The Thrilla

by Andrew Smith on April 10th, 2009 at 10:19 am

The other day, a few friends and I were talking about how great this year’s Western Conference first round matches up. All four of the first-round matchups, even the Lakers-Mavs series, are set up to be great watches. One of my friends then asked, “How is Portland so good?”

Well, the easy answer is the Brandon Roy-LaMarcus Aldridge combo. But, in the few times I’ve watched the Blazers, I’ve been strangely impressed with Big Joel Pryzbilla. His 5.4 PPG and 8.6 RPG are very unassuming, but when you consider that his 8.6 RPG and 1.2 BPG come in just 23 minutes a night, it is very impressive. Then, when Tommy told me that Sir Charles Barkley in an interview with Mike Francesa earlier this week called him “the most underrated player in the NBA,” I felt validated. Should I really be touting my agreement with Charles Barkley?

Now, it’s very easy to look at individual numbers and say that he’s nothing more than a role-playing backup center. But, in watching him play he isn’t as lumbering as he appears and he actually runs the floor very well for 7’2″. I am a big fan of the statistic of plus-minus for 5-man units. It is a way to judge a player’s value as how he fits in with a group and does things, whether it be setting solid screens, grabbing offensive rebounds, or affecting shots in the paint, and not just getting points or assists.

This season for Portland:

Blake-Roy-Batum-Aldridge-Oden: +9

Blake-Roy-Batim-Aldridge-Pryzbilla: + 196

Now, the Blazers’ future at the center position obviously rests in Oden, so could Pryzbilla be had in a trade? He is due to make 6.8 million next season, and will be the highest paid player on their roster. (Darius Miles will be making $9 million) Pryzbilla also has a $7.4 million player option for 2010. Could the Knicks maybe work on a sign-and-trade in the offseason with Nate or Lee? Could Jerryd Bayless be involved?

The Knicks are in desperate need of a shot-blocker and I think Pryzbilla is an excellent choice to fit that role.
  • Chris Alvino

    Andrew, you have a good read here. When I watch the Blazers, I tend to notice Joel more than Oden. Joel has to play the role of essentially cleaning up Oden’s mess when Oden gets into foul trouble or when Oden is hurt. I would consider Nate for Bayless and Joel this summer.

    Nate+ JJ for Joel and Bayless.

  • EQ1217

    Chris-

    I don’t think Portland would trade Pryzbilla until Oden shows them something consistently.

    Portland is going to be about 15 million under the cap, they can overpay for Nate & I don’t think Donnie will be able to match.

    While I would love for the trade to happen, I don’t think Nate for Bayless & Pryzbilla is a fair deal for Portland. I would rather have the young, cheap, ultra talented PG and a defensive minded C that rebounds and block shots instead of an explosive and out of control 6th man.

    Of course, I do hope the Knicks could make that trade.

  • SpaceMan

    i don’t want bayless.lee for fernandez.they got roy and batum and Armstrong playing where he plays.oden is a bust.

  • SpaceMan

    i don’t think they’d over pay for nate.i could see the kings, cause they need some marketability.

  • http://www.theknicksblog.com/2009/04/15/amare-wants-to-stay-in-phoenix/ The Knicks Blog » Amar’e Wants to Stay in Phoenix

    [...] I really liked what Drew wrote the other day about Pryzbilla, and let’s start considering him as a decent 1B option up front. We know the Blazers had a thing for Lee, and we know Nate is a hero in the Pacific Northwest. But as long as Oden is struggling, it would be tough to pry Thrilla from Portland. But keep him on your radar nonetheless. [...]

  • http://www.theknicksblog.com/2009/04/22/dekes-year-with-the-knicks/ The Knicks Blog » Deke’s Year with the Knicks

    [...] Funny, the trade that brought in Mohammed and Tim Thomas was a three team trade that saw the Hawks snag Michael Doleac and Joel Pryzbilla. [...]