pay for playing a three-guard lineup, though someone else besides Brandon Roy is going to have to take a turn getting run into my Corey Maggette. Ronni Turiaf is day-to-day, CJ Watson has the swine flu, Raja Bell may or may not have season-ending wrist surgery, Kelenna Azubuike is out for the season after tearing his patella tendon and Andris Biendrins is battling some sort of back/groin injury that has kept him out of all but four games this season, so Don Nelson will likely have only eight players available. On paper, this should be a win. An easy win even.

But there seems to be no such thing as an easy win Trail Blazers win in Oakland, at least not recently. If the Blazers are to get their first win in the Bay since 2004, they’ll have to take to heart the directive Coach McMillan gave them after the near-loss to the Pistons on Wednesday: don’t play with the game.

Another win on the road is there for the taking, but not if the Trail Blazers play with the game. They have to approach the Warriors like they’re the best team in the league, the only team. If the Blazers jump out to a big lead, they need to keep the pressure on until the final whistle. Finish out quarters strong, especially the fourth. It’s not exactly calm waters in the Golden State locker room, so don’t give them anything to get excited about. Make it about business, get back to Portland and get ready for a homestand with four winnable games.

Outlaw Out But Not Down

It figures Travis Outlaw would break his foot trying to make a play on defense.

For a guy who is maligned by his detractors for playing less than average defense, it seems cruelly poetic that Outlaw would injure himself on a routine closeout. And I don’t know about you, but when I think about the irony of a high-flyer like Outlaw being struck down on a play where he didn’t even leave his feet, it reinforces my belief that the fates do in fact have a twisted sense of humor.

So it’s easy to see why Outlaw would curse his bad luck. Things were just starting to come together, for Travis and the team in general, and then a snap; there goes the fifth metatarsal. And in a contract year, that snap could end up being rather expensive.

But that’s not the way Outlaw is looking at it. Ever true to his happy-to-lucky attitude, Outlaw is dealing with the first major injury of his pro career with aplomb.

“It’s nothing, you know?” said Outlaw. “You always have little bumps in the road.”

Traversing that rocky road is something Outlaw has been remarkably adept at throughout his pro career. When he played a total of 67 games through his first two seasons in Portland, he kept his head down and his mouth shut. When his name was mentioned in seemingly every trade rumor, he went about his business like a pro. When fans questioned his motives two summers ago after he joked about wanting more shots, he responded by taking fewer. And after the initial disappointment of knowing he would miss at least the next six weeks as the fracture in his foot heals, Outlaw has accepted the misfortune and moved on.

“Things happen for a reason, that’s my thing,” said Outlaw. “That’s how I’m looking at it. I feel like I got a lot of things to be thankful for, you know?”

Outlaw will have a pin inserted into his left foot on Wednesday to help the stress fracture heal. After that, he plans on picking up a hobby (“Maybe working on my car”), trying to keep his dog from doing any more damage to his foot (“He’s running over it all the time right now”) and rehabbing with the intention of getting back onto the court as soon as possible.

“We’ve got a lot of players stepping up. When I get back there’s not going to be some big rush to get mine. I’m just going to try to make sure I fit in. Do what is needed for the team to win.”

Figures.

Video: Oden Blocks, Rudy Steals, Outlaw Dunks

NBA.com pushed a redesign ... sometime since the last time I checked out the mothership's homepage. Looks nice. Congrats to the folks at Turner, who are running the show over there, on the hard work.

NBA.com also pushed a new video feature, weekly Top 10 lists, recently, which beats the pants off of weekly power rankings, especially this early in the season. It seems like the whole point of power rankings is to start arguments, and I hate arguments. I like discussion.

Trail Blazers show up in three of NBA.com's Top 10 plays lists this week, which seems about right. I think you could make a case for a few more, which I'll do in a moment.

First up, Top 10 Blocks of the Week, featuring one of Greg Oden's blocks against the Timberwolves at No. 7.



Missing: Oden's block on Chris Paul from the game on the 13th. And though one particular block isn't coming to mind, you have to think that Joel Przybilla, who has rejected nine shots in the last three games, would make the highlight reel.

