The fall of BRoy, the damage of ‘Reke, and the re-emergence of CP3.
by Sandy Dover / @SandmanSeven
Sometimes, I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on some happenings that have occurred in the world of the NBA. But many times, I don’t have the conviction to write 700 words on every singular subject of interest — but I may have a bunch of short bits to communicate en masse, on occasion. And so I’ll be Sounding Off on occasion. Holler.
I wish the absolute best for Brandon Roy. He’s one of the most talented players in the NBA, 
and his ability to change games doing a variety of things on the offensive side of the ball (when he has the ball) is clearly elite. It’s not really a great feeling to know that at 26 years old, that he could possibly already be deteriorating so soon in his NBA career (via TrueHoop). He has a city, an organization, a large shoe company and others backing him and hoping that he can maximize his star talent to do some special things that can broaden his career and the careers of those who are “in the Brandon Roy business”…which only makes his role as “The Man” of the team even more overstated and it is slowly becoming a null title — at least to me.
It may be time for the Portland Trail Blazers to let the man go. Obviously, he may not be ready to leave just yet, because his injuries will clearly impact his trade value, but he should probably go. How much confidence do the Trail Blazers have in him to go and significantly help the team become an elite team in the West, let alone the League? People paying attention to him know that he’s happiest as a point guard, he doesn’t really like playing off of the ball, and he’s not one to a primary tension diffuser when trouble comes around the team, which is something that a bonafide leader does. I’m not trying to pick out his faults in vain, but only to bring attention to the obvious thing — Brandon Roy is likely not the exact personification of hope that Portland was hoping for. He was a catalyst for culture change for the Blazers, but not the end-all-be-all for Blazer Glory to be restored. Sadly, it may be time to let go.
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Maybe it’s just me, but I think Tyreke Evans is overrated. I think he’s super-talented, and he has a lot of potential, but I wonder if he’s not really being coached by his brothers, rather than his actual NBA superior in Paul Westphal. He’s injured right now with plantar fasciitis and he’s been limited in his effectiveness, so what is said is not meant to beat a man while he’s down, but I wonder…
He’s likable in his humility and his play is really dynamic, but all the questions about him and his natural position aren’t about his actual gifts — as he’s clearly endowed with the talent to be a point guard — but dude is just a self-centered player, and maybe he’s not solely responsible for that. Sure, he could pass more and look for more guys on the break and on the wings, but I think he needs to ask for some direction on where the Sacramento Kings really want him and are looking to get from him. It would be a shame for him to get the wrong idea about what is expected of him, but until that time, his responsibility is to not only get better from a physical standpoint, but from a mental and competitive standpoint as well. He has LeBron-esque talent at guard on the limelight stage of Stephon Marbury, so he’s going to have temper his instincts that he’s carried over since attending American Christian Academy.
(I’m very eager to see that jumper come back from ACA, though.)
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Is anyone else afraid for Chris Paul‘s future? Essentially, CP3 had most, if not all, of the cartilage from his left knee removed that he had operated on earlier this year. It’s going to be a bone-on-bone situation, not unlike Roy’s situation, and I’m personally hoping that he doesn’t have to endure those exact results. His play has been so stellar thus far, it’s unpleasant just to see the bulky brace on his knee right now, let alone thinking of the worst that could be if the knee doesn’t hold as well as hoped, but his training is elite, so I don’t think anyone will doubt his work there.
Let’s hope for the best.
Sandy Dover is a novelist/writer, artist, and fitness enthusiast, whose work has been featured in Robert Atwan’s “America Now,” USA Today’s UWire, Yahoo!’s Associated Content, and now in Buckets magazine (as a senior writer). You can find Sandy frequently here at SLAMonline, as well as at Facebook and Twitter.
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