..at least thus far..............according to Brandon Roy. From: The Columbian Also, a humorous Outlaw quote:
I love everything Joel stands for. He is a good guy. He works hard. Might be the hardest worker on the team. His attitude is flawless. If anything, Joel provided a nice foundation for this team to build around years ago when they decided to re lift the face of the franchise again after doing it just three years before. Joel was a poster boy for who and what they were looking for. From that standpoint. He is a very important.
Last year I said Blake This year I say Aldridge . . . LA is a star and Blazers are thin in that position. If he goes down, Blazers are in trouble.
Joel has been the veteran rock for the Blazers for years. He is underappreciated by fans. Unfortunately, he's got 1 more payday left in him before his career comes to a close. He'll probably leave for greener pastures just to secure his future for his family when his contract is up. It's too bad because with GO and Pryz, the Blazers have the best center combo in the league...defensively & rebounding wise.
We are just rolling in the feel good stories about our guys who just want to contribute and win and put the team first (Rudy, Martell, Joel....). Even if everyone is blowing smoke, it still feels good to read this stuff. We have come far. I know if I were already making millions to play basketball, I'd stick around the Blazers for a championship run.
Who underappreciates him? I don't often hear people badmouth Joel. I think the most you'll hear is that there's a very good chance he isn't here after his contract is up. That's not because we don't like him, or value him. It's because we have Greg Oden. As much as I would love to see him retire as a Blazer, I think there's a good chance he leaves because he deserves to start somewhere.
I said last season that Przybilla was our MVP part II. He was the glue that holds our defense together. Hope we resign him next summer.