Next up, Top 10 Steals of the Week. Rudy Fernandez's steal in the Nov. 8 game against the Timberwolves that lead to a Webster-to-Bayless alley-oop checks in at No. 2. Worth noting that while Rudy gets the steal, Marty and Bayless end up getting most the face time in the highlight.



Missing: I can't really think of a particular steal this week that should have made the list. This is where you come in. Put what steal you think should have made the Top 10 in the comments.

We end on a bittersweet note. Travis Outlaw's monstrous dunk over Rudy Gay in the Memphis game on the 10th clocks in at No. 7 in the Top Dunks reel (a bit low, if you ask me). The sweet is the obvious ferocity of the dunk, but the bitter is that it's the last throwdown we'll see out of Travis for at least the next six weeks. I hate the fifth metatarsal bone in the left foot.



Missing: Again, I'm drawing a blank on what Trail Blazers play should be included here. To be fair, there were some crazy dunks in the NBA this week, so one might be sufficient, though I'm sure you could convince me otherwise.

Outlaw Out Indefinitely

The injury bug has bitten for the first time this season, and he bit hard. Travis Outlaw, who is averaging 10.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game this season, sustained a fracture in of the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot during the first quarter of Saturday's game in Charlotte. It didn't look that bad when it happened, but the x-rays say otherwise. Outlaw is heading back to Portland after the game for further evaluation

Yet to be seen what Outlaw's injury will mean to Nate McMillan's rotation. The second half of the Charlotte game will probably be a good window into how playing time will shake out in Outlaw's absence.

11.12.09 Trailblazers.com Podcast

There might be a different tone this week among the fanbase after winning four straight, but Dave Deckard of Blazersedge.com and I, Casey Holdahl of trailblazers.com, try to keep an even keel. Smooth.

This week Dave and I talk about the first two games of the current five-game road trip, Greg Oden's confidence, whether the three-guard lineup is here to stay, helping out Brandon Roy, LaMarcus moving forward and a Ducks/Blazers comparison. That's cross promotion holmes.



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Video: Travis Outlaw Will Ruin Your Night

This is THE Trail Blazers highlight thus far. Travis Outlaw just obliterating the rim as Rudy Gay tries to keep his head from getting caved in. Here's a larger version.

Don't Feed The Jinx

I do a lot of standing around in the Trail Blazers locker room prior to games at the Rose Garden. Sometimes I’m waiting for a player to show up for an interview. Other times I’m just killing time before Nate McMillan’s pregame media availability.

Sunday night, I was killing time. All of the players were either out on the court, in the training room or at chapel and Nate’s pregame was still a ways off, so I stood in front of the white board reading the scouting reports of the opposing players. I do this before just about every game. Always interesting to read what people who really know the sport have to say.

So I’m reading the scouting report for each player on the Timberwolves, and after I’m about halfway through I start to realize something: these guys are going to have a heck of a time winning games this season. Al Jefferson isn’t 100 percent healthy. Kevin Love’s out, so his scouting report isn’t even on the board. Jonny Flynn is talented, but he’s a rookie who only played one year of college ball trying to learn the hardest position in basketball. Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes are decent, but they’re complimentary players. The team as a whole is undersized and inexperienced.

While I’m reading through the reports, Joel Przybilla sits down at his locker, which is the closest to the white board where the reports are taped. I turn to Przybilla after finishing my overview and say something that, in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have.

“There’s no way we’re going to lose to these guys tonight.”

It’s not that I didn’t believe what I said. The Trail Blazer, at home, coming into the Sunday’s game having beaten the Timberwolves the last eight times they’ve played, should beat Minnesota easily. And they did, but it’s never wise to tempt the fates so brazenly.

Realizing the error of my ways, Przybilla did his best to negate the bad juju I created.

“Don’t jinx us man,” said Przybilla, knocking on the wood paneling that serves as trim around his locker. “Any team can get beat on any given night in this league.”

