All about Roy?

One of the highlights of the All Star game, is that the one guy who looked like the most unlikely to actually be on the court with the other players was our very own, Brandon Roy. The thing is it's not like I don't think he should be an All Star because he definitely has the talent to be on the same court as the other players, but you can just tell he is of a different breed than most of the others. Unassuming, humble, quiet, reserved, and a team player. And in doing all of this he also commands a certain amount of respect different than most of the other All Star caliber players. That and he played the most minutes on the West squad, and had the best all around game of his team, here is an article that suggests he was the Most Productive Player on either team. More on the humble, quiet, and respectful player Roy has become from the Sunday Oregonian right here (great article gives some insight into Roy as a youth). Then the Oregonian article from today on the All Star game for Roy here.

But I think all of the attention on Roy ever since he became a Blazer deserves some dissecting. In the two seasons previous to Roy's arrival, the Blazers were still known with the prefix 'Jail' and still had selfish, ball-hog type players who genuinely believed that there is an 'I' in team. Telfair, Miles, Randolph these players all talked as though they cared about wins and losses and playing as a team, but they never really showed it. The organization had been attempting to woo fans back to the arena with the 25-point pledge, pinning up the faces of the new young players who were supposedly good kids. Well guess what they weren't, and the front office was still being run by some fairly shady personnel who really weren't doing their due diligence concerning putting a competitive, character driven team together, but they got us the pieces. Then came the draft of '06, we essentially traded Viktor Khryapa for LaMarcus Aldridge, and then take Raef LaFrentz' contract off Bostons hands in order to get Roy. And this move was a stroke of genius, we got a 4 year college kid who was just a good guy, naturally humble, and a natural leader, yet with the drive and passion to win just like all the great basketball players have. Roy wasn't happy losing, and he also wasn't happy with ego-centric players. He quietly usurped the role of leader of this team, and in my mind, single handedly changed the culture surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers. He reminds me of Tim Duncan, not in his game of course, but in his demeanor. Obviously he has a bit more flair than TD, but not much, he quietly goes about his business and plays his game. He knows his strengths and uses them to his advantage, and most of all he puts his team above or at least on the same level as himself. He is clearly the best player on this Portland team and is definitely the star, the one player who truly makes the team 'go', but he doesn't take credit for that. He never has and even after all of his personal success since joining the Blazers, I doubt he ever will. Look at the article from todays paper, and notice the last quote he has in it:

"But I'll go back and tell my teammates about this whole weekend and the experience," Roy said. "I'll tell them this wouldn't have been possible without them."

Do you think Kobe Bryant would ever say that, LeBron James, Amare Stoudamire, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, 'Melo? I highly doubt it. We have a very rare player on our hands, one I could see taking less money just to give his organization and team the best opportunity to win. One who I hope never leaves our fair city, one I don't see leaving our fair city, one whose number should be hanging in the rafters of the Rose Garden some day. And like Duncan, he rubs this unselfish attitude onto his entire team, he embraces his team and does his best to put them on his shoulders, to make them feel as important and as responsible for his own personal accolades. He has quietly, humbly become the heart and soul of this team. We are fortunate to have him, and I am fairly certain he feels the same way about the city of Portland and it's fans.