A statement from the Portland Trail Blazers on their injured center Joel Pryzbilla:

Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla will undergo surgery on his right patella tendon in the next few days.

Przybilla re-ruptured his right patella tendon Saturday morning after slipping in the shower at his home in Milwaukee, Wis.

He returned to Portland today to undergo an MRI, which revealed the rupture.

Przybilla originally ruptured the tendon in a Dec. 22 game at Dallas. He underwent season-ending surgery on Dec. 24 and was in Milwaukee rehabilitating the injury.

No timetable is available for his return to the court.

There is something freaky going on in Portland.

In August of 2008, the Cleveland Cavalier, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder agreed on a three-team deal that centered around then Bucks point guard Mo Williams going to Cleveland.

Finally, Cleveland had nabbed a scorer capable of complementing LeBron James with alright passing skills and, most importantly, excellent scoring ability from the perimeter. The Cavaliers’ biggest weakness for several seasons was not having a shooter to hang along the wings with James and they had just gotten one for next to nothing (Joe Smith and Damon Jones).

Almost instantaneously Williams looked perfect with the Cavs. Of course, any transition to a new club is made easier when you have likely the best teammate in the game in LeBron, who is also easily the best player in the league when it comes to getting into the lane, which creates several open looks from three a game for his outside shooters.

Williams was now that guy and, thanks to James, he had a career year. After taking a combined 469 three’s in his previous two seasons, Mo took 420 triples alone in the 08-09 season and converted them at a higher rate then any other part of his career, at 43%.

Mo finished the season with a career high 17.8 per game, shooting 47% from the field and 91% from the line, earning him a trip to his first career all-star game.

Everything looked great for Williams at that point. He was on the best team in the NBA, sitting one game ahead of the eventual world champion Los Angeles Lakers by one game at the end of the regular season, while the Bucks were 32 games behind the Cavs in a tie for 11th place in the Eastern Conference.

Things took a turn for the worse come playoff time. Williams, who was brilliant all season long, flat out collapsed during the post-season. He shot just 37% from three and 77% from the line, and shot 32% from deep in Cleveland’s four Eastern Conference Finals losses. His regular season was all for none.

***

At first, the Williams trade didn’t get the Bucks any major pieces. Sure, Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin were nice players, but neither was good enough to be a starting point guard for the future.

However, in the long run, now searching for a franchise point guard, the Bucks were free to draft a young stud with the tenth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. A skinny, tatted, 19-year old that rejected a college scholarship offer to play in Europe until he was eligible for the NBA Draft, Brandon Jennings has been more than most expected for Milwaukee so far this season.

Jennings has been through a pretty up-and-down season from a media standpoint. When he was drafted, Jennings was perceived as a kid with unlimited potential and some attitude problems, which probably came about because he didn’t attend college, was cautious of actually showing up to the draft and had a funky hairdo.

Here’s what I had to say on Jennings in July:

There were a lot of doubts about Brandon Jennings on Draft Night. Some said he was too childish for the NBA while others said he had the highest ceiling in the draft. He likely could have been a top five lock had he decided to stay in the states for a year at a top university, but because he chose to go oversees and play for money, his potential and skills were hidden away and the numbers he would have put up in college were replaced by single digit points and assists.

With a lot of questions about Jennings being unanswered, Brandon chose not to accept an invitation to the “Green Room” on draft night after hearing some whispers that he would fall out of the lottery. Little did he know the Milwaukee Bucks would call his name at #10. Astonished and relieved, Jennings made his way to Madison Square Garden from his hotel room and was announced as the tenth overall pick after the 14th selection was made. This fashionably late appearance didn’t help the cocky attitude that critics had placed on him, but it didn’t matter to Jennings at that point. He was in the NBA and he had a chip on his shoulder. He was ready to make somebody pay.