Very true, and very reassuring to hear from a player heading out on a five-game road trip. Three of those games (Memphis, Minnesota and Charlotte) should be wins, but you can’t take anything for granted in the NBA, especially on the road. Not to mention that the Trail Blazers haven’t won in Charlotte since the 2006-07 season, so that’s hardly a gimme either.

The Grizzlies might be 1-6, but they’ve got a whole lot of talent and have played five of their first seven games on the road, so they’re probably not as bad as their record would indicate. (By the way, Zach Randolph is tied for third on the Grizzlies in assists per game with 3.3. He’s tied for second if you don’t include Allen Iverson. Way to dime Z-Bo!)

The Timberwolves also have just one win, but they too have had a tough schedule and have played some good team pretty close, losing to the Clippers by three and Boston by two being the most notable examples.

As for the games against the Hornets and Hawks, those are going to be tough gets. Both NOLA and Atlanta are historically difficult places for the Trail Blazers to get wins. Luckily the Blazers will have a day of rest before each of those games, so hopefully they come out fresh and, especially against the Hawks, with something to prove.

So if you’re looking at the first extended road trip and have already penciled in a 3-2 record, consider knocking on some wood. Joel Przybilla thanks you in absentia.

11.05.09 Trailblazers.com Podcast

After starting the season 2-3, everyone wants to know what's wrong with the Trail Blazers. Are there answers to that questions? Is the question itself even valid? Can you fit more than three rhetorical questions into one intro paragraph? No, maybe and heck yes.

Dave Deckard of Blazersedge.com and I, Casey Holdahl of trailblazers.com, delve into the first five games of the season to debate what's working and what isn't. I'll let you decide if the answers are sufficient.



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The Wait Needs To Be Over

Watching the Trail Blazers through the first five games of the season, one could get the sense that they’re waiting for something to happen, something that will get everybody moving in the same direction. If it is indeed the case that this team is holding out hope that a spark will ignite the season, that expectation would not necessarily be without merit. It has happened before.

There was Travis Outlaw’s game-winning shot against the Grizzlies in early-December of the 2007-08 season. The Trail Blazers were 5-12 at the time and winless on the road in their first nine tries. They had just been blown out by the Spurs in San Antonio the night before, but that bank shot by Outlaw as time expired started something legendary. The Blazers would go on to win the next 13 straight and 18 of their next 20. That shot might have very well saved the season.

And of course there was Brandon Roy’s 30-foot overtime game-winner against the Rockets in the fifth game of the 2008-09 season. On the verge of starting the year 1-4, Roy’s high-arching attempt gave a young team something to build on. Roy’s answered prayer also started a run that would see the Trail Blazers win 13 of the next 16 games, putting them on course for their first playoff appearance in five seasons.

It is probably unnecessary to recap these events. After all, those moments have taken on lives of their own. They’re seen in commercials and reenacted on playgrounds. They hold an important place in the collective memory of Trail Blazers fans and, more importantly, the players. And while it would be sacrilege (and patently false) to blame those memories for the Trail Blazers’ inability to burst out of the gate through the first five games of the 2009-10 season, one has to wonder if reaping the benefits of a singular transformative performance in two consecutive seasons has brought the team to where they are now: waiting for a similar event to occur once again.

“I don’t know if we’re waiting on something,” said Joel Przybilla, “but if we are we better hurry up and figure it out. We’ve just got to look in the mirror, quit pointing fingers at what we think we need to do and focus on ourselves.”

“I think this is our next step to becoming a good team,” said Brandon Roy. “We can’t wait for the big bang to happen to go on these great runs. I think we have to figure out a way to be consistent at a high level. In a way it’s like we are waiting for that emotional charge to get us excited about the year, but we have to just develop it.”

At least if they want to make the jump from promising young team potential to legitimate playoff contender. You can get by on enthusiasm when you’re young, on passion when you’re untested. But it has to be about more than that to join the ranks of the elite. It has to be about confidence and commitment and routine rather than coincidence.

