Christmas Comes Early For Jeff Pendergraph

by Ben. on Nov 10, 2009 11:40 AM PST in News Comment 29 comments

Being injured in the NBA is no fun: constantly answering questions about how you feel at that exact moment, constantly estimating how long it will be until you return, constantly receiving all sorts of treatment that may or may not be working, constantly on your way to rehab appointments. You're only able to watch practices as guys develop on-court cohesion and, often, you're left home on long road trips when the rest of your team bonds away from the court. You can't move around very well and there's way, way too much down time.

When you're a rookie like Blazers backup power forward Jeff Pendergraph, who went down with a hip injury that required surgery before playing his first minute as a pro, it's doubly frustrating. Not only are you sidelined from playing but you're sidelined from making a first impression on your team, coaching staff and fans.

By all accounts, Pendergraph is eager to please. The scouts say he will run through a wall for Nate McMillan. Kevin Pritchard praised his personality during pre-draft workouts and rewarded him with a contract this summer, despite his injury. Pendergraph gamely showed up on Media Day with a big smile, hopped around on his crutches and said all the right things. In recent weeks, Pendergraph put aside the crutches and got a few shots up after practice. Still, it's a slow recovery and his return to the court remains months away (January is one recent guess).

That's why it brought a smile to my face this morning as Pendergraph seems to have found something to occupy his downtime... Click through for details...

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

At midnight last night, the hotly-anticipated update to the popular Call of Duty video game series was released.

As you can read from his twitter stream, Pendergraph stood in line through the night to be one of the first people to own a copy. He then appears to have played the game for almost the entire morning, taking breaks for rehab work and to tweet about how awesome the game is. Hilarious.

Ike Diogu would be proud.

When it is said that "NBA players are just like you and me" sometimes that is true and sometimes that is really, really false. In this case, I think Jeff Pendergraph has proven himself to be a man of the people.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

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Hilarious!

I may have to rethink my take on that game…I’d heard it was gimped…

Shoot for the head, JP…shoot for the head!

Are you a Mexi-CAN or a Mexi-CAN'T?

by raggmopp on Nov 10, 2009 11:50 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Serious question: When does Pendergraph start schlepping luggage and donuts for the vets?

I assume he gets a bye after surgery, but when does he start fulfilling his rookie duties? When he can walk? When he can run? When he goes on road trips? What’s the protocol here?

by MiledAnimal on Nov 10, 2009 11:50 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Go Pendy!

Way to be a fan of the FPS… Now let’s hope he doesn’t neglect his workouts in order to geek out on the game…

Blazers win!

by The X-man on Nov 10, 2009 11:54 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Shoooooot who needs a fry when

you got a pendy

The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.

"New Man Law: If you don't show up for the draft you don't get to come later if you're picked. If you believe in yourself, show up and sit there. If nobody else believes in you, take it and cry like a man...in front of the cameras."

-Dave

by faith on Nov 10, 2009 12:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

DeJuan Blair doesn't play warfare video games

He mows down real victims by the hundreds in a shocking display of ruthless, bloody mayhem. And he does this with no ACL’s in his knees. No wimpy surgery for him!!

"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla

by hurryup09 on Nov 10, 2009 12:25 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

18% of his jump shots get blocked.

dinasour type of guys choir boys

by mittsabishy on Nov 10, 2009 12:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So do Paul Millsap's, I'd guess

No matter. Blair just picks the ball back up, mows you down with his futuristic assault weapon, and slams it through.

BTW, I’m just joshing. By all accounts Pendy is a nice guy and hard worker. Glad to have him as a Blazer. DeJuan Blair is a Spur and nothing’s going to change that now.

"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla

by hurryup09 on Nov 10, 2009 1:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

dejuan blair rules

cash rules everything around me CREAM get tha money dolla dolla bill yaaaaallll

by staceyaugmon4HOF on Nov 10, 2009 2:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

DeJuan Blair is Zach Randolph without a work ethic

by tominhawaii on Nov 11, 2009 3:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Gamertag?

What is his gamertag?

