Przybilla’s teammates do talking for him

Joel Przybilla (10), already known for his defense, has been making offensive contributions to the Blazers this season. (Greg Wahl-Stephens/The Associated Press)

New Orleans Hornets' Devin Brown (23) shoots against Portland Trail Blazers' Joel Przybilla (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Friday Nov. 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)

PORTLAND — Disappearing is not easy when you’re 7-foot-1 and 245 pounds.

Yet Joel Przybilla has somehow remained an overlooked, and often invisible, factor in the Portland Trail Blazers’ hot start.

The veteran center’s bloated shooting numbers and rebounding figures that are nearing career highs rarely get included in game reports.

He started 13 games this year, yet attention was most focused on when rookie Greg Oden would take his spot. And with rookie sensations like Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez sparking conversations, Przybilla’s improved offensive game and steady defensive work have generated little talk.

Not that it bothers Przybilla much.

“I don’t need that hoopla and people coming at you,” the ninth-year center said. “I know fans respect what I do. ... I know it’s out there. I just don’t get the print in the newspaper. It don’t bother me any. I’ve been like that my whole career and it doesn’t bother me.”

But Przybilla’s teammates will do the talking for him.

Channing Frye is quick to discuss how Przybilla has gone overlooked, and how he is the glue on the team. And Oden will explain how he would often draw off Przybilla’s energy when coming off the bench.

Przybilla’s numbers alone should make his importance clear. Yet they generate little publicity.

For example: Did you know that, though playing a minor role in the offense, Przybilla has been nearly automatic with his shot attempts, making 83 percent (45 of 54)? And did you know that he has missed only one shot in the last six games and is maintaining a pace that would break his career high for shots made in a season (199)?

Or did you know that the career 52 percent free throw shooter has hit his last 11 consecutive attempts? Or that Przybilla’s early numbers have him tied for the highest scoring average of his career (6.4 ppg) and his second-best rebounding average (8.2 rpg) while leading the Blazers in blocked shots (23)?

Sure, those may not be All-Star numbers. But teammates say should not be undervalued.

“He is like the main cog, I think, on our team,” Frye said, “because we know what he’s going to give us every night. He does his job every night. He’s been guarding All-Stars, centers every single night, and really getting the job done. And more credit to him, man. ... Joel is no chopped liver. I love him. I love playing with him. Because he has no attitude. There’s no selfishness.”

But there is plenty of humility. So while Przybilla is consistently tapped by reporters to discuss his teammates, he never raises an eyebrow when they forget to ask about his own game.

Przybilla prefers that low-key lifestyle, though. He dresses is in the corner of the Blazers’ locker room, at the opposite end of the row from Brandon Roy — where crowds pack in nightly after games.

He has never been one to self promote, and always pushes credit off to coaches, teammates and members of his support network.

Even when he was asked about this season — how he has showed more confidence making offensive moves around the basket while looking more skillful on the court — Przybilla is quick to credit his trainer, Brad Arnett of NX Level Pro Performance Center in Wisconsin, with developing his endurance and overall skill.

But his own recognition? Przybilla prefers to take it in a different form.

By winning.

“It’s easy when you’ve got guys who are better,” Przybilla said. “It makes you look better, too, especially when you’re winning. ... I look at the fact that I may have had similar seasons, but the fact that I’m doing what I’m doing on a winning team, that makes a big difference to me. Helping a team that’s winning, to me that makes a big difference. It’s rewarding.”