Przybilla filling in where Trail Blazers miss top pick Oden
Center Joel Przybilla has stepped in and given the young Portland Trail Blazers a stabilizing force in the middle after the team's devastating loss of rookie Greg Oden to a preseason knee injury.
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The rugged 7-1 Przybilla has been plagued by injuries much of his first three seasons with the Trail Blazers, but is healthy now. He had a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) in 31 minutes in the Portland's season opening 106-97 loss to the defending league champion San Antonio Spurs.
What Przybilla's presence does is allow coach Nate McMillan to keep LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward instead of having to play him out of position at center.
"I think Joel did a tremendous job this summer, working hard to get himself in shape," said point guard Jarrett Jack. "He came into camp prepared, and when the opportunity presented itself when Greg went down, he was ready to show that he was very capable of stepping up."
Przybilla was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the ninth overall pick in 2000, but was dealt and played his first 3½ seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks before getting traded to the Atlanta Hawks. He signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Blazers as a free agent prior to the 2004-05 season.
He missed 39 games last season with knee and abdomen injuries. "I'm ready," said Przybilla, the oldest Portland starter at 27.
McMillan is comfortable with Przybilla. "He knows what he needs to do," the coach said, "He's been with me for three years now and knows what I expect."
Peja power:
New Orleans Hornets 6-10 sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic returned to the lineup in the season opener after having missed the last 69 games last season with a back injury. He looked like he had never been away, as he scored 19 points and was 4-for-7 from three-point range in the 104-90 victory against the Sacramento Kings.
"Having Peja is important to what we want to accomplish this season," coach Byron Scott said.
"It's the first game, 81 to go," Stojakovic said after playing 31 minutes. "I just wish we can all stay healthy, because then it's up to us."
Kirilenko happy:
Utah's Andrei Kirilenko, who said during the offseason that things were so bad between he and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan that he wanted to be traded, has apparently worked things out and is back to his old stat-stuffing ways. In the season-opening 117-96 win at Golden State, Kirilenko had nine points, nine rebounds, eight assists, six blocked shots and a steal. "I feel so much better," Kirilenko said.
He and Sloan met before training camp and came to a meeting of the minds. "His job is to play basketball and he's approached it that way and tried to do the best he can," Sloan said.
Texas triangle:
The Boston Celtics and Seattle SuperSonics have the unenviable task this season of playing all three of the Texas teams one after another on the same road trip. The Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets are all legitimate title contenders. The Celtics play at San Antonio March 17, at Houston the following night and at Dallas two nights later. Seattle is at Dallas April 8, at Houston April 9 and at San Antonio April 11.
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