tlongII
12-20-2008, 03:20 PM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/12/roy_on_best_scoring_run_in_tra.html
Already an All-Star, Blazers guard Brandon Roy adds a new, aggressive swagger to his all-around game -- gaining respect from officials and leading to the best five-game scoring run of any player in franchise history
TUALATIN -- With his chin raised a little higher than usual, and with eyes of reverence fixed on Brandon Roy across the gym, Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan on Friday couldn't help but look into the future.
His mind, naturally, was on Roy, who on Thursday established the most prolific five-game scoring stretch in team history after scoring a Rose Garden-record 52 points during a 124-119 victory over Phoenix.
But while most reporters surrounded Roy after Friday's practice to relive the second-highest point total in team history, McMillan's mind-set was farther up the road, and on much greater things than a victory over Phoenix.
"That championship one day will happen if this continues," McMillan said. "You just need a player like this."
Unmistakable as it is powerful, Roy in his third NBA season is evolving from an All-Star into a superstar. The transformation is so defined that even Roy felt comfortable Friday referring to his recent play as "the new Brandon Roy."
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/12/medium_Roy_Ely_Battier.JPG
The "new" Roy is more aggressive, and less willing to wait on teammates to carry their weight. The "new" Roy, he says, is getting more respect from referees. And the "new" Roy is now publicly showing what he refers to as swagger -- pumping his fists after getting fouled, strutting out of a timeout with a dead-serious stare, yelling to no one in particular after a shot.
"My confidence level is at an all-time high," Roy said. "Even when I made big shots (earlier in my career), my confidence wasn't as high as it is now. That's the biggest difference. It's the mentality between the old Brandon and the new Brandon. It's just more comfortable, more confident and it's showing more in scoring and in that swagger and attitude."
Although he says his transformation has been gradual, Roy identified a defining moment when he decided his style needed to change. It came earlier this month, after he was stifled in consecutive games at Boston and Toronto, going 3 for 11 with 12 points against the Celtics and 6 for 16 for 15 points against the Raptors. Both teams used traps that came early and hard, leaving Roy on his heels.
His career, up to that point, had been defined by pace. He never rushed. Never forced. He was about observing, processing and then tactically proceeding. After Boston and Toronto swarmed him, it became clear to him that it was better to attack than be attacked.
But Roy turned his focus onto more than just himself. Yes, he needed to make that change for his game, but what about the team? What did the team need in a landscape where it did not appear that LaMarcus Aldridge was ready to make the jump to an All-Star? Greg Oden was still finding his way around the NBA game. Both Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez were struggling with consistency.
Roy could no longer wait. If the team was going to win, Roy concluded, he needed to score more.
"I didn't say necessarily that they are not ready, but I said I've got to do more," Roy said. "As LaMarcus continues to develop and Greg continues to develop, maybe my scoring will come down. But right now, I think this is a stretch where I need to be aggressive to help lead this team."
Roy said he's always tried to do what the team needs, but embracing a scorer's mentality was an adjustment. He had always been a player who insisted on getting his teammates involved and making sure there was equal distribution. That's why he would often enter halftime with six points, or nine points, then finish with 20 after a late-game surge when the team needed him to score.
He often said he intended on being more aggressive, particularly in the first quarter, but it never materialized -- until last week against Orlando, when he recorded his first 30-point game of the season.
"Boom! Out of nowhere in the Orlando game it just became easier, more natural," Roy said.
Now, he has embraced the role of scorer, yet he worries about the manner in which he is going about it. On Thursday, Roy entered the halftime locker room and asked Shavlik Randolph whether he was being too aggressive, when in essence he was asking whether he was being too selfish.
Randolph told him that he should shoot even more.
With that type of green light from his teammates, Roy is tempting to enter the stratosphere occupied by the league's perennial top scorers: the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Miami's Dwyane Wade and Cleveland's LeBron James. In the past five games, Roy is averaging 36.4points, raising his season average to a career-high 23.4. Yes, it's only five games, but Roy said he is noticing that he is beginning to get different treatment from the referees, which might help him maintain his scoring pace.
Roy notes that the big scorers like Bryant and Wade get to the free throw line often. In the last five games, Roy's free throw attempts have been 14, eight, seven, 15 and 21.
"But it's not just the free throws. The hardest part when I had to defend Kobe and LeBron is that you can't touch them," Roy said. "So they are free to do whatever move they want. I think now I'm establishing where they can't touch me anymore. It's opened up the game for me. Now I'm coming down and doing a move and the dude doesn't want to touch me. I'm like, 'That's easy.' I'm not there yet, but I'm establishing that respect to where I'm kind of getting refereed like those guys."
It's why McMillan said Roy no longer has the look of just an All-Star.
"He looks like a guy who is a legitimate All-Star -- a guy who is going to be there every year -- and there's a difference," McMillan said. "There are a lot of guys who have a good year, but with him ... I think we are just scratching the surface."
