The old adage says: it’s the name on the front of the jersey that counts, not the name on the back.
But while the Portland Trail Blazers will be loved by its city regardless of who is on the roster, it’s sometimes difficult to recognize a team that has seen so many faces come and go over the past few seasons.
Wednesday, however, brought fans a blast from the past as it was announced that the Trail Blazers will bring back center Joel Przybilla for the second half of the lockout-shortened season; a decision overwhelming met with joy by the Portland faithful.
While his level of production is difficult to predict, he will provide, if nothing else, a familiar face to a team that has seen the names on the back of the jerseys change quite a bit since the days of the up-and-coming Trail Blazers just a few seasons ago.
Entering the 2007-08 season, the Trail Blazers were touted as the team of the future with their youthful depth and core group of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and newly drafted big man, Greg Oden.
There’s no need to rehash the injury troubles of the last four years; we all know them already.
But what’s important to note is that Aldridge is the only player from the 2007-08 squad that remains on the team’s active roster today.
The future came and went pretty quickly, didn’t it?
It’s not to say that the Blazers are done for, or even that the future is as dark as some make it out to be. It’s just that speed bumps have forced the team to follow a much windier road on its path to success.
The changes haven’t been all bad, though, as the signings of Wesley Matthews and Jamal Crawford have helped fill the heartbreaking void at shooting guard, and the Gerald Wallace trade of last season is arguably the best mid-season acquisition in franchise history.
But with only three rotation players remaining from when Przybilla last played in Portland just 12 months ago to the day, the Blazers clearly don’t exemplify prestige and longevity in the NBA.
Just a few seasons ago, fans were ready to watch the growth and progress of a future powerhouse, and instead, they’ve been forced to sit back and watch the league’s youngest team transition into one of the league’s oldest in just a couple of seasons.
Przybilla, 32, will not help the Trail Blazers get any younger.
Tougher, however, is a whole different story.
Outside of Marcus Camby, the Trail Blazers lack a defensive prowess that is going to be necessary to compete inside with the league’s top opponents.
Przybilla, the definition of a blue-collar player, has never been afraid to get physical and will jump in with a shot down memory lane and a toughness that Portland fans will practically drool over.
Nobody expects Przybilla to step in and offer top notch stats each night, and he’s probably not the piece that gets the Trail Blazers into the second round.
But in a week where Oden has suffered yet another setback, it’s obvious now more than ever that the mold of the franchise has shifted more drastically than anyone could have imagined it would just a few seasons ago.
Change isn’t always a bad thing; it’s just different.
And in a town that loves, respects and quite frankly overvalues most of its players, seeing a once familiar face emerge at the Rose Garden will surely be worthy of the standing ovation Przybilla receives when he makes his return debut come Feb. 29.
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