“The Spurs don’t have to have something great happen to them every year,” said Roy. Boston, they come in ‘This is what it is. We’re not waiting for a lucky shot.’ If that happens, then great, we get the win that night. I think it’s a little bit of a process because it seems like guys are waiting around for something crazy to happen. That can’t be what gets this thing started.”

Not any more it can’t. It has to be real this time, which is why it’ll be worth waiting for if and when it happens. Someone could hit a buzzer-beating halfcourt shot on Friday, sending the Rose Garden into a frenzy and the Spurs home to San Antonio with a loss, and it would be great to get the win and maybe it would pave the way for a successful season, but would that really help this team in the long term? What is the cost of getting over like that? Because eventually that potential game-winner isn’t going to find the mark. That much is inevitable, and to Roy, apparent.

“Bill Walton came in and said the good teams don’t win on adrenaline or emotions. He said the championship teams play consistent every night. You have to beat teams consistently and you have to be better. I think that’s what we’re trying to get to as a team. We can’t wait for this big crazy shot by me or Travis or Blake to get us emotionally excited about the season. We have to come in ready.”

It is a fine line. It’s looking a gift horse in the mouth or disavowing the notion that being lucky is in fact preferential to being good. It goes against human nature to root against good fortune, but that’s not really the point. Every team that has ever accomplished anything substantive has caught their fair share of breaks, but at some juncture, you have to be better than luck allows. Great teams win in spite of their luck, rather than because of it.

Which is why Portland’s 2-3 start, as painful as it might be to watch, could very well do this team a service in the end. If the entire team can come to the realization Roy has, that they can’t rely on a moment to change the course of their season, maybe they can meet or exceed the expectations thrust upon them.

Podcast: Trail Blazers Courtside And The Jim Rome Show

Lots of archived audio from the last few days to catch up on, so this will be quick...

Trail Blazers Courtside was on last night on just about every medium imaginable. If you missed it on Comcast, or on 95.5 The Game, or online at trailblazers.com you can now listen to it here. Jay Allen and Michael Holton hold down hosting duties, with Nate McMillan, Mike Barrett, Mike Rice and Wendell Maxey all making appearances.

Here's Hour One:



Download Trail Blazers Courtside (Hour One) (38.5 MB)

And Hour Two:



Download Trail Blazers Courtside (Hour Two) (38.7 MB)

But there's more! Jim Rome was in town yesterday recording the appropriately named "Jim Rome Show" at the 95.5 The Game studios. He seemed to enjoy his less than 24 hour stay a great deal. The show was heavy on Trail Blazers and Ducks, which is surely good for ratings in this and all other markets.

I'll leave the Duck interviews to our friends down in Eugene, but as for apperances by Nate McMillan and Brandon Roy, we've got you covered.

Here's the interview with McMillan:



Nate McMillan On The Jim Rome Show (3.8 MB)

And here's the segment with Roy:



Brandon Roy On The Jim Rome Show (3.6 MB)

Enjoy. Go Trail Blazers.

10.30.09 Trailblazers.com Podcast

It's risky drawing conclusions based two games into the season, so neither Dave Deckard of Blazersedge.com nor I, Casey Holdahl of trailblazers.com, go too far in declaring the 2009-10 Trail Blazers the best or worst team in the history of sports. But we do look at the performances Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Martell Webster and basically every other member of the team who has seen significant PT through the first 1/41sts of the season.

We also delve briefly into the streaming of KGW games and whether pursing a point-forward is worth the trouble. And I didn't even get a chance to touch on the candy preferences of each member of the team. It doesn't seem like an hour worth of material, but file size don't lie.



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Brush It Off Big Fella'

I knew exactly what the locker room would look like tonight before stepping through the heavy double doors that separate the team's sanctuary from the outside world. There would be a crowd of reporters in a semi-circle watching Greg Oden get dressed, recorders, cameras and microphones at the ready. Dante Cunningham, who inhabits the locker next to Oden, would be pushed aside while trying to get dressed by people half his size and infinitely less athletic. Sure enough, that's exactly what I saw.

I had no interest in joining the scrum. I was pretty sure I knew what he was going to say, and I'm positive he didn't need another camera shoved in his face, so I stood on the opposite side of the locker room waiting for it all to unfold.