Already an All-Star, Blazers guard Brandon Roy adds a new, aggressive swagger to his all-around game -- gaining respect from officials and leading to the best five-game scoring run of any player in franchise history
TUALATIN -- With his chin raised a little higher than usual, and with eyes of reverence fixed on Brandon Roy across the gym, Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan on Friday couldn't help but look into the future.
His mind, naturally, was on Roy, who on Thursday established the most prolific five-game scoring stretch in team history after scoring a Rose Garden-record 52 points during a 124-119 victory over Phoenix.
But while most reporters surrounded Roy after Friday's practice to relive the second-highest point total in team history, McMillan's mind-set was farther up the road, and on much greater things than a victory over Phoenix.
"That championship one day will happen if this continues," McMillan said. "You just need a player like this."
Unmistakable as it is powerful, Roy in his third NBA season is evolving from an All-Star into a superstar. The transformation is so defined that even Roy felt comfortable Friday referring to his recent play as "the new Brandon Roy."
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/12/medium_Roy_Ely_Battier.JPG
The "new" Roy is more aggressive, and less willing to wait on teammates to carry their weight. The "new" Roy, he says, is getting more respect from referees. And the "new" Roy is now publicly showing what he refers to as swagger -- pumping his fists after getting fouled, strutting out of a timeout with a dead-serious stare, yelling to no one in particular after a shot.
"My confidence level is at an all-time high," Roy said. "Even when I made big shots (earlier in my career), my confidence wasn't as high as it is now. That's the biggest difference. It's the mentality between the old Brandon and the new Brandon. It's just more comfortable, more confident and it's showing more in scoring and in that swagger and attitude."
Although he says his transformation has been gradual, Roy identified a defining moment when he decided his style needed to change. It came earlier this month, after he was stifled in consecutive games at Boston and Toronto, going 3 for 11 with 12 points against the Celtics and 6 for 16 for 15 points against the Raptors. Both teams used traps that came early and hard, leaving Roy on his heels.
His career, up to that point, had been defined by pace. He never rushed. Never forced. He was about observing, processing and then tactically proceeding. After Boston and Toronto swarmed him, it became clear to him that it was better to attack than be attacked.
But Roy turned his focus onto more than just himself. Yes, he needed to make that change for his game, but what about the team? What did the team need in a landscape where it did not appear that LaMarcus Aldridge was ready to make the jump to an All-Star? Greg Oden was still finding his way around the NBA game. Both Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez were struggling with consistency.
Roy could no longer wait. If the team was going to win, Roy concluded, he needed to score more.
"I didn't say necessarily that they are not ready, but I said I've got to do more," Roy said. "As LaMarcus continues to develop and Greg continues to develop, maybe my scoring will come down. But right now, I think this is a stretch where I need to be aggressive to help lead this team."
Roy said he's always tried to do what the team needs, but embracing a scorer's mentality was an adjustment. He had always been a player who insisted on getting his teammates involved and making sure there was equal distribution. That's why he would often enter halftime with six points, or nine points, then finish with 20 after a late-game surge when the team needed him to score.
He often said he intended on being more aggressive, particularly in the first quarter, but it never materialized -- until last week against Orlando, when he recorded his first 30-point game of the season.
"Boom! Out of nowhere in the Orlando game it just became easier, more natural," Roy said.
Now, he has embraced the role of scorer, yet he worries about the manner in which he is going about it. On Thursday, Roy entered the halftime locker room and asked Shavlik Randolph whether he was being too aggressive, when in essence he was asking whether he was being too selfish.
Randolph told him that he should shoot even more.
With that type of green light from his teammates, Roy is tempting to enter the stratosphere occupied by the league's perennial top scorers: the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Miami's Dwyane Wade and Cleveland's LeBron James. In the past five games, Roy is averaging 36.4points, raising his season average to a career-high 23.4. Yes, it's only five games, but Roy said he is noticing that he is beginning to get different treatment from the referees, which might help him maintain his scoring pace.
Roy notes that the big scorers like Bryant and Wade get to the free throw line often. In the last five games, Roy's free throw attempts have been 14, eight, seven, 15 and 21.
"But it's not just the free throws. The hardest part when I had to defend Kobe and LeBron is that you can't touch them," Roy said. "So they are free to do whatever move they want. I think now I'm establishing where they can't touch me anymore. It's opened up the game for me. Now I'm coming down and doing a move and the dude doesn't want to touch me. I'm like, 'That's easy.' I'm not there yet, but I'm establishing that respect to where I'm kind of getting refereed like those guys."
It's why McMillan said Roy no longer has the look of just an All-Star.
"He looks like a guy who is a legitimate All-Star -- a guy who is going to be there every year -- and there's a difference," McMillan said. "There are a lot of guys who have a good year, but with him ... I think we are just scratching the surface."