Then, once Jennings dropped a modern day rookie record 55-points in the seventh game of his NBA career, the media essentially named him a lock for Rookie of the Year (Yes, I bought in, too). Of course, that performance set the standard way too high for Jennings, which shifted the coverage from Brandon to the Kings’ Tyreke Evans and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry.

While Jennings is no longer getting the attention he was during the first month of the season, his play has not dropped off to the extent that the lack of exposure may insinuate. “Young Money” has just embraced a new style of play. Showing advanced maturity for a kid who skipped college, Jennings has acknowledged the fact that it is much better for his team if he distributes the basketball first and takes his shots when they come to him.

So, yes, the drop from 42% shooting from the field in his first month to a 37% shooting percentage on the season and the decline from 22 points a game in November to 16 a game overall doesn’t look impressive but his overall comprehension of the game of basketball has not only made his learning curve a lot shorter, making the possibility of his emergence as an all-around star at an earlier age, but has made his team better.

Let’s revisit an excerpt from my November column on him:

This kid has made the Milwaukee Bucks a watchable franchise, an accomplishment some believed was impossible. On top of that, Jennings might make this team a top eight squad in the East. I know that their 5-3 record is padded because of the teams they have played, but they didn’t win those games in the past. Now they are thanks to Jennings, and this is without their best player Michael Redd.

Now, as we enter the stretch run,  the Bucks are not only watchable but enjoyable and competing in the Eastern Conference. As it stands now, the Bucks are the sixth seed in the playoffs, and while Andrew Bogut has been the most consistent factor all season and the acquisition of John Salmons has added a strong presence offensively,  Jennings has certainly been a huge factor in getting both of those guys involved.

***

To bring it all full circle, I don’t know if Mo Williams will redeem himself this post-season by scoring 30 on the Lakers in the Finals. He just might.

However, after watching Jennings go right at and destroy Mo Williams last night against the Cavaliers and drain three’s over him with swagger (Jennings had 25 points and five three’s while Williams shot three-of-17 and scored just seven points), I wandered to myself if, over the next ten years, Jennings will help get the Bucks further than Williams ever could. And, if the Cavs don’t win or make the Finals and LeBron bolts this off-season, if Jennings could end up having the better career long-term.

Which is ironic, considering the Cavs made the trade for Williams to secure their future even though it might just end up securing the Bucks’ future.

Over the past 48 hours, the Chicago Bears have made three free agent signings, one of which was arguably the best player on the free market.

Veteran tight end Brandon Manumaleuna from the Chargers was signed to a five-year deal to bring a blocking presence to either side of the line. Running back Chester Taylor was signed away from division rival Minnesota to add a pass catching back to fit Mike Martz’s system that doesn’t mind playing a back-up role (as he played behind Adrian Peterson for the past three seasons).

And, of course, their biggest move was inking defensive end former Carolina Panther Julius Peppers to a six-year contract worth $91.5 million.

That’s quite the haul. Though, some may argue that those players don’t necessarily fill any of the Bears glaring holes on the offensive line, at the offensive skill positions and in the secondary, they still have the draft to fill those holes.

However, while the media has hyped the Chicago as the main attraction this free agency in terms of headlines, let’s take a look at what has happened in Arizona. And, when I say with “in,” I don’t mean that many players are coming to town. In fact, most of the action with the Cardinals is of the departing fashion.

To kick things off, a few weeks ago, their quarterback and leader for the past two memorable seasons that included a Super Bowl run one play short of a miracle victory Kurt Warner decided to call it a career at the age 38. Though technically not a transaction, you could call this the addition of Matt Leinhart as he will presumably start next season.

Next, the Cards traded their star wide receiver Anquan Boldin to the Baltimore Ravens for some picks. Here’s what I said about the deal yesterday:

The rift between Anquan Boldin and the Arizona Cardinals has not been the best kept secret over the past two seasons. After Larry Fitzgerald signed a 4-year, $40 million deal in 2008, Boldin got a bit jealous and wondered publicly why he hadn’t received a deal similar to Fitzgerald’s. While he may have had the right to do so considering his production, his constant journey to receive more money and hold outs during the off-season essentially ruined the Cards’ relationship with him.

