There is a very real chance that Joel Przybilla ($6.8m) could bolt this summer. Do we bite the bullet and hope he declines his player option or do we look to deal him and get something back? He's hands down the best backup Center in the League and could start for many teams. And I'm guessing he probably knows this. The same can be said about Travis ($4.0m), with Batum emerging and a healthy Martell back, this is inevitable. IMO, along with some youth (Bayless) or Euros (Freeland, Koponen), we should go for a young PG like Conley, Ellis, Augustin, etc.
It's definitely a tough position, because I can see wanting to ge value for him, and packaging him for a young player would be a good way to do that, but at the same time feel like a backup like him is a vital piece to our success(depth, in general, not JUST him), and so, in a year we can realistically make the WCF if not the Finals, do you sacrifice that depth for a more long term piece? I think I would NEED to get a replacement as well in the deal, if I were to actually move him. Montae AND Turiaf for Joel and Bayless, Conley AND..ugh. Augustin AND Chandler? Etc. No tthat I specifically like any of those deals. Just saying, packaging him for one piece wouldn't do it for me.
Um..... Joel goes nowhere cause I don't think GO will make it through a whole season without injury of some kind ever! Without Joel our defense is a joke!
You didn't pay attention. Joel will most likely bolt after the season. What should we do with him? Joel likes Portland, but if another team, closer to his home, offers him more money and a starting spot, then he will leave.
What he does on the defensive end makes up for it! Right now in my eyes Oden hasn't proved he should even be starting over Joel. Maybe we should have the discussion about what we could trade GO for? To be honest I wonder who would get more in return?
Yeah Oden is a question mark injury player, who many think lacks desire to be great! Joel although less talented is consistent, gets boards and understands the game far better. So yes!!!! I think right now on the free market it's a push! As for Joel bolting to go back home, do any of you see any teams in the midwest having a shot at a real playoff run in the next three years outside of the Cavs?
Joel/Bayless for R.Lopez/Barbosa/Amundson works. I'm a huge fan of Lopez. I really think he has a chance to be at least as good as Przybilla down the road.
A push? yeah. Sure it is. I'm sure there's GMs that think that too. As for a real playoff run in the next 3 years, did you see Denver or Boston having a real playoff run 3 years ago? What would Joel's interior defense and rebounding do for Detroit, surrounded by Gordon, Stuckey, Prince and Villanueva? And regardless, if it was about winning to Joel, and not primarily abou tmoney, he wouldhave left us when he was afree agent to go to San Antonio or Detroit, who had decent offers out to him. Instead, he took the most money to return to a garbage team in Portland. I'm not trying to criticize Joel fo rthat decision, I am happy as hell he made it, and it's one many players would make. But to think he'll stay here for 4 million a year ,because he has been here, when another team could offer him 6 doesn't seem resonable to me. Especially if a team offering more money is closer to his home.
If the money is there, why wouldn't he want to play for Milwaukee? Or Chicago? Or back to Minny? Indiana, Detroit....Those are all teams right around his home.
The question is, what team is going to have both the cap space and the willingness to offer him more money than the Blazers?
Or maybe he was just loyal to Portland and didn't feel like moving. It's not like we offered him that much more.
Now at this point I don't see him playing for money more for a ring. His wife makes a shit ton of money from what I've been told so he may stay for less money
It is a fact that Joel took MORE money to stay in Portland. I don't necessarily call that loyalty. Yes, we were a bad team but he got to be a starter and make more money than was offered by SAS or Detroit IIRC. I love Joel. But, I hope that GO earns more minutes this year to make Joel expendable. I think he's valuable as a starter or as the leagues best b/u center, but there is downside for any team taking him as a pending UFA. I would try to create a trade with Blake and Travis (same contract status as Joel) and try to land a PF/C (like MGasol or similar) with quality/under contract for a few yrs. Yardape - you crack me up with your world-view!!!
Ideally Travis and Joel will be packaged for a stud 4 with a jumper and years left on his contract to form a solid Bigs rotation with Greg and LA. But of the two, I think it's far more likely that Joel is gone next year then Travis. I don't think much of Martell's game. He's been weak mentally & prone to inconsistency... how will that play off the bench? It's quite likely that both Travis and Roy will end up garnering a higher % of the backup minutes at 3 then Martell who could easily fall down to the 9th-10th man in the rotation. I'd expect Travis to get nearly all of the backup PF minutes too... I'm guessing he'll be averaging 20-25 MPG again. If Greg is able to stay healthy next year the writing is on the wall for JP's future minutes in Portland. Like Greg, his only position is center. He'll be 30 and probably wanting to ply his trade in his prime years more then 15 MPG. He would be a very valuable chip as starting quality Bigs command a premium. STOMP
Marc Gasol could be a real nice option, the drop off on defense wouldn't be huge and it'd be a nice boost in passing on offense. Blake/Outlaw/Pryzbilla for Gasol/Conley if we knew Joel planned on leaving, if he wants to stay, I want him here. I think with the inside threat of Gasol on the court I'd be fine with a platoon of Cunningham/Howard at 4.
