Our Frontline of the Future

[Agloco]

But Portland used Roy too much (nearly 40 minutes per game)and it may be a factor. We're using Blair nearly 20 minutes per game and by a small calculation he can play double year of Roy(which means nearly 10 years)

The relationship is far from linear. You fail to take into account Blairs weight, style of play, etc., etc. It's multivariate with far too many unknowns.....hence the reason many FO's balked at taking him in the Top 10.

[K-State Spur]

You also have to consider Blair weighs a lot more than Roy. More stress on his knees.

Blair and Roy are different issues (beyond that they just both involve the same body part).

[Booharv]

Just to address one point in this thread, Kenyon Martin successfully came back from microfracture on both knees.

[tdunk21]

John Elway was a QB. DB is an NBA PF, constantly pogo-ing up and down off the floor and running full out up and down the wooden court for 82 games a season. The Spurs themselves have been quoted as saying his career would be short. The lack of stability causes the knees to flex and wobble too much, wearing holes into the cartilage and causing the knees to go bone on bone at a very young age. What is happening to Brandon Roy right now is a picture of DeJuan's future: dual knee cartilage surgeries. Roy has a better prognosis, though, because his knees are structurally stable. Even if DeJuan gets his cartilage fixed, his unstable knees will continue to wear though it, causing further problems. He will probably require dual micro-fracture surgeries down the road on both knees, and I'm not sure anyone has had that and come back with a meaningful career.

[Cane]

But Portland used Roy too much (nearly 40 minutes per game)and it may be a factor. We're using Blair nearly 20 minutes per game and by a small calculation he can play double year of Roy(which means nearly 10 years)

You also have to consider Blair weighs a lot more than Roy. More stress on his knees.

Portland also rushed Roy back from knee surgery and basically gambled away his health. I think their medical staff is suspect or maybe they're just cursed. Blair seems like a medical anomaly; hopefully further developing his jumper will be able to save some miles on those legs though.

[ChuckD]

Portland also rushed Roy back from knee surgery and basically gambled away his health. I think their medical staff is suspect or maybe they're just cursed. Blair seems like a medical anomaly; hopefully further developing his jumper will be able to save some miles on those legs though.

Portland's problem isn't their medical staff, it was their former front office, headed by Pritchard. Oden, Roy, and former Blazer Jerryd Bayless all had medical red flags for knee issues, but were picked in draft slots as if they didn't. Each one is now dealing with knee problems.

[JustinJDW]

What about Ryan Richards and and that Cousins guy in the D-League.

[TD 21]

Splitter has the potential to be a solid second big and Blair a quality third big (maybe even a solid second big). If they're lucky, Richards turns into a capable fourth big.

The problem, obviously, is going to be finding a first big. I'm not talking about a Duncan replacement, because that's obviously not realistic. They're not getting an all-time great and they're more than likely not even getting a guy like Horford or Bogut, who are both All-Star caliber, but far from Hall-of-Famers. The best that can be hoped for is probably Nene or someone of that ilk. Nene can be a first big, but he's really more of a second big and is a cut below All-Star caliber.

[K-State Spur]

Portland's problem isn't their medical staff, it was their former front office, headed by Pritchard. Oden, Roy, and former Blazer Jerryd Bayless all had medical red flags for knee issues, but were picked in draft slots as if they didn't. Each one is now dealing with knee problems.

In fairness, especially with regards to Roy, I'm not sure you can call that a "problem."

Roy was drafted with the 6th overall pick. Even if he's toast from this point forward (which remains to be seen), the 5 years they got out of him were better than the full careers out of most players in the 2006 draft. Only Rondo (#21) and maybe Rudy Gay will have greater overall franchise impacts when it's all said and done. But, I think they'd make that pick 10 times out of 10 even knowing what they do now.

There are a lot of reasons that Durant would have been a better pick than Oden, with potential knee injury (he had never missed so much as an AAU game due to knees prior to being drafted) only one factor.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

Ryan Richards has been mentioned a few times in this thread--anyone know how he's doing or what his status is at the moment? I know he had to have some form of shoulder surgery which was gonna keep him out for a while--anything change on that front?