February 27, 2011 8:59 AM

So, how would you like to be told that your job is now 2700 miles away?

Przybilla said he learned of his trade from teammate Brandon Roy. The entire team was in a Players Association meeting following Thursday’s practice, and Roy mouthed the words “You got traded” to Przybilla…. Soon he was met by Chad Buchanan, the Blazers’ director of college scouting, who officially notified Przybilla that he had been traded…. “I wasn’t shocked,” Przybilla said. “I had a feeling.”…. Przybilla said the past two days were such a whirlwind, in part because his wife, Noelle, and their two sons are back at their permanent home in Milwaukee…. “Some people close to me took it hard, but man, I’ve been blessed for seven years here,” Przybilla said. “Like Noelle, she took it hard, but I told her, we never saw this happening, where we would establish so many memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. When I signed here seven years ago, I had one foot out of the NBA, and I didn’t expect Portland to be like this.”

One of the things that sports fans are renowned for is seeing athletes as interchangeable parts, pieces to a puzzle they hope is constructed in such a way that it will bring their team a championship. We tend to lose sight of the fact that professional athletes, though fabulously talented and gifted at their chosen sport, are just like those of us who lead a more merely mortal existence. Just like us, they have families and feelings, and yet while they understand the fickle nature of the business they’re engaged in, many don’t like being uprooted and relocated any more than the rest of us.

The NBA’s trade deadline passed on Thursday, and it was easy to be excited about teams that made changes and all the players now wearing new uniforms. Certainly, from a fan interest standpoint, trades create excitement. New hope, new beginnings, and a chance for your team to be better today than it was yesterday. Lost in that, though, is the upheaval that it creates in the lives of players. Yes, players understand that the NBA is a business and that nothing is guaranteed. That doesn’t mean, though, that players don’t value comfort and security. That doesn’t mean that players want to be told that their new job (and likely not one of their choosing) is 2700 miles away and that they must leave family, friends, and loved ones behind immediately. Seldom is this reality more true than it is here in Portland, where (at least until the MLS’ Timbers kick off next month) the Trailblazers are the only game in town. Center Joel Przybilla, along with Dante Cunningham and Sean Marks were traded to the Charlotte Bobcats on Thursday, and, just like that, they went from being recognizable members of the community to being yesterday’s news. Yeah, it’s a business, but it can’t be fun. Players are people too, and they develop attachments and relationships just like you and me. Yes, the nature of their business is both transient and temporary, but that doesn’t mean that moving at a moment’s notice is simple and/or easy.

Portland is in many ways a large version of a small town. Because the Trailblazers have been the only game in town, fans have historically developed a strong attachment to the team and the players. Trailblazers players are woven into the community in ways that simply isn’t possible in larger, more diverse markets. That has pros and cons, of course, but when players leave, it does leave a hole for many fans. Sure, fans are excited about the acquisition of Gerald Wallace, and before long life will move on as if nothing has happened, but I think we do a disservice to the players we admire when we don’t recognize and acknowledge the personal toll that trades can exact.

Tonight, the Trailblazers play the Atlanta Hawks at the Rose Garden, and Wallace will be in the lineup. Meanwhile, Przybilla, Cunningham, and Marks move on to Charlotte, NC. Such is the nature of the business, eh?

Think about this for just a moment, though: What if you showed up at work tomorrow morning and were told that you’ve been transferred to a new job a couple thousand miles away…and that you were expected to be at work there tomorrow morning?

blog comments powered by Disqus

Technorati

Technorati search

» Blogs that link here

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 27, 2011 8:59 AM.

It's only evil if you don't make a profit was the previous entry in this blog.

Happy Monday.... is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Contact Me

Powered by Movable Type 5.12