Joel Przybilla: Portland Trail Blazers Get Tougher by Signing Przybilla

Joel Przybilla will once again wear Portland black and red after the All-Star break, assuming he passes a physical on Sunday, according to The Oregonian’s Jason Quick.

With the Vanilla Gorilla back on their team, the Trail Blazers just addressed one of their two biggest concerns: depth at the 4 and 5 positions.

The 32-year-old Przybilla doesn’t give Portland an added scoring threat. What he does provide is grit and backbone.

Przybilla makes this team tougher.

Przybilla backs down from no man—not even Shaquille O’Neal, with whom he has squabbled in the past.

He’s a solid rebounder, which the Blazers sorely need. The Trail Blazers are a middle-of-the-road rebounding team, ranking 17^th in rebound differential.

Przybilla instantly improves Portland's rebounding.

He will give added depth where the team needs it the most. With the NBA’s oldest center tandem in Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, Portland can use minutes from another experienced big body

Przybilla—who was traded for Gerald Wallace in February—now returns to the city where he is most revered.

Behind No. 7 Brandon Roy and No. 12 LaMarcus Aldridge jerseys, Przybilla’s No. 10 is one of the most common fan-worn jerseys. Portlanders love his workmanlike attitude.

Those same fans will love him even more when he returns. Przybilla reportedly picked Portland over the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls—both teams with a realistic shot at the title.

Przybilla’s other big contribution to Portland will be freeing up shooters. He won’t do so by forcing defenders to double-team him; instead he will set vicious picks to open up Blazer guards.

While it may not be a marquee name on a national level, the Blazers got their man by picking up Przybilla.

Because they have 15 players on their roster, the Blazers will have to part with someone in order to add Przybilla. That means Portland will likely say goodbye to the springy but unproven, skinny legs of center Chris Johnson or point guard Armon Johnson, whose playing time has been reduced to essentially nothing this year after he saw a few minutes as a rookie.

The Blazers also could sever ties with once-more-injured Greg Oden, but that is less likely.

To really salvage this season Portland still needs to address its dilemma at point guard, where the starter-backup picture is foggy at best. But beefing up their depth at the 5-position can now be crossed off the to-do list.