And I wasn't alone. As the media horde stood quietly around Oden, head hung as he slipped a suit jacket over his shoulders, Brandon Roy, Jerryd Bayless, Juwan Howard, Rudy Fernandez and Joel Przybilla were all watching as well. I don't know if they were curious about how he would react to the moment, what he would say or what the media would ask, but they briefly stopped their own postgame rituals to take it in. All eyes were once again on Oden, just as they were when he missed two free throws that could have tied the game with 4.6 seconds to play.

He said the things you would expect him to say, though I doubt his teammates would agree with his conclusions. He put the loss on himself, talking about need to "step up" in pressure situations. While the later statement might be true, the former is not. Missing those free throws didn't loose that game. Shooting 34.6 percent from the field as a team took care of that.

The Blazers had 20 more attempts but the same number of makes as the Nuggets. Portland had more rebounds, more assists, fewer turnovers, more second chance points and only four fewer points in the paint while holding Denver to nine fastbreak points, but none of that mattered, just as missing two free throws didn't really matter. If the Blazers shoot even 40 percent from the field, which would still be a lackluster performance, they win going away. Instead, they head off to Houston 1-1.

No Looking Back

Last time this season the Trail Blazers were excited, full of youthful exuberance, ready to take on the L.A. Lakers at Staples Center on national television. Ready to turn promise into production. Plant a red and black flag in the backyard of a Western Conference powerhouse.

Then they played the game.

In case you've wiped it completely out of your memory banks, the Trail Blazers did not play well in last season's opener in L.A. No reason going into any more detail than that. But with just hours to go before the start of the 2009-10 season, thoughts might drift back to the unpleasantness that occurred 364 days ago.

But they shouldn't.

"We're a different team," said Nate McMillan," different year, different opponent. Last year we started out with the Lakers on the road. We're starting out with a different team this year. It's about now and not the past and what we want to do starting (Tuesday) on our court against Houston."

This Trail Blazers team is a year older and wiser. They've added veterans. They're in better shape. Contracts have been negotiated and signed. And maybe most importantly, Greg Oden is healthy, confident and playing his 62nd professional game, rather than his first.

"My body feels a lot better (than last year)," said Oden. "Not as much of a grind as it was on my knee with that extra weight . Body feels good, I feel in shape. Guys are playing real aggressive and with a lot of energy, a lot of talking out there. Just hoping we can bring that to (Tuesday's) game."

When Families Negotiate

There’s something that gets missed when discussing contract negotiations in the NBA. The focus is on the money, the respect. There’s talk of salary cap implications and “basketball-related income.” And people know things can get contentious, feeling can get hurt, pride can be wounded, but for Kevin Pritchard and LaMarcus Aldridge, those notions of negotiations don’t get to where the real difficulty resided during the process of locking LA up for the next five seasons in Portland.

The NBA is a business. Everyone knows that. But sport, especially basketball, is a business unlike most. There aren’t huge rosters like in football and baseball. You’re talking about 15 guys, guys you see every day during the season. And when you’re talking about the Trail Blazers, a team and an organization that is more tight-knit than most, you’re talking about relationships that are close and important. So when something changes those relationships, even temporarily, people feel it.

That was the case when it came to Aldridge’s contract negotiations. It wasn’t that the respect LA and KP had for each other changed, because it didn’t. Both have a sincere appreciation for the other, personally and professionally, but the fact is when it comes to hammering out a contract, each side has to approach each other differently. You have to give the other space so as to not give the impression that you’re trying to use that respect and those relationships you’ve cultivated to your own advantage. To do so would cheapen that bond. So you pull back, put your personal feelings aside as much as possible and conduct yourself in a professional manner befitting the importance of the moment.

“The hardest part for me is you grow close to these players and then you start the negotiations and all the sudden you have to step back and make it more professional, and I have a hard time with that,” said Pritchard. “I like talking to the players. I like helping them as much as I can in any way. But LaMarcus has been terrific in knowing we had good faith.”

