I heard the same thing, except that he included saying that Joel's going to work with his strength and conditioning coach this summer to see if he can get the strength back in his leg. If he can't, Canzano said he'll probably decide to hang it up.
Well, at least we don't have to worry about Joel's molasses legs anytime soon! Props to him for his hard work over the years. I'd be cool to see him be waived and re-signed for cheap by the end of the season.
Joel was the only decent thing to come out of those shit years in the wilderness. Bless him and his family.
who couldn't appreciate what Joel brought to Portland? That said, I always chaff when people act like his resigning with Portland was some noble act of loyalty on his part. Yes the Spurs and Pistons wanted him & went public with their offers, but Joel instead reupped with the biggest contract he was offered both in years and dollars per year. There is nothing wrong with that but lets keep things in perspective. At the time I thought for sure Chicago would land him as they had the capspace, were located closer to his extended family, and a void at the 5, but they blew their wad (and then some) on Ben Wallace instead. JP resigned with Portland days after Wallace filled this potential slot STOMP
I have forgotten the details, but he had better offers from other teams. That's why staying here was indeed a noble act of loyalty. Of course, it was also an act of security, because moving to another coach and team entailed risk. Any new team might have later decided to reject him, like his pre-Portland career.
As I recall, we offered (and could, since he was a RFA) the same contract dollar for dollar that Detroit and San Antonio offered; so they didn't offer a bigger contract, but they did offer contenders that he could have easily gone to if he were a ring chaser. That's where his loyalty was, in sticking with an up-ad-comer rather than a win-it-now team.
Przybilla became a free agent again at the end of the 2005–2006 season. After being pursued by several teams, he agreed to re-sign with the Blazers; the contract is reportedly for 5 years and US $32 million. Among his suitors were the Chicago Bulls, and the Detroit Pistons, seeking to replace the outgoing Ben Wallace. Bill Duffy, Przybilla's agent, explained his reasons for re-signing with the Blazers this way: "He's extremely loyal, and they gave him an opportunity two years ago when no one else did." At the same time, the Blazers' offer was the most generous, surpassing the Pistons' $29 million offer and the $24 million offered by the Spurs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Przybilla STOMP
I'll sift through the old bbf posts if it's really necessary, but this rang true with my memory. STOMP
I remember it that way too. People say that he turned down more money but all he turned down was a better team.
