Breaking down the Blazers......Part Five

The center position is one of the strongest spots on the Blazers roster.  And if you combine last seasons stats for Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden the numbers look pretty good. 13.4 pts, 15.7 rbs, 2.3 bks.  What team wouldn't be happy with that? 

Last season began with the Trailblazers annointing Greg as their starter at the 5 spot.  It was and up and down year for the youngster from Ohio State.  He started 39 games for Portland, had a career-high 24 points and 15 rebounds in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 19.  If he'd averaged 36 minutes of PT his PER for the year would have been 14.8 pts, 11.6 rbs, and 1.9 bks.  The season also had its low points for Oden.  Not only did he have trouble staying in games due to foul trouble, ( if he'd averaged 36 minutes his PER for fouls would have been 6.5) he had physical problems as well and suffered an injury to his foot during his first game against the Lakers, and fractured his kneecap in February during a collision with Corey Magette and missed three weeks. 


Much was made of the fact that Greg was only able to play in 61 games last season.  But if you compare that with Joel Pryzbillas 11 year NBA career, there were only 4 seasons in which Joel was able to play more than 61 games.  And it was only the second time in his five years in Portland that he was able to do so.  Fortunately for the Blazers, last season the grizzly veteran was a bit of an iron man and played in all 82 games for the first time in his career.

Portland will begin the season with two legitimate starting caliber centers in Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla.  LaMarcus Aldridge will also likely see a bit of PT at the 5 spot if the Blazers go small.  Rookie Jeff Pendergraph will likely do little more than keep the bench warm during games and provide a big body to practice with.

Despite the fact that this position looks solid on paper there are some questions left to be answered.  Who will start?  Will Joel (who can opt of his contract next summer) be traded at the deadline for cap relief or another player to backup Greg Oden?  And with either of these players or any other big man, you have to wonder about whether or not they will be able to remain healthy all season.

Coach McMillian has often said a player won't lose his starting job due to injury.  And he has also said isn't going to change the starting lineup from last season because the team won 52 games and made the playoffs.  As much as I like the coach I have to point out that what he says and what he does are often two different things.  Just two summers ago he proclaimed that Taurean Green was going to win some games for the Blazers.  And Green as we all know didn't play much and ended up with a ticket out of town.

Joel Pryzbilla probably had the best season of his career last year, after it appeared he was headed for the shelf in favor of the Blazers number one pick Greg Oden.  Oden, as we all know, had his problems last year and the team really needed the solid play and leadership it got from the Thrilla.  Joel had a chance to leave town last time he was a free agent and instead chose to remain in Portland for less money and play on a losing team that had fallen out of favor with its fans.  At the time, much was made of his decision to stay here, and one could argue that it was one of the turning points for this franchise.  In my mind the biggest question about Joel is his contract status.  He has a chance to opt out next summer, and will probably do so.  At thirty years old this will likely be his last chance at a fat long term deal.  A seven foot center with his credentials isn't easy to come by in the NBA, and there is no doubt there are teams out there who will be willing to offer him more money than the Trailblazers will be willing to pay.  It's not that Joel hasn't earned it.  He has.  But with the salary cap shrinking and the max deal Brandon Roy just got, the near max deal LaMarcus Aldridge will be signing shortly, and the need to sign Greg Oden to an extension the next year there is only so much money that can be spread around.  Will the Blazers go over the cap and re-sign him?  Will he chose to stay here and play here for less?  He is a midwest boy, who lives modestly, and will still wind up with more money than he can ever spend.  Will the team trade him?  Or will he simply decide to NOT opt out?

I'm hoping the team and he are able to find a way for him to remain a Blazer.  No matter which player starts, clearly he and Greg make each other better.  They take a lot of pressure off each other.  And as Joel transistions from starter to backup, he can remain an impact player.  He said more than once last year he liked coming off the bench and playing a few less minutes.  He said he didn't have to worry as much about fouls and could be more aggressive. 

Greg Oden is coming off a tough rookie season.  There were high expectations for Greg, and him not being an overnight sensation led to dissapointment for him and his fans.  It also fed critics who labeled him a head case, injury prone, a bust, and the worst draft pick since LaRue Martin. 

To be fair in analyzing last season you have to factor in the many difficulties and challenges he face.  First of all, he was coming off microfracture surgery.  And despite the fact that he did indeed play last year, that surgery commonly takes 24 months to fully recover from.  Just ask Kenyon Martin, or Amare Stoudamire.  The additional time is needed for a player to regain his lift, his lateral movement, and explosiveness.  After a year layoff I also don't think Greg was in good shape last season, and he often appeared fatigued or winded.  I'm not trying to be an apologist for Oden here, but I do think before the jury is out on his play we need to factor in some of these things and then see what he is able to bring to the table this year. 

I know the team and Greg got together at the end of the season for an evaluation and looked at what needed to happen for him to improve.  Greg had previously announced a plan of going to summer school at Ohio State, and while he did indeed go to Ohio he ended up chosing to study in the gym rather than in the classroom.  He spent most of the summer working on his game and his conditioning with coaches and players.  He spent time consulting with a nutritionist.  And he also spent time working with a sports psychologist on his mental approach to the game.  Much was made of his foul difficulty last season, but I think being in better shape and having a years experience under his belt will be enough for us to see a big improvement in that area.

Oden is in Portland now, working out informally with Coach Lucas, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster and others.  He has done and is doing the things necessary for him to take his game to the next level this season.  The Blazers have a lot invested in Greg Oden, and for them to get a return on it I believe he should start.  I want him playing and practicing with the first unit.  And I want the coach to let him play himself through his difficulties.  Not only is it time for Greg Oden to step his game up and stand up and be who he is....it is time for the team to stand strong behind him.  He has the tools to take a great leap forward this year and I believe he will do so.  The team also has the tools to back him in this.

I'd like to see Greg playing 25 to 30 minutes per game this season and Joel 18 to 23.  Its enough PT for each to have time to get into a rhythm and be productive and its enough down time to keep each player fresh and injuries to a minimum. 

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