It’s difficult, even when you know everyone is acting the way they should. There’s a lot of emotion wrapped up in this team, in this goal of winning a championship. The hugs, the handshakes, the high-fives, these things are like breathing for the guys in the clubhouse that is the practice facility. And when you have to put those things aside, even for a short period of time, it adds a complexity to the negotiations that people who are never involved in the process can’t realize. Teams are supposed to bring people together, and they do, but when you have to keep your distance for the sake of the team, it breeds a sort of mock conflict.

“I would see (Pritchard) but I would kind of be distant too because you just want to keep it professional,” said Aldridge. “You don’t want to make it like you’re talking to him to try and get information or you’re trying to butter him up, so you try to keep it professional on both ends. We would speak but it wasn’t like it used to be because it was just professional and we didn’t want to give each other mixed signals.”

“It’s a little bit like a Chinese water torture for me cause I’m a basketball guy,” said Pritchard. “I love smelling the gym and being in here and when you’re doing a negotiation, both sides, there are struggles. You’ve got to get to a fair point. But … we always felt good about it.”

It helps that KP has been a player. He knows the mind of an athlete and he knows LaMarcus. And this isn’t his first rodeo when it comes to negotiating. But KP is as connected to his players as any GM in sports. He’s not locked up in an office making decisions from on high. Everyday he’s feeling the pulse of the team. Part of that is being a good executive, but that’s just an ancillary bonus. The reality is with the players is where he wants, almost needs, to be. And when you take that away, it’s challenging. Some could take that forced distance the wrong way.

“I think he understood and I understood that it’s a business,” said Aldridge “It was being professional. I never took it personal that he didn’t talk to me as much and I don’t think he took it personal because we know at the end of the day we get along pretty well. We know it was circumstances that put us in that position, but that’s over with now.”

Indeed it is. Now they can go back to where they were before, hopefully better for the experience.

Check The New Billboard

Trail Blazers get a win in Vancouver, BC. LaMarcus Aldridge gets five-years of stability. And we here at Trail Blazers HQ get a new billboard to look at everyday as we walk into the office. Everybody is happy.

10.22.09 Trailblazers.com Podcast

There's been a ton of reported news regarding the Trail Blazers over the last few days, though nothing has gone official. So while Gavin Dawson of 95.5 The Game and Dave Deckard of Blazersedge.com speak on LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills with an air of definitiveness, I, Casey Holdahl of Trailblazers.com, tread a bit more lightly. Dance blogger, dance!

Also in this podcast: chemistry issues, Gavin and I argue about whether a trade needs to be made, a brief conversation on live streaming, predictions on the first week of the season and whether I can watch college football and play poker at the same time. Count you're money while you listen.



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From A Distance

Last season the Trail Blazers shot 38 percent from three for the season, good for fourth best in the NBA. The ability to stroke from three played a huge role on last season's successes. Aside from the obvious benefits of being worth more than a two-point shot, Portland's high-percentage from three forced opposing teams to pay close attention to the perimeter, helping free up the paint for Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. And this season, with Greg Oden looking much more polished and comfortable on the offensive end, outside shooting is going to be even more important. But through the first six games of the preseason, the Blazers have failed to consistently find the mark from long range.

The Trail Blazers shot well from three in the 2008-09 preseason, 40 percent (51 of 126) well to be exact. But through the first six games of the 2009-10 exhibition season the Trail Blazers are shooting just 31 percent (25 of 81) from long range. They're shooting fewer three's as well, 13.5 per game this preseason as opposed to 18 per this time last year. Hard to tell if they're taking fewer triples because they're not shooting as well or if other factors are in play.

Tuesday night's game was no better. Portland shot 2 for 15 from three, which pencils out to 13.3 percent. The absence of Aldridge and Oden from the lineup made it that much harder for shooters on the perimeter to get open, but you'd think at least they'd get luck more than twice in fifteen tries.

There's a number of things you can point to that explain the problem. The team has been without Rudy Fernandez, one of the best if not the best shooter on the team, for most of the preseason. Martell Webster, who challenges Rudy as the team's best three-point specialist, is still getting back into game shape, both from a fitness and tempo perspective. Those two can straight make it rain when healthy and in rhythm, but neither are there yet.

