Kevin Pritchard looked a little scared as he thought about what it would be like to actually play against Jeff Pendergraph.

Who can blame him?

“I would get worried when I would play against those guys because they would rather hit you than play basketball,” said Portland’s General Manager of the Blazers’ rookie power forward.

“We knew he was tough, but he’s a legit tough guy. He’s not going to back down from anybody. He likes being physical.”

That’s just what Portland needs. With Joel Przybilla down and out after blowing out his knee, the Blazers weren’t only left without another man in the middle, but the team suddenly lost whatever physical toughness they could actually muscle. Even with Portland’s banged-up bad luck this season, Pendergraph is getting the chance to show his style of play is crucial to the Blazers staying competitive (see my feature running at FOXSports.com – “Blazers lose players, win games” - for more on how Portland has overcome their injury woes) as we inch closer to February’s All-Star break.

“You are talking about a rookie who has been thrown into the fire,” Nate McMillan said of Pendergraph.

“He’s trying to learn what we are trying to do and play the NBA game. But with the minutes he’s given us, he’s done some good things for us.”

The kid is no doubt making the most of his playing time.

“It stinks to have guys go down because you don’t wish injuries on anyone, but I can understand coach being nervous about it,” explained Pendergraph, who is averaging 4.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game heading into Monday’s game with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Pendergraph has easily become a feel good story in Portland, aside from quickly establishing himself as a fan favorite after returning from hip surgery in September. He went from a second round hopeful out of Arizona State, to holding it down at the Las Vegas Summer League, to damaged goods, only to work his way back into becoming the scrappy power forward we’ve seen flex and scowl these past couple weeks.

“I was broke," Pendergraph continued, knowing just months ago that he wasn't even sure if he'd play at all this season.

From broke to beasting, Jeff is showing he can be more than a quick fix in the paint for Portland. Last week at home against the Clippers, he nearly matched – or in his eyes, would have surpassed – his personal best in rebounds. Pendergraph once pulled down 19 rebounds as a Sun Devil. He finished with an NBA career-high 14 rebounds versus the lowly Clips.

“If I played the fourth quarter I might have had 20 rebounds, and I would have had a double-double too,” Pendergraph said flashing a big grin. “That’s alright. We have about 60-some games left. I have plenty of time.”

As for hitting guys rather than play basketball; Pritchard apparently wasn’t joking.

“He (Chris Kaman) hit the heck out of me. He’s a strong dude,” Pendergraph said about doing battle with the Clippers’ beefy center.

“That’s alright. I hit him back.”

photo: alex mcdougall photography

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