Sure, he only has one more opportunity to get a fat contract but think about how much he loves this team and city? He's been through thick and thin and could've went somewhere else where a championship was attainable but instead stuck here. Yeah, now he's most likely going to have to be a bench player, but Joel seems like a guy that puts his team before himself and doesn't just say the right things just for the sake of saying it. If I had to bet, I'd say he's gonna take less from us and help us win championships. Besides, I don't think money is a huge issue for Joel. He's already making a good amount, and the lifestyle he lives doesn't really demand a fortune. He's an outdoorsy family guy and the NW is perfect for that. I'd be very sad if he left. As much as I believe in Oden, I still think injuries will plague him every now and then and I don't want to see anyone other than Joel to step out there while he's down.
Opportunity to start. More minutes regardless. Play closer to his home. Despite what anyone really thinks, unless KP made the biggest draft day mistake since 1984, Greg Oden will be the starting center for the Blazers for many years. He won't always be in foul trouble, and will likely start playing a lot more than 22 minutes a game.
you'd get over it. While it's fun to enjoy the fleeting careers of individual players, I'm guessing that like me at the end of the day it's go laundry! I don't pretend to know what players feel about their team/city, but I am aware that when Joel re-signed with the Blazers he went with the biggest contract (in both years and $ per) that he was offered. Most players blow sunshine up our collective patoots about how much they love and appreciate the fans and city that they represent... its expected... but I struggle to think of examples of players who gave up better opportunities in dollars and minutes to re-up with their current team. STOMP
He won't leave if the money is similar. He has to do what is best for he and his family and as you stated he has one last chance for a fat contract. But if Portland pays.....he would stay IMO
What's his contract situation like? Will he be a UFA at the end of the season, or will Portland at least have the opportunity to match?
Warm sunshine up our heine's indeed. This makes me think of Artest. He was telling the media how much he wanted to return to the Rockets, how good the team was to him, and then he promptly signed with the L*kers. Then stories surface how he'd been trying to get on the L*kers before he first signed with the Rockets. Went in their locker after the Boston loss in the finals, etc. I wonder if he would have gotten more money and a longer contract with the Rockets. The reverse of what you were thinking on I suppose, except he's now got a chance at a title to compensate for that fiscal step down. I just hope it works out for him like it didn't for Gary Payton and Carl Malone. I also won't be surprised if Pryz leaves for all the reasons mentioned already. And leading up to that he'll profess his love and devotion to Portland. He'd be foolish to not to (the latter, not the former).
His contract runs through the 2010-11 season, but he has a Player Option for the last year. If he takes it, and my bet is that he will if only to get a bigger deal, he'll become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He can sign anywhere he wants, but the Blazers do hold his Bird rights and can offer a longer contract. It seems to me that his future with the Blazers is somewhat dependant upon how much Greg improves this season and whether he can stay healthy.
That was a really stupid conclusion based on what I said. I assume you are bored and want to pick a fight?
Nah, if I wanted to pick a fight, I'd call you a "Lilly livered Laker lover." I don't see any legitimate reason, however, to make a prediction about what Przybilla will do based upon what Artest did this summer. They're totally different players in totally different situations. Artest is a flaky character who has a history of moving around the league. He was in a situation in Houston where he knew that because of Yao's injury the Rockets are likely to suck this year. He got the opportunity to go to a title contender to get a solid chance at being on a championship team to close out his career. Joel's a solid character guy who came into his own as a player in a Blazers uniform. He's playing for a team that is a rising threat to contend for a title within the next couple of years. I'm not saying that there's no way he leaves Portland if the right opportunity comes along, but it's far from a certainty. Will another title contender have an opening at the starting center spot and be willing to commit major dollars to Joel given the stable of star players that will be available next summer? Will Oden prove himself this season as being so good and healthy that Joel's minutes and starting spot will fade away? We'll have to wait and see.
Money >>>> Liking a city If someone else offers Joel more money he'll go there. Just like he would have gone to Chicago if they hadn't signed Ben Wallace.
I tend to think it's not always smoke up the arse when players talk about a city and the fans...but that doesn't mean they're going to forgo a lot of money to stay there. Professional athletes have such a limited window in their lives in which to make that kind of money they need to take it while they can.
He "stuck" here because we offered him more money, for longer than any other team. Why do so many Blazer fans forget this?
No one has yet mentioned the MAJOR fact that his wife and he are from the Mid West and have aging parents living in Minnesota or Wisconsin. I think T'Wolves will make him an offer and he will see that he could be their starting Center AND be close to family. It'll be 50/50 whether or not he stays IMO.
I don't think he will leave at all, really. Well, not unless he gets vastly overpaid like Voskul did by Seattle. I think it was him. That, and guaranteed a starting job on a contender. Yet, I think he will stay if the offer we give him is good.
This all assumes he stays healthy again this year and that he thinks he can stay healthy next year too. For a guy who has only played four (more or less) full seasons (70+ games) and averages only 20 mpg over his career, that's a pretty big assumption. The smart move for him might be to sign an extension here and remove a lot of insecurity over his future. Sure, he might make more money in two years AND start AND play more minutes, but he if he goes down with yet another injury in the meantime he could see the market evaporate for his services. And even assuming he gets that fat contract with another team, he has to realize he'd be asked to play 30-35 mpg, and he's never done that and stayed healthy. So he might pull it off for a year, only to see his career shortened from breaking down from too many minutes. That's a fair amount of risk to take on to play with a team that probably won't be a contender, when you are already on a contender. What would I do if I were in his shoes? I'd probably take the sure thing and the chance at a championship. Besides, it's gotta be kind of fun to go in there after Oden has beaten the snot out of the other guy and continue laying on the wood. Who wouldn't want to tag team with Anderson Silva (little MMA reference there)? But if he really thinks he can stay healthy and his agent is confident that there will be a big market for him, I could see him taking the risk.
