RealGM checks up on Joel Freeland

[Nikolokolus]

http://trailblazers.realgm.com/articles/138/20100317/checking_in_on_joel_freeland/

Freeland has spent time in Spain with Gran Canaria and is now with Unicaja Malaga, as Portland felt he needed more time to develop. He now has grown into a one of Europe’s biggest talents and surely the NBA isn’t that far away.

When watching him play, you immediately notice he is somewhat of an athletic freak. He also has the European fundamentals that has become synonymous with Dirk Nowitzki and Danilo Gallinari, although nowhere near as advanced as that pair.

His mid-range game is solid and he uses his speed in the post in a way few bigs can. His defense is one of his key assets, along with a remarkable rebounding ability. He has the natural ability to get good positioning and uses that athleticism to out-jump opponents. He is the type of forward which the world of basketball has become familiar with over the past five or ten years. He can play either forward position and compensates any weakness in skill level with shear intensity and effort.

It's a nice read ... hopefully even 3/4 of it is true, because a productive Freeland added to this roster could cure a lot of ills if Camby bolts, Joel can't come back and Oden still struggles with injuries.