That move, while a trade not a a free agent departure, kicked off the “Let’s leave Arizona party.”

The latest word before a deal was signed for both linebacker Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle, was that both players were on good terms with the team, especially Rolle, who was released by the Cardinals knowing the team intended to resign him. Both Rolle and Dansby were expected to reach a deal with Arizona in the next few days, in fact.

But, as we found out, that was far from the case.

Dansby was lured over by Bill Parcels and the Miami Dolphins, who released their linebacker acquisition from three seasons ago Joey Porter prior to the signing. Dansby received a five-year deal worth $43 million with $22 million in guarantees. Dansby finished last season with 109 total tackles (good enough for a top 25 spot in the NFL) and anchored the Cards front seven at various points of the season.

The New York Giants would take Rolle off the market. The Giants, who were in the middle of the pack last year in pass defense at 15, gave Rolle a five-year contract worth $37 million in order to secure one of the best safety pairs in the entire league. Rolle, a University of Miami product,  will now be paired with another former Hurricane in Kenny Phillips, who missed all of last season with a hip injury.

You can’t really blame either Rolle or Dansby for leaving. They were both released and now they will be too of the richest players in the history of the league. Rolle’s contract is the highest ever given to a safety and Dansby is now making more money than any other linebacker in the league today.

The Cardinals have tried to mend their holes. They dealt a fourth round pick in this year’s draft and a seventh round pick in 2011 to the New York Jets for hard hitting safety Kerry Rhodes. Rhodes is an excellent safety, possessing top of the line physical toughness and good football instincts, which will help the Cards in what some would call a rebuilding process of their defensive unit.

The off-season is far from over. There is still time for the Cardinals to make up for their loses and put together a roster capable of competing for at least a division title if not a wild card spot (Normally that would be the other way around, but the NFC West is brutal), but when a team loses an all-time great quarterback and replaces him with a 26-year old that has been a complete bust this far and is better known for his looks off the field than on while also losing a key offensive playmaker and two defensive building blocks, it is hard to imagine Arizona playing more than 16 games this season.

The rift between Anquan Boldin and the Arizona Cardinals has not been the best kept secret over the past two seasons. After Larry Fitzgerald signed a 4-year, $40 million deal in 2008, Boldin got a bit jealous and wondered publicly why he hadn’t received a deal similar to Fitzgerald’s. While he may have had the right to do so considering his production, his constant journey to receive more money and hold outs during the off-season essentially ruined the Cards’ relationship with him.

Of April of last season, the Cardinals started listening to trade offers for Anquan, which all but made sure Boldin would be dealt this off-season.

Today, the Cardinals made what has been in the making for a couple of seasons a reality by dealing Boldin and and a fifth round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for a third and fourth round pick in this year’s draft. After the trade was made, Boldin signed a three-year, $25 million extension, giving him four years and $28 million left on his deal.

The Ravens finished the 2009-2010 season as the 13th best offense in the league, and I think it is safe to say that they will easily be in the top 10 and possibly in the top eight after next season thanks to this addition.

Last year, the Ravens were the fifth best rushing team in the NFL with a dynamic duo that featured breakout super star Ray Rice and veteran Willis McGahee. The two rushed for a combined 1883 yards and 19 touchdowns even though defenses had no real passing threat to keep them from stacking the box. Yes, Derrick Mason had a great season, but he isn’t the kind of guy that defenses will double at 36 years of age.

Boldin gives quarterback Joe Flacco,  who has looked very good during his first two seasons in the league a very potent offensive weapon that can catch screen passes, isn’t afraid to run across the middle of the field and is very dangerous in the open field thanks to his combination of size and speed. Though he has had some issues with his hamstrings and you can make the argument that a lot of his success in Arizona came because of an all-time great quarterback in Kurt Warner and a top two wide receiver in the NFL in Fitzgerald (which, I would flip around and say that Fitz got some easier  catches because having Boldin on the opposite side  stopped defenses from cheating over), I think that Boldin will fit in perfectly with the Ravens.

Now Baltimore has a great offensive player at every key offensive position. Last year’s first round pick Michael Oher is a budding star and will anchor their offensive line for year’s to come, Joe Flacco is an excellent young quarterback that continues to get better, Ray Rice is in the conversation as far as the best 10 backs in the league after showing the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and tear it up off the line and now Boldin will be paired with Mason and pro bowl tight end Todd Heap in the passing game.

Oddly enough, this move may signify the shift in power on the Ravens’ squad from being dominant defensively to being a top offensive team in the league. With some of the Ravens key pieces going elsewhere over the past two off-seasons and Ray Lewis getting older every season, this young, and exciting offensive may be what gets Baltimore to the playoffs.

For Arizona, this is the second key loss they have had over the past two months. First Warner retired and now they trade Boldin. I’m not so sure the ideal situation for them is giving Matt Leinhart one primary option in Fitzgerald even though he couldn’t succeed with both of them in town, but Boldin had to go.

Attacking the Boards will be back tomorrow after a bit of a break.

Though the Phoenix Suns lost last night to the Utah Jazz thanks to a fourth quarter collapse that saw a 13-point lead turn into an eight point deficit in mere minutes, the Suns have been rolling since the All-Star break. (By the way, I blame the fact that TNT aired the game for the Suns’ loss.)

The key to the Suns 8-4 record in since mid-February has been the play of their bigs.

As for the past two seasons now, Amare Stoudemire’s name was all over the trade market as the deadline neared. This time, the possibility of him leaving town was as great as ever as Cleveland seemed to put together an intriguing package before reportedly pulling J.J. Hickson’s name out of the deal on deadline day.

While some players struggle when their names are being tossed around, with distractions like having to move their families clogging their minds, Stoudemire is exactly the opposite.

Whether he was wanted to go to Cleveland and was trying to make sure they knew he could bring to the table or he was energized by the trade talks, Amare raised his level of play in February.

For the month, Stoudemire averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting 53% from the field. Amare was really clicking on all cylinders. The pick and roll with Steve Nash again looked like the prettiest play in basketball, producing several poster dunks like the one showed in the photo above. While on the subject, I think the way he comes off that pick and finishes as the rim gives him a strong case as the most powerful dunker in the league. LeBron James is plain nasty in transition, but Amare does it whether there is someone in his way or not.

Stoudemire also used the pick and pop more often in that stretch then we had seen in a while, making him a pretty much unstoppable offensive player when he is in motion. His face-up game includes a pretty jumper know that he can hit consistently from 18-22 feet.

Amare has been taking that outside shot more frequently because he is no longer playing the center position.

Channing Frye started out the year as the “center” but was rarely in the post. 55% of Frye’s shot attempts this season have been from beyond the arc, and though he is one of the top three-point shooter (third in the NBA in makes and eighth in percentage), having him start put too much responsibility on Stoudemire’s shoulders. Amare would end up playing in the paint and defending the other team’s center for the majority of the time anyways, which was taking a toll on him.

Thus, head coach Alvin Gentry inserted back-up center Robin Lopez into the starting line-up. The 15th overall pick from the 2008 NBA draft was mostly thought of as a bust before getting some  burn this season, especially when compared to his brother Brook Lopez, who was taken five spots ahead of him by New Jersey and was a candidate for rookie of the year last season thanks to a fantastic offensive skill set. As a rookie, Lopez averaged just 10 minutes a game as well as just three points a game on 52% field goal shooting (not great for a post who doesn’t take jump shots).

