Anyone else believe Joel is going to get his game back?

I think he is. He looks like he's improving to me. With the way he works in the offseason I think he'll be back to nearly 100 percent next year.

 

I'm sure he was amped up as much as he's been all season, but it was kind of cool to see he's still got it defensively. Vintage Joel on some of the blocks. I hope there's a chance that he'd want to come back.. he's better than Collins by a mile.

 

I don't think so... I think he can still play, and with the quality of the centers in the league, why not sign him? But I don't think he'll ever be the guy that he was. His athleticism is mostly gone. He was never super athletic but you can tell he can't jump like he used to. With that said, if guys like Jarron Collins and Sean Marks are still getting work, why not Joel?

 

No.

 

He sure got fouled quick in the game. I think his game will be slower. Wow, its amazing that he wants to retire when J.Howard has been in the league longer and is still kicking it. Strange to see Joel in a different uniform though.

 

MIXUM i want to play you one on one....somebody quote me

 

Joel's game is easy to get back. It doesn't depend on skills that are hard to get back. I always knew the rest of the league underrated Joel, but I hadn't realized Blazer fans and management did, too. After his health returns in a year, Przybilla will be a starting center for most NBA teams.

Meanwhile McMillan is plodding along to figure out how to use Wallace. Nate didn't major in chemistry. Did you see how giant Przybilla looked next to our players last night? The guy is huge.

 

I'm sure he'll work hard enough, thats not in question. The knee injury is one that takes a while for full recovery but should eventually come around. He may not be 100% with his mobility/jumping to start next year but should be pretty close.

STOMP

 

He isn't a spring chicken anymore. Knee injuries like that can rob a guy of his lift. Joel was never an offensive force, but his shot blocking and rebounding was always pretty solid. I'm still waiting to see how that knee injury will play out.

 

Sadly I think he'll be lucky to get back to 80% of his former self ... and that wasn't exactly an elite level of athleticism. Can he still be marginally useful? Probably, but I also wouldn't be shocked to see him hang it up at the end of the year after hearing some of his comments pre-trade.

 

Yeah, I think it hinges on whether the Blazers offer him a spot. If he can come back here and sign a deal, I think he might play another year or two, but I don't see him moving the family somewhere to play for a couple of seasons. If the Blazers won't offer him a spot, I think he'll retire.

 

doctors predicted his knee will come back to 100% but that it could take up to two years... it's been one so far. Of course a whole lot of Bigs play well into their 30s and JP is 31 now. I thought he was moving around well enough to be a serviceable Big last night and don't think he's that far away from his former self.

I'm not pining for PDX to resign him next offseason and don't think thats likely to be in the plans, but I do think the guy has another decent contract ahead of him.

STOMP

 

I think he'll get back to where he was before the knee injury or very close. Like I said in a MB blog post we are just letting him heal at the Bobcats and will get him back next season healed.

 

I think Joel will be back, and unfortunately, it won't be for us. He'll snag something like a three-year, $9MM (total) contract, with the last year at a team option. That's more than the BAE, and we'll need our MLE for a backup PF.

The lockout will be interesting for him. Perhaps he dedicates himself into getting that last 20% he can back (I think he's playing at 75%) and wants to return to the NBA. Or does he use the lockout to hang out and dip his toe into retirement? I think he can still be quite useful for an NBA team. I would love it if the new CBA allowed us to pick up a guy like Joel, but I think the new CBA will be more, not less limiting in the pursuit of free agents.

The bigger question is, however: As much as Przy's game has declined, how on earth is he measurably better than Kwame Brown? Yikes, Kwame is just beyond terrible.

 

Kwame has to be one of, if not the biggest, busts of all time.

 

Kwame was the Blazers MVP last night, no doubt. That guy is flat out the worst player in basketball. Even Sean Marks can occasionally hit the RIM!

 

qbr

 

In a word, no.

Joel seems to have spent half his career rehabing from injuries. At some point, his body is going to say "enough", or the emotional/psychological toll will convince him he doesn't want it anymore.

 

I actually think Kwame could have been something if the Wizards had gotten him a big man coach and a shooting coach. The guy had some talent, not #1 talent but a decent starting center talent. Unfortunately he sucked got no coach's or real big man players to help him and a coach who killed his self esteem and made him feel worthless. Add that all on the fact he had that #1 pick weighing on him and what do you get? The worthless Kwame Brown of today.

 

Of course it depends on the new CBA, but if the existing rules were in place I think Joel would likely get 5-6 million per year for 4 years.