Joel Przybilla: Portland Trail Blazers' "Old Reliable"

Finally, with the imminent debut of Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazer fans are giddy with expectation. Understandable, considering the top draft pick of 2007 was moth-balled that entire season due to micro-fracture knee surgery. Still, the young Blazers were able to put together a surprising 41-41 season, in large part through the blue collar work of veteran center, Joel Przybilla. So please excuse more than a few Trail Blazer fans if that giddiness is tempered with a bit of nostalgia for the man who stood in the gap all of last season. Przybilla, in fact, has been holding down the center position for the last three seasons. The Vanilla Gorilla, as he is affectionately known, has a reputation as a scrappy and aggressive defender whose strengths include shot blocking, rebounding, and setting solid screens. A minimal points producer, his offensive role has always been to complement true scorers, such as Zach Randolph (now with the Knicks), LaMarcus Aldridge, and Brandon Roy. It was Przybilla ... (link)