Brandon Roy: ‘I Kind of Like to Be Doubted and Counted Out’

Brandon Roy tells the Oregonian that he doesn’t quite know how his body will react once the NBA resumes business, but that he plans on surprising people with how well he plays: “I just don’t even want to put anything out there,’ said Roy, who celebrated his 27th birthday Saturday. ‘I don’t want to get hopes up one way or the other. I’m just trying to work to get better. And if I surprise a million people, that’s better. Hopefully, I can surprise some people.’ At the same time, Roy let it be known he knows what has been said about him. That his knees no longer allow him to move with the surgical precision that made him one of the most crafty and effective players in the NBA. That he can no longer leap high enough to finish drives to the basket. And that the bone-on-bone condition of both his knees has all but ended his career. He has heard all of it, and in a way, it motivates him. ‘I’m definitely fine with how some things are said, and what people are saying about me,’ Roy said. ‘I kind of like to be doubted and counted out. That’s a good place for me. I like this role.’ What exactly that role will be once the Blazers and the NBA reconvene remains to be seen. Roy said he had mixed results recently after resuming basketball drills. The bad news? He says he doesn’t have the same lift on his jumps as he did during his run of three All-Star appearances. The good news is that he has surprised himself with his mobility, and he has been free of pain and swelling. Plus, his knees feel stronger than they did during the season — in part because of the nearly three months since the season ended and in part because the January surgeries are even further in the past. So where does all this leave him and his expectations for next season, when he will make $15 million? Again, no headlines. No expectations.”