Though he is not his brother and he isn’t very polished offensively, Lopez has been very good this season while adjusting to the starting role. While Frye still gets minutes off the bench, adding another shooting threat with the second unit, Lopez has gotten a respectable 25 minutes a game in 23 starts. In those starts, Lopez is also averaging 12 points (seven above his career average), six rebounds, a block and a steal a game, while shooting 61% from the field and 71% from the line. And, if you put any value into Jon Hollinger’s PER stat, Lopez is 60th in the league with a per of 17.64. That number puts him ahead of Rudy Gay, Joakim Noah, Tony Parker, Antawn Jamison and Paul Pierce just to name a few. Very good numbers, in my opinion, for a guy that wasn’t getting minutes early in the year or as a rookie.

Offensively, Robin does not have a go-to move and he doesn’t have plays ran to get him to ball. However, though he is no Amare, Lopez has become pretty effective in the pick and roll with Steve Nash, as he shoots 68% at the rim. He doesn’t force things and knows his offensive opportunities will come if he remains active on the boards and gets putbacks. On the defensive end, while nobody is going to hesitate in taking the ball to the rim with Lopez protecting it, Robin is very active with his hands and uses his big body (7-foot, 255 pounds), to get infront of opponents and block shots.

The Suns now sit at 39-25, good enough for second in their division (behind the Lakers) and fifth in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder are just one game back and the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers are just two games behind Phoenix, but I think they will definitely finish in the top six, if not the top five.

The Suns are still the most high octane offense in the NBA, scoring 111.6 points per 100 possessions, which is a little over two points more than the second most efficient team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Steve Nash is still playing at an extremely high level, distributing the basketball well and getting his rejuvenated post players touches to get them involved (Which, as well all know, usually encourages them to play hard at the other end) and they are at their best when Jason Ricahrdson is heavily involved in the offense.

But there is something different about this team as of late. Since February began, in 15 games, the Suns have outrebounded their opponents by 162 (estimated), winning the rebound margin 11 times, tied twice and lost just twice, and they have held their opponents to just 98.2 points per game, which is eight below their season average of over 106 points per game.

With Stoudemire and Lopez playing at this level, Channing Frye adding a top shooter off the bench and even Louis Amundson playing high energy defense and racking up offensive rebounds as a reserve forward/center, the Suns are poised to make a real playoff push as they are now capable of at least competing with teams like the Lakers and Mavericks, who have a lot of size downlow.

(Photo Credit: Mariah Clark/Waldron Street Journal)

Hockey fights weren’t the only fights going on at the American Bank center on Friday, February 19^th. Though the Rayz were in town, the most feverish punches were being thrown during the 67^th annual Golden Gloves boxing tournament, which took place at an exhibit hall on the ABC complex.

The event was made up of both males and females. Boxers of all sizes participated in the events, ranging from the Junior Olympic division comprised of kids from 64 pounds to 110 pounds to the Novice division made up of 152-pound frames and larger.

Our very own Flour Bluff student, sophomore Kevin Conrad, participated in the event. Conrad has been boxing for four years in the Golden Glove program, training hard five days a week every week to make himself better at his craft.

Kevin joined up with the Corpus Christi Police Officers Association (CCPOA) after moving back to Corpus Christi from Austin and qualified for the Golden Glove City Championship Match for his weight division by winning five of his six fights, four of which came by knock out, in a tournament that determined the best of the best.

Conrad’s opponent in the Championship Match was Angel De La Paz, who fought for the Kingsville Boxing Club. The match consisted of three one minute rounds with judges scoring and choosing a winner of each round. Generally, the boxer who lands more clean punches to the head, which is protected by a specially designed helmet, and to the stomach, tallies up the most points.

As soon as his match begun, Conrad had the eye of the tiger, so to speak. He started out circling the ring at a slow pace and all of sudden came out throwing  jabs, uppercuts, and hooks that De La Paz had a hard time deflecting. Playing possum to begin the round, Kevin landed eight straight blows on De La Paz and distanced himself from Angel on the scorecard.