"It all depends on where his growth will come and we think his growth will come within us" -- Kevin Pritchard on Jerryd Bayless

by Jumbo on Nov 10, 2009 12:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

kinda like a .....

oh cummon you serious? :)

The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.

-Dave

by faith on Nov 10, 2009 12:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

How rudely presumptuous...

Was his console or computer of choice specified in the article?

by TheMadKiwi on Nov 10, 2009 3:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

deduction

Since he waited in line for a game that’s downloadable on Steam, I eliminated the PC as a choice. When he said “multiplayer leaves me speachless” I deduced that he was on the platform with the superior online community features. Finally, the fact that he’s on Twitter leads me to believe that he owns a Twitter-capable console.

"It all depends on where his growth will come and we think his growth will come within us" -- Kevin Pritchard on Jerryd Bayless

by Jumbo on Nov 10, 2009 4:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

why would anyone want to multiplayer over sony's crappy network

his presumption of 360 being the game of choice makes perfect sense

Rooo-D!

by truls on Nov 10, 2009 4:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No interest in a console war

Been through my childish “justify my personal choice to others” squabbles already with Atari 8-bit vs. C-64 thanks. :)

And I assume you already know that what you’re saying makes absolutely no sense.

by TheMadKiwi on Nov 12, 2009 9:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Speculation and irrelevance!

Heheheh, I hope any dissertations you construct contain a little more evidence. ;-)

by TheMadKiwi on Nov 12, 2009 9:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Jeff Pendergraph for Bench Captain!!!

I think this makes me like him almost as much as I liked Shavlik last year.

Dave's Keys to the Season: "GREG ODEN SMASH!!!!!!"

by Jeremiah S on Nov 10, 2009 12:29 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I was at the launch last night at Washington Square.

I saw JP but didn’t want to bother him. It was cool to see him out there though. I unfortunaltey only got to play COd for about 15 minutes before going to bed. I had to work at 6:30 this morning. Now I am sick and tired (literally).

by dfoz3 on Nov 10, 2009 12:31 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Speachless eh?

Regarding Hedo Türkoğlu:

Look at the bright side, Blazers fans -- you dodged a bullet. He peaked statistically two years ago. He's allegedly 30 but could be closer to 32 or 33 for all we know. (Do you trust Turkish birth certificates? And isn't it weird that he played four years of pro ball in Turkey in the 1990s?)

- Bill Simmons of ESPN.com

by halo_on on Nov 10, 2009 12:33 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

After all

It’s better than the fist.

"I'd like to see Nate McMillan stop treating fouls like they are rollover minutes." - Blazer Guy 11/4/09

by jamon51 on Nov 10, 2009 12:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Saving letters is twitter to the core!

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Nov 10, 2009 1:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You know what’s even better? He’s probably playing it on a 1080p home projection screen. If I was making his money I know I would be.

Regarding Hedo Türkoğlu:

- Bill Simmons of ESPN.com

by halo_on on Nov 10, 2009 1:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Where did he wait in line? Lloyd Center? I don't want to waste 60 on a game that will get boring after a week.

I hope their multiplayer is actually fun instead of that weak stuff like COD4,

by BRoyInThe4th on Nov 10, 2009 3:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

It will NEVER get boring.

Multiplayer is vast and intricate. So many sneaky places to climb. It’s a 10/10.

by FlyingOutlaw on Nov 10, 2009 4:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It is supposed to be the biggest selling game ever

by richarda97 on Nov 10, 2009 3:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Just got my copy.

Can’t wait to play it after the game. MW1 and World at War were both awesome imo.

Miller to Oden FTW!

by j-blaze on Nov 10, 2009 3:45 PM PST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

I'm through the single player, and didn't even have to wait in line :)

Not world-changing, but a very nice game that does justice to its predecessor.

But slowly things happen that they cannot help and the Blazers Fellowship of the Ring begins to break apart

by Norsktroll on Nov 10, 2009 3:53 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Same as the first one, maybe slightly better. Maybe not.

I love it already. I’ve only rocked the multiplayer (until 6am this morning). I like the maps, it was worth waiting in line for. I wanna play against JP31. And melee him.

by FlyingOutlaw on Nov 10, 2009 4:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs