tlongII
08-12-2009, 10:01 AM
http://columbian.com/article/20090807/SPORTS01/708079940/1001/SPORTS01
Move over, Clyde Drexler.
Step aside, Geoff Petrie, Bill Walton, Rasheed Wallace and Zach Randolph.
The Portland Trail Blazers now belong to Brandon Roy.
So does the Rose Garden. And Blazermania. And all things red and black in the lush, green Pacific Northwest.
Paul Allen might own the Blazers. But so what? The team — and its future — now belong to Roy.
Where Roy goes, the Blazers will go. And if Roy is truly the man to take Rip City's chosen team back to the promised land — the NBA Finals — the Blazers will follow his lead.
Seattle-born, UW-schooled, Roy is a 25-year-old Pacific Northwest-lifer who just became a reported $80-plus million richer.
He also just became legit.
Roy has been building for and climbing toward this moment for years. He's outlasted injuries and critics and doubters. He's proven skeptics wrong and converted non-believers.
For that, he was rewarded with NBA rookie of the year honors and two straight NBA All-Star game appearances.
But that's nothing in the modern version of the National Basketball Association.
A maximum contract, though? That's everything. That's proof of hope and promise and belief. Keys to the city. Faith of the fans. And the face of a franchise.
It's the allure of five more secure years and $80-plus million of cold, hard cash wrapped in a warm, soft security blanket that hums, "We want you. You're our guy. You're the man."
Three years ago, the Blazers were the joke of the NBA and a lame, lazy national punchline.
Then Kevin Pritchard began pulling rabbits out of a hat. Pritchard and the Blazers acquired Roy. The rest is magic.
Rip City was reborn. Blazermania was pulled off the shelf, dusty, discarded and forgotten, and shined new. And the joke of the NBA soon became one of the most promising franchises in professional sports.
Now, Roy is surrounded by a youthful collection of talented teammates, led by LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden. He's coached by Nate McMillan, one of the top sideline walkers and managers in the game.
And Pritchard, despite what some perceive as recent setbacks, did what he had to do this offseason: He found Roy a legitimate, proven point guard to complement Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless.
Now, all Roy has to do is deliver.
Rip City wants an NBA championship. Bad. It's gone more than 32 years without one.
Can Roy come through? Can the Boy Wonder/Perfect Angel do what The Glide could not? We'll see. It's a heavy, loaded request — just ask LeBron James.
But what's known, what's certain, is that the Blazers couldn't have chosen a better person in the flashy, me-first world of the NBA to hand five more years and a boatload of dough to.
As a person, public figure and role model, Roy is everything an NBA star should be. And he's everything most aren't and never will become.
On the court, Roy is magic. He's flashy without being flashy. Fundamentally sound without being boring or mundane. He stops time. Drops jaws. Carries weight, picks up teammates and erases opponents.
Last season, Roy carried the Blazers to the playoffs.
Now, Blazermaniacs want more. Much more. That's what Roy's max deal was for.
The Blazers now belong to No. 7. Just like the Celtics once belonged to Larry Bird, the Lakers belonged to Magic Johnson, and the Bulls belonged to Michael Jordan.
Let's see where The Natural can lead the red and black.
Move over, Clyde Drexler.
Step aside, Geoff Petrie, Bill Walton, Rasheed Wallace and Zach Randolph.
The Portland Trail Blazers now belong to Brandon Roy.
So does the Rose Garden. And Blazermania. And all things red and black in the lush, green Pacific Northwest.
Paul Allen might own the Blazers. But so what? The team — and its future — now belong to Roy.
Where Roy goes, the Blazers will go. And if Roy is truly the man to take Rip City's chosen team back to the promised land — the NBA Finals — the Blazers will follow his lead.
Seattle-born, UW-schooled, Roy is a 25-year-old Pacific Northwest-lifer who just became a reported $80-plus million richer.
He also just became legit.
Roy has been building for and climbing toward this moment for years. He's outlasted injuries and critics and doubters. He's proven skeptics wrong and converted non-believers.
For that, he was rewarded with NBA rookie of the year honors and two straight NBA All-Star game appearances.
But that's nothing in the modern version of the National Basketball Association.
A maximum contract, though? That's everything. That's proof of hope and promise and belief. Keys to the city. Faith of the fans. And the face of a franchise.
It's the allure of five more secure years and $80-plus million of cold, hard cash wrapped in a warm, soft security blanket that hums, "We want you. You're our guy. You're the man."
Three years ago, the Blazers were the joke of the NBA and a lame, lazy national punchline.
Then Kevin Pritchard began pulling rabbits out of a hat. Pritchard and the Blazers acquired Roy. The rest is magic.
Rip City was reborn. Blazermania was pulled off the shelf, dusty, discarded and forgotten, and shined new. And the joke of the NBA soon became one of the most promising franchises in professional sports.
Now, Roy is surrounded by a youthful collection of talented teammates, led by LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden. He's coached by Nate McMillan, one of the top sideline walkers and managers in the game.
And Pritchard, despite what some perceive as recent setbacks, did what he had to do this offseason: He found Roy a legitimate, proven point guard to complement Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless.
Now, all Roy has to do is deliver.
Rip City wants an NBA championship. Bad. It's gone more than 32 years without one.
Can Roy come through? Can the Boy Wonder/Perfect Angel do what The Glide could not? We'll see. It's a heavy, loaded request — just ask LeBron James.
But what's known, what's certain, is that the Blazers couldn't have chosen a better person in the flashy, me-first world of the NBA to hand five more years and a boatload of dough to.
As a person, public figure and role model, Roy is everything an NBA star should be. And he's everything most aren't and never will become.
On the court, Roy is magic. He's flashy without being flashy. Fundamentally sound without being boring or mundane. He stops time. Drops jaws. Carries weight, picks up teammates and erases opponents.
Last season, Roy carried the Blazers to the playoffs.
Now, Blazermaniacs want more. Much more. That's what Roy's max deal was for.
The Blazers now belong to No. 7. Just like the Celtics once belonged to Larry Bird, the Lakers belonged to Magic Johnson, and the Bulls belonged to Michael Jordan.
Let's see where The Natural can lead the red and black.