duncan228
04-27-2010, 04:09 PM
Blazers Put Future At Risk Playing Brandon Roy (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-blazersputfutureatri)
SportingNews
Ever since Willis Reed played for the Knicks in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals despite tearing a muscle in his thigh two games earlier, players playing through serious injury to will their team to victory has been greeted with praise. It’s a sign of sacrifice for the good of the team, a selfless act in service of victory. Never mind that, in most cases, players aren’t in the Finals, and that Reed’s Knicks and their fans were likely pretty darn excited for the deciding game of the NBA season before he scored the first two baskets of the game.
This weekend, Blazers fans saw their own version of Reed’s return, or at least as close as we’re going to get in an era of giant contracts and conservative decisions by team management. Only eight days after undergoing knee surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, Roy played well in Portland’s Game 4 win, scoring 10 points (4-of-10 FG) in 27 minutes. He wasn’t the best player on the floor for the Blazers — that would be LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 31 points and 11 rebounds — but he got the home crowd hyped and clearly had an effect on Portland’s approach to the game. Facing a potential 3-1 deficit with two games left in Phoenix, they picked up the win, evened up the series, and gave themselves new life.
Of course, Game 4 was only Game 4, and last night’s Game 5 was a different story. Playing away from the roar of the home crowd, Roy made little difference, scoring just five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes. Even with its star back, the series looked to have changed little since Phoenix’s blowout Game 3 win in Portland. The Suns are still more talented with more consistent production from their entire lineup. The Game 4 victory gave the Blazers a chance, but this still looks like Phoenix’s series to lose.
I don’t mean to downplay the importance of Roy’s return as a story. Any time a star player risks further injury to try to help his team win, it deserves attention, even if he doesn’t have much of an effect on the series. Much of the media and TV coverage of the story has perhaps taken Roy’s effect on the actual games too far, but this is obviously an issue worth discussing. It’s just that, if Roy isn’t doing much to change the situation of the basketball being played, why did he come back?
The obvious answer is that he’s a strong-willed competitor who cares about providing any lift he can to his team. That’s been clear throughout his career, and it’s not surprising that he’d want to come back as long as he can run. But when Roy cannot cut, sprint, or jump at anything close to his usual ability, you have to wonder why the Blazers are allowing him to play.
I’m no orthopedist, but even if his knee feels fine, the incisions need time to heal. There’s an injury risk to coming back from any problem too early, let alone something as serious as knee surgery. The Game 4 win was important, certainly, but what if the Blazers win the series and move on? Will they allow Roy to keep playing? He’s already said he wants to start in Game 6. Reed’s return in 1970 was an amazing moment, but that was certain to be the last game of the season. Plus, Reed struggled with injuries the rest of his career and retired four seasons later.
Portland is at a crossroads, with team architect Kevin Pritchard quite likely heading out the door this summer and one-time franchise linchpin Greg Oden on the shelf with injuries and almost certain to start next season on the bench (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/63348/what_does_marcus_cambys_extension_mean_for_greg_od en). Roy is one of the few people in the organization who looks stable right now, and the response to that is not to put him at risk to further injury in the hopes that the team can win a playoff series.
Winning in the playoffs is obviously the goal for any team at the start of the season, and it’s tough to say Portland shouldn’t do everything in their power to win as many games as possible over these next few weeks. But this is quite obviously not a championship-caliber team even with Roy healthy, and they’re still young enough that they can look toward future playoff runs as their ultimate goal.
Sometimes, an extra playoff win or two isn’t worth putting your future in jeopardy. There’s no shame in losing in the first round as an undermanned team, especially when you’ve already weathered a ridiculous amount of injury trouble during the regular season. Portland has already out-performed expectations this season — a lesser team would have buckled under the loss of so many key players.
Roy’s knee might feel pretty good, but the risk remains. He’s an established All-Star, and there’s no use putting him in harm’s way for the sake of a few extra wins. The potential reward just isn’t worth it.
SportingNews
Ever since Willis Reed played for the Knicks in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals despite tearing a muscle in his thigh two games earlier, players playing through serious injury to will their team to victory has been greeted with praise. It’s a sign of sacrifice for the good of the team, a selfless act in service of victory. Never mind that, in most cases, players aren’t in the Finals, and that Reed’s Knicks and their fans were likely pretty darn excited for the deciding game of the NBA season before he scored the first two baskets of the game.
This weekend, Blazers fans saw their own version of Reed’s return, or at least as close as we’re going to get in an era of giant contracts and conservative decisions by team management. Only eight days after undergoing knee surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, Roy played well in Portland’s Game 4 win, scoring 10 points (4-of-10 FG) in 27 minutes. He wasn’t the best player on the floor for the Blazers — that would be LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 31 points and 11 rebounds — but he got the home crowd hyped and clearly had an effect on Portland’s approach to the game. Facing a potential 3-1 deficit with two games left in Phoenix, they picked up the win, evened up the series, and gave themselves new life.
Of course, Game 4 was only Game 4, and last night’s Game 5 was a different story. Playing away from the roar of the home crowd, Roy made little difference, scoring just five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes. Even with its star back, the series looked to have changed little since Phoenix’s blowout Game 3 win in Portland. The Suns are still more talented with more consistent production from their entire lineup. The Game 4 victory gave the Blazers a chance, but this still looks like Phoenix’s series to lose.
I don’t mean to downplay the importance of Roy’s return as a story. Any time a star player risks further injury to try to help his team win, it deserves attention, even if he doesn’t have much of an effect on the series. Much of the media and TV coverage of the story has perhaps taken Roy’s effect on the actual games too far, but this is obviously an issue worth discussing. It’s just that, if Roy isn’t doing much to change the situation of the basketball being played, why did he come back?
The obvious answer is that he’s a strong-willed competitor who cares about providing any lift he can to his team. That’s been clear throughout his career, and it’s not surprising that he’d want to come back as long as he can run. But when Roy cannot cut, sprint, or jump at anything close to his usual ability, you have to wonder why the Blazers are allowing him to play.
I’m no orthopedist, but even if his knee feels fine, the incisions need time to heal. There’s an injury risk to coming back from any problem too early, let alone something as serious as knee surgery. The Game 4 win was important, certainly, but what if the Blazers win the series and move on? Will they allow Roy to keep playing? He’s already said he wants to start in Game 6. Reed’s return in 1970 was an amazing moment, but that was certain to be the last game of the season. Plus, Reed struggled with injuries the rest of his career and retired four seasons later.
Portland is at a crossroads, with team architect Kevin Pritchard quite likely heading out the door this summer and one-time franchise linchpin Greg Oden on the shelf with injuries and almost certain to start next season on the bench (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/63348/what_does_marcus_cambys_extension_mean_for_greg_od en). Roy is one of the few people in the organization who looks stable right now, and the response to that is not to put him at risk to further injury in the hopes that the team can win a playoff series.
Winning in the playoffs is obviously the goal for any team at the start of the season, and it’s tough to say Portland shouldn’t do everything in their power to win as many games as possible over these next few weeks. But this is quite obviously not a championship-caliber team even with Roy healthy, and they’re still young enough that they can look toward future playoff runs as their ultimate goal.
Sometimes, an extra playoff win or two isn’t worth putting your future in jeopardy. There’s no shame in losing in the first round as an undermanned team, especially when you’ve already weathered a ridiculous amount of injury trouble during the regular season. Portland has already out-performed expectations this season — a lesser team would have buckled under the loss of so many key players.
Roy’s knee might feel pretty good, but the risk remains. He’s an established All-Star, and there’s no use putting him in harm’s way for the sake of a few extra wins. The potential reward just isn’t worth it.