DeadlyDynasty
11-08-2010, 02:24 AM
Jason Quick, The Oregonian
LOS ANGELES -- Not all is well with the body, and mind, of Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy.
It was there for all to see on Sunday in the Blazers' flameout loss to the Lakers when Roy was a shell of himself while going 1-for-6 from the field in one of the most disinterested, and therefore confusing, games Roy has played in his five seasons in Portland.
After the game, Roy was reluctant to get real, dancing around questions about his body and his mindset.
"It's delicate," Roy said of both subjects.
By now, it has to be clear to anyone who has watched him play, or even casually gotten to know him through the years, that something is amiss.
On the court, Roy has lost his explosiveness, and therefore his aggressiveness.
He no longer beats his man off the dribble, and therefore, he has been reduced to a pull-up jump shooter, usually with a man in his face. So far, that has not been a high-percentage play: Roy is shooting 39.8 percent from the field, well below his 46.7 percent career average, and the second lowest among the Blazers' rotation players (Rudy Fernandez, 35.1 percent).
Roy admitted on Sunday that his body is not 100 percent. He missed 15 games last season with a hamstring injury, then missed the final two regular-season games and the first three playoff games after undergoing minor surgery on his right knee.
Whether it's mental, or physical, Roy's body is not performing at the same level that earned him trips to three consecutive All-Star Games.
"My body is what it is," Roy said. "I mean, it feels pretty good, but it's felt better. What I feel ... there's nothing magical that's going to change. My body is good enough to go out there and play."
But what might be worse than Roy's aching body is Roy's mindset. One can almost hear the gears of his mind grinding. He is frustrated, but appears either unwilling to say, or unsure about, exactly what it is that is bothering him.
When probed about possible scenarios of what is bothering him, Roy quickly let it be known he wasn't going to elaborate.
"Naw. Not going there. Naw, that stuff goes bad," Roy said.
Can't be any worse than what was on display Sunday.
Roy on the Staples Center court appeared to have lost his interest, or at least his fight. In the second half, he attempted one shot: a mid-range jumper that he made, ending an 0-for-5 skid. After that, he drifted around the perimeter and passed the ball like a hot potato.
Roy is obviously frustrated at what a grind it has become for him to get an open shot. He said part of it is the attention defenses pay to him. Part of it is his body doesn't feel the same. And some of it is the team's personnel has changed.
Translated: Gone are Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw -- two players who could help space the floor for him by making outside shots. In their place is Andre Miller and Wesley Matthews -- two players who are not known for their sharpshooting.
"A lot of things have changed," Roy said. "We almost have a whole new roster as we did two years ago, so things aren't going to be the same as they were. I'm just trying to adjust, to see what this team needs."
When it was suggested that this team needs the Brandon Roy from two years ago, when he averaged 22.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds, Roy showed the irritation he feels with his reputation with Portland fans.
"Seems from all the talk, they didn't need the old Brandon Roy, they wanted a new one, a different one," Roy said. "So I'm trying to adjust to what they need."
Coach Nate McMillan has had an open and effective relationship with Roy. He said he has not yet sensed that Roy is frustrated with the team's offense, or that as coach he should have any reason to be concerned about Roy's play.
"He just scored 26 points (Saturday) night," McMillan said almost incredulously.
But McMillan has to recognize that Roy is not showing the same explosion, the same first step, and the same power that made him one of the best penetrators and finishers in the NBA.
After Sunday's game, it sounds like McMillan is hoping that game is coming, that Roy is merely pacing himself.
"If this were December, yeah, then I would be concerned," McMillan said.
-- Jason Quick
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2010/11/roy_amiss_and_a_miss_and_a_mis.html
I noticed tlong hasn't posted his customary postgame article from the local paper, so I'm doing him a solid.
LOS ANGELES -- Not all is well with the body, and mind, of Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy.
It was there for all to see on Sunday in the Blazers' flameout loss to the Lakers when Roy was a shell of himself while going 1-for-6 from the field in one of the most disinterested, and therefore confusing, games Roy has played in his five seasons in Portland.
After the game, Roy was reluctant to get real, dancing around questions about his body and his mindset.
"It's delicate," Roy said of both subjects.
By now, it has to be clear to anyone who has watched him play, or even casually gotten to know him through the years, that something is amiss.
On the court, Roy has lost his explosiveness, and therefore his aggressiveness.
He no longer beats his man off the dribble, and therefore, he has been reduced to a pull-up jump shooter, usually with a man in his face. So far, that has not been a high-percentage play: Roy is shooting 39.8 percent from the field, well below his 46.7 percent career average, and the second lowest among the Blazers' rotation players (Rudy Fernandez, 35.1 percent).
Roy admitted on Sunday that his body is not 100 percent. He missed 15 games last season with a hamstring injury, then missed the final two regular-season games and the first three playoff games after undergoing minor surgery on his right knee.
Whether it's mental, or physical, Roy's body is not performing at the same level that earned him trips to three consecutive All-Star Games.
"My body is what it is," Roy said. "I mean, it feels pretty good, but it's felt better. What I feel ... there's nothing magical that's going to change. My body is good enough to go out there and play."
But what might be worse than Roy's aching body is Roy's mindset. One can almost hear the gears of his mind grinding. He is frustrated, but appears either unwilling to say, or unsure about, exactly what it is that is bothering him.
When probed about possible scenarios of what is bothering him, Roy quickly let it be known he wasn't going to elaborate.
"Naw. Not going there. Naw, that stuff goes bad," Roy said.
Can't be any worse than what was on display Sunday.
Roy on the Staples Center court appeared to have lost his interest, or at least his fight. In the second half, he attempted one shot: a mid-range jumper that he made, ending an 0-for-5 skid. After that, he drifted around the perimeter and passed the ball like a hot potato.
Roy is obviously frustrated at what a grind it has become for him to get an open shot. He said part of it is the attention defenses pay to him. Part of it is his body doesn't feel the same. And some of it is the team's personnel has changed.
Translated: Gone are Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw -- two players who could help space the floor for him by making outside shots. In their place is Andre Miller and Wesley Matthews -- two players who are not known for their sharpshooting.
"A lot of things have changed," Roy said. "We almost have a whole new roster as we did two years ago, so things aren't going to be the same as they were. I'm just trying to adjust, to see what this team needs."
When it was suggested that this team needs the Brandon Roy from two years ago, when he averaged 22.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds, Roy showed the irritation he feels with his reputation with Portland fans.
"Seems from all the talk, they didn't need the old Brandon Roy, they wanted a new one, a different one," Roy said. "So I'm trying to adjust to what they need."
Coach Nate McMillan has had an open and effective relationship with Roy. He said he has not yet sensed that Roy is frustrated with the team's offense, or that as coach he should have any reason to be concerned about Roy's play.
"He just scored 26 points (Saturday) night," McMillan said almost incredulously.
But McMillan has to recognize that Roy is not showing the same explosion, the same first step, and the same power that made him one of the best penetrators and finishers in the NBA.
After Sunday's game, it sounds like McMillan is hoping that game is coming, that Roy is merely pacing himself.
"If this were December, yeah, then I would be concerned," McMillan said.
-- Jason Quick
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2010/11/roy_amiss_and_a_miss_and_a_mis.html
I noticed tlong hasn't posted his customary postgame article from the local paper, so I'm doing him a solid.