"You’ve got to get your rhythm," said Nate McMillan. "Normally you start out slow and that percentage goes up. A lot of that, I would say, probably are guys legs, they don’t have their legs right now. Rudy is not with us. Martell is a back shooting some three’s. A lot of guys are shooting some three’s. It’s early, but we want to take ‘em if we’re open and I think that percentage will go up."

Then there's Andre Miller. Dre brings a bevy of skills to the point guard position, but three-point shooting isn't one of them. The issue isn't so much that he's missing three's, because he's really not taking all that many, but he is taking away court time from Steve Blake, who was absolutely nails last year from deep. So when you've got one of your best perimeter shooters playing less, it's logical to see a drop off in both attempts and percentage. Also probably worth noting that Blake got a lot of open three's last season thanks to Roy's ability to penetrate then pass out to the perimeter. That SG-to-PG-for-three connection seems less likely with Roy working with Miller in the backcourt.

It's possible that there are some flow issues at play with Miller as well. He's still learning where his teammates like to receive the ball, where they like to spot up. When these kinds of things become second nature, there's a good chance the three-point percentages will improve. Miller's ability to penetrate and kick will eventually help those shooters as well.

But more than anything, guys just aren't making shots, and that's the way it goes sometimes. For every hot streak where the hoop looks like the size of a manhole cover there's a corresponding slump where nothing comes easy. Believe it or not, that's actually good news. Much better to get those cold spells out in preseason. So don't expect shooters to stop shooting any time soon.

"I think we have had some open three’s and we just missed ‘em," said McMillan. "We want to take those. We’ve got guys that can shoot the ball from three so we want to take those shots."

10.19.09 Trail Blazers Courtside

Kudos to the Trail Blazers Courtside crew for putting together a top-notch show just a week before the start of the regular season. Great guests, great hosts, great show. Next week's prediction show should be fun as well.

But back to this week. Mike Barrett, Mike Rice and Brian Wheeler take care of hosting duties for both hours. In Hour One, both Kevin Pritchard and Joel Przybilla call in.



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In the second hour, shooting coach John Townsend calls in to talk shop and Merlin swoops in to do ... whatever it is that he does.



Download the Trail Blazers Courtside (Hour Two) (38.8 MB)


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Notes From A Shootaround: Taking It Easy

A sleepy shootaround out yonder in Tualatin today. Jason Quick, Brian T. Smith and I were the only media folks in attendance. Those who didn't show didn't miss much.

A few things ...

• As you've already heard if you subscribe to our Twitter feed, Greg Oden, coming off one of the best six minutes stretches that anyone has had so far this preseason, will not play due to a sore thigh adductor. For those of you not sure where the adductor is at, it's apparently in the upper thigh area where the leg connects to the torso. A sensitive area, to be sure. The injury, as Oden remembers, stems from being kicked by Arron Afflalo in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Nuggets.

"It's sore from the kick, still," said Oden. "But Jay (Jensen) really didn't want to chance it. I can tell you it's feeling a lot better than what it did yesterday. But it's still a little sore and I feel it a little bit, so Jay didn't want to chance it."

Joel Przybilla, who sat out yesterday's practice with a sore back, will play and start. LaMarcus Aldridge returns to the starting lineup after sitting out Sunday's game with a knee contusion. Jerryd Bayless, who also missed practice yesterday after spraining his ankle in the first quarter of the Nuggets game, is expect to play. Rudy Fernandez, still battling back spasms, is listed as out. Now you know.

• As for the starting lineup, Nate McMillan is going with Steve Blake, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Joel Przybilla. McMillan has given the impression that he's fairly certain of who he's going to start on opening night, but he's keeping that news to himself at this point.

"The thing is I'm treating this like it were a regular season game in the sense that is these guys were out (in the regular season) we make our adjustments," said McMillan. "We approach it like that."

• Brandon Roy is looking forward to the start of the NBA regular season and Saturday's game between the Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies.