Thank You Joel Pryzbilla

by blazerbeliever97504 on Apr 9, 2009 1:07 AM PDT

If this is redundant for anyone i am sorry, i am watching the ESPN replay (since i was at work when the game was on) and i am beeming with pride at how Joel is controling the paint, its his...he owns it. Greg will some day but Joel is the man inside. I posted a thank you Nic Batum earlier today and i may post other thank you's,not sure yet. I have been trying to turn everyone i come in contact with into blazer fans(im in sales, FYI) and thats alot of people. I recent told a co-worker i have allmost, if not as much respect for these Blazers as the Drexler era teams. Response: "thats a huge statement." I love these guys.

Joel is the very definition of our team and what it means in this era. Last year he made a bet with an assistant coach to stay healthy the whole year(coming up just short ) and this year asked another assistant how he stacked up the last 3 years health wise against the whole(centers) league.(came in 3rd, FYI) Shows concern,dedication,heart, and drive. Joel just rocks it every time he steps on the court. Like Jason Quicks article stated, few players get a standing ovation with only 2pts and 1rbs.

Thank you Joel, we would not be here with out you.............i say "we" as a fan......should say "you"(like Joel would read this) would not be here with out your effort. Thank you Joel!

Tweet Comment 23 comments | 13 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Amen to that!

He could have gone to SA for the same money and he chose to stay here! I gotta mancrush on the big guy. What a stud!

by blazinagain on Apr 9, 2009 1:19 AM PDT reply actions

Some consider Roy to be what

changed the image of the Blazers from they’re old one to they’re current, but it was Joel.

I specifically remember a post on here, actually one of Casey’s lasts before disappearing for a couple months until Dave arrived, saying what I just said. The Blazers finally did something right and rewarded the hardest working player on those crappy pre-Roy teams with a contract. And a good contract which is hard to come by in this league for anyone seven feet or above. It was just right, both sides happy with it which seems to be uncommon most of the time.

And from then on, Joel has went out and battled every season. Most centers would probably have asked for a trade after getting Oden thrown onto it’s teams lap, but Pryz has just kept chuggin along and accepted whatever role Nate has put him in. He’s elevated his game so much this year I can honestly say I think we’d be battling with Dallas for the 8th spot without em.

Cheers to you Joel!

Resident Smartass.

by Devyn on Apr 9, 2009 2:55 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

I totally agree

If Joel doesn’t spend his whole career here and retire as Blazer I will be a very sad panda indeed.

by coolguyrob on Apr 9, 2009 3:38 AM PDT reply actions

In those dreary games just before the Allstar break when everyone was beat

Joel put this team on his back. Greg will have his time, Aldridge has had a huge year and Brandon is splederiffic, but this year’s Blazer MVP for me has been Joel.

It's more than diculous. It's REdiculous

by pxilpooshr on Apr 9, 2009 4:57 AM PDT reply actions

Okay that's a bit of a stretch...

But he was up there in the poll for 2nd most valuable Blazer a while back. Him/Blake/LMA got pretty much 100% of the real votes.

by Zaig on Apr 9, 2009 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions

Joel's next shift should finish with him setting a personal career high in minutes played...

He is sitting 1853 for 78 games, chasing 1858 minutes played in the 2004-05 season, his first with Portland. Not bad for a guy who “lost his job” this year, eh?

CAREER STATS

If people haven’t figured it out yet, Pryzzy is the “veteran leadership” that the talking heads of the national media keeps yammering about this team needing.

Then again, Roy NBA years are sort of like “dog years,” so that’s less important than ever this season.

Pontiff of the Pryz for Prez Posse...

by timbo on Apr 9, 2009 8:16 AM PDT reply actions

Joel's D look effortless...

Joel patrols the paint so well…moves his feet…hands straight up…and blocks it hard when necessary. Joel brings it everygame. Roy needs to trust him some more when he flashes. He can make his free throws so we don’t have to worry about him getting fouled.

"I don't play for what they write about me...I play for my teammates, my coaches, the city of Portland." - Steve Blake

by hohowan on Apr 9, 2009 9:42 AM PDT reply actions

Joel is the man!

I hope he retires here.

Sometimes I feel like I'm going in different directions...

by porterfan30 on Apr 9, 2009 11:09 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

me too

and I am a huge Oden fan. That tandom will be tough to beat, no other team will have such a 1 – 2 punch in the middle.

Support those in crisis in Portland www.give10tell10.org

by PDXBuckeye on Apr 9, 2009 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

With a hand full of bling.

by Zaig on Apr 9, 2009 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Seriously

I would give the dude a big tongue kiss, but that’s not my style, and I like my spine where it is. I’ll settle for saying that this team would be nowhere near where they are now without the Gorilla!

by Billwaltonsbeard on Apr 9, 2009 11:36 AM PDT reply actions

I feel obligated to say yes to all of this

Yes: Mr. Unheralded Veteran Leader
Yes: Decided to stay in Portland before we became really damn good
Yes: Makes very hard defensive work look easy
Yes: Saves the butts of his teammates’ missed assignments all the time
Yes: Mr. Mentor for Greg
Yes: Never made a peep about comin off the bench—only worked harder
Yes: Stands up for his boys when needed
Yes: Represents the team very well off the court
Yes: Doesn’t like Shaq droppin balls on his head
Yes: I hope he retires as a Blazer!

Thank you Joel!

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 9, 2009 12:41 PM PDT reply actions

Yes!

Set course for NBA Playoffs......Engage! -Captain McMillan USS Trailblazer

by mjsmith3 on Apr 9, 2009 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes, THANK YOU JOEL!

by Sungari on Apr 9, 2009 1:00 PM PDT reply actions

This is your last thank you post

at least for the regular season. We all appreciate Nic and The Vanilla Gorilla. But I think we can express it in a more creative way than a “Thank You” post…

by dblieberman on Apr 9, 2009 1:04 PM PDT reply actions

thanks for policing the blogospheres and the internets.

Your fine work makes us all safer

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 9, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Don't mention it...

but no on a more serious note I meant no disrespect to these posts. Just a little redundant…

by dblieberman on Apr 9, 2009 6:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Hence my apology in this post.

I know some people wil find it redundant but i personaly think it is important to acknowledge and express our gratitude for each person. I thought of doing a team thank you post, but it just didnt fully express my feeling for each player. Nor did i think others could do so either. My thought was we all could comment on each player speciffically. Again if this is redundant i am sorry.

by blazerbeliever97504 on Apr 9, 2009 8:21 PM PDT up reply actions