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Przybilla out rest of season after surgery

By Brian T. Smith
Published: December 25, 2009, 12:00am

PORTLAND — Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla will miss the remainder of the 2009-10 season.

Przybilla underwent successful surgery Thursday to repair a ruptured right patella tendon and dislocated patella, the team announced. He is expected to be ready for the Blazers’ 2010-11 training camp.

Przybilla suffered the season-ending injuries during the first quarter of Portland’s 85-81 road victory Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Przybilla’s absence, coupled with the recent loss of center Greg Oden, leaves the Blazers without a healthy true center on the team’s 16-man roster. Forwards Juwan Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge will fill in for Przybilla, with Howard holding down the starting position.

Przybilla averaged 4.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks through 29 games (eight starts) this season. He assumed the starting role when Oden went down Dec. 5 with a season-ending left patella fracture.

The 7-foot-1, 255-pound Przybilla played in all 82 regular-season games for the Blazers last season. He averaged 5.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 2008-09, and was a key member of a Portland team that won 54 games and made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2003.

Przybilla, 30, joined the Blazers as a free agent in 2004. He is set to make $6.8 million this season, and holds a $7.4 million player option to return the team next season.

Przybilla’s injury is a severe blow to a Portland (19-12) team whose early-season battle with major injuries has prevented the Blazers from fulfilling the high expectations that initially surrounded the season.

Przybilla, Oden, Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, Jeff Pendergraph and Patty Mills have all dealt with serious injuries this year.

Portland was recently awarded a hardship exemption by the NBA — which allowed the Blazers to temporarily add forward Anthony Tolliver as a 16th player — as a result of the team’s injury issues. The organization is expected to apply for another exemption due to the loss of Przybilla.

Elsewhere, Brandon Roy (left shoulder muscle strain) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Nuggets. Roy underwent an MRI Thursday, which confirmed the strain.

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