Conrad was just as technically sound in the second round, continuing to play a cat and mouse game with De La Paz before drawing him just close enough to unleash a few furious blows that got him good points with the judges. His footwork was crisp, helping him keep De La Paz off balance and confused for most of the round.

In the third and final round, De La Paz gave everything he had, which is usually the case when a boxer comes into the final round knowing they have to make up a lot of ground. Going away from his submissive style that he displayed in the first two rounds, Angel attacked Conrad early and landed a few good hits. His barrage of blows continued for about 15 seconds thanks to his positioning in the ring.

After Conrad broke free from De La Paz when his mouthpiece came out (which is a stoppage in play called by the ref), Conrad regained composure and played a defensive style, backing up an extra foot and only making necessary advancements on De Laz Paz.

Kevin’s late stand in the final round helped him secure a unanimous decision (meaning he won all three rounds), making him the City Champion for the 163-pound weight division.

“It feels awesome,” said Conrad on being the best boxer at his weight in the city. “I’ve been working my butt off everyday for this. Going to the gym everyday and working hard. I feel great knowing it paid off.”

Conrad was as nice as could be just minutes after his match. He was excited, exhausted, and humble, giving a lot of props to his opponent, De La Paz, for his match.

“He gave me a good run,” said Kevin. “He caught me pretty good a couple of times. He did good, I’m proud of him and I congratulate him.”

This isn’t the end of the road for Kevin, though. He’s got a State Title to compete for now.

“There’s still more to go. I will be going to the State Golden Gloves Tournament now that I have won the City Championship.”

When Kevin goes to state, he would like everyone from Flour Bluff to be rooting him on as he represents not only our school but also our entire city. Even if you aren’t able to attend all of Conrad’s events, he truly appreciate your support.

“I would like to thank all of my friends at the Bluff that have been supporting me,” Conrad said. “I appreciate it.”

As the NFL free agency period begins today, the Houston Texans are about to lose one of their most important players.

After going through an up and down season emotionally with the team, reports indicate that cornerback Dunta Robinson will leave the Texans for the Atlanta Falcons within days, if not hours.

Robinson was not great last season, with his desire to receive a bigger paycheck and anger with Houston for franchising him being factors in his lackluster play.

With one of the best offenses in the NFL already in place, the Texans were starting to build a solid defense around one great player at each level of defense. Former number one overall pick Mario Williams anchored the defensive line, tackle machine DeMeco Ryans was the team’s leading linebacker (After a stellar rookie season, Brian Cushing is also emerging) and Robinson was the best player in the secondary.

Now Houston will have to completely remake their secondary.

The Texans do have the ability to get a corner or safety in the NFL Draft as they have the 20th pick. Guys like Earl Thomas out of Texas or Florida cornerback Joe Haden would be good fits for Houston. Haden is considered by many to be the best cover corner in the entire draft and Thomas is a great ball-hawking safety that can force several turnovers in the NFL.

If they aren’t able to get one of those players in the draft, with Antonio Cromartie now off the mark (he was traded to the Jets), the Texans’ offense may be able to throw on anyone, but anyone will be able to throw on them. Which, of course, is not ideal when your division rival has Peyton Manning playing quarterback.

Other Texans free agency notes:

-The Texans are in dire need of a running back that can convert in third and short  and goalline situations. I think former New York Jets running back Thomas Jones fits the mold perfectly. Jones may be old in NFL running back terms at at 31, but the guys ran for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. If the Jets don’t resign him, I think the Texans need to make a large push for him. Jones is very strong and physical and, should the Texans decide to feature Steve Slaton as primarily a pass catching back, Jones can still produce effectively with 15-20 carries a game for 80-100 yards. Think Reggie Bush/Pierre Thomas with Slaton and Jones as a combo.