*shrug* Roy and Nate and the entire Blazers' organization has been such a feel-good story for about three years now. It wasn't going to last forever. We were bound to lose some games we shouldn't at some point. Our coach was bound to do some pretty questionable moves. Our franchise player was bound to get maybe a little too much of a swollen head (can we stop comparing ourselves to Kobe and LeBron yet?) We were bound to acquire a vet rotation player who didn't immediately fit in. After so many years of really avoiding any controversy, it'll be interesting to see how resilient the team is.
All the blame goes on Roy again. How ridiculous. The what-have-you-done-for-me-lately attitude is pretty hilarious.
I don't think all the blame goes on Roy at all. I think Miller with some of his statements and also Nate have made this situation much worse then it needed to be. If you look at my sig you see I like Roy. I've just been disappointed with some of his statements and behavior (blatantly not passing to Oden much of Tuesday's game). I expect Roy to straighten out and regain his former skill and prestige. I think this whole situation from Roy skipping on training during the summer, to Miller and Roy's statements to the media and McMillan's cluelessness has a possible beneficial side. One, Miller probably isn't a fit unless he and Roy can repair things. Two Roy needs to be more realistic in his self appraisal and work on his game alot more to be named in the same breath with LeBron and Kobe. He can start with a renewed commitment to defense. I know Roy will come out of this. Hopefully this public criticism will cause him to temper himself and reflect a bit. This might be the kind of humbling he needed to have a fire lit under him to take it to the next level. Edit: Forgot to add that McMillan botching things by listening too much to Roy instead of reminding him who the coach was is probably good too. We need to know that now, not in game 7 against LA in the WCF next year. This road trip without Nate should be interesting.
It was during the first quarter I believe. Definitely in the first half and I'm pretty sure it was the 1st quarter.
You know, it's amazing what you can learn from uninformed gossip mongers. Why just last week, I read in the Enquirer some nasty stuff about Angelina and Brad...and don't you just know it's all TRUE!
Wait gossip mongers? I don't like the announcers either, but I don't think you can gossip about yourself. Roy made the statements. He has no one to blame, but himself if he comes off as selfish and not wanting to play with and/or respect Oden and Miller. His statements aren't really hard to understand and they are on the face of them selfish until his most recent statement that Nikokulous pointed to where he took some responsibility. Hopefully, this will push him in the direction of mending the fence with Miller and starting to enjoy feeding Oden down low.
Umm, okay. Care to point to the specific statements you're saying Roy made? Most of the things I've read are along the lines of him offering his honest answers to what he thinks will work the best for the team...not a refusal to play with Miller or anyone else for that matter.
You're saying because they're his honest answers to what he thinks will work best for the team he can't be criticized? I don't really see how that follows. Ed O.
I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that there seems to be a rush by some to portray some of the things that Brandon has said in a bad light; putting a spin on them that I don't think he intended. I've no problem with others disagreeing with his opinions, but I find it ridiculous the way some around here seem to be so willing to brand Roy as some sort of egotistical brat. Frankly, I expect that Brandon will learn from this experience that the safest course of action is to not give his honest opinions but to simply give the standard "whatever coach says is for the best of the team" crappola that most players give. Sad, IMHO.
When people criticize Roy, I wish they would use his physical acts oncourt rather than his verbal words offcourt.
The replay just had the section on Roy...it was at about 7 minutes of the 2nd quarter. They were definitely harsh. One of their criticisms was that after winning with the 3 guard line-up, rather than being glad they'd found a line-up that worked, he didn't like it and complained. Really making him seem entirely self-centered and without regard for how the team is doing. I don't think that's fair and I do think his #1 concern is winning, but he is not without fault. I am conflicted because he raised legit concerns about the 3 guard line-up, but I think he's really constraining Nate with his attitude. He should let Nate coach then go out and play to the best of his ability in the situations he is placed in (ie - playing alongside Miller). Rather than analyzing why the situation won't work, he should spend time thinking about how to make the situation succeed (like being more active off the ball). I imagine he is doing this already, but it's not showing up on the court... Still a lame situation and having Nate sidelined is not going to help this team meaningfully progress...
I just watched the segment on ESPN360. The sad part of it was that it was absolutely true. I want JVG even more now as it seems he has the balls to call out Roy,
Roy has been accused of a lot of things. Mostly because of what he says in practices. And when newspapers and talkshow hosts stir that made-up "trash", Roy never denies it. When asked about it, he simply says "I just want the best for the team". He's had plenty of opportunities to set the record straight about him and Miller, but he hasn't. He doesn't like playing with him, and he won't even pretend. Miller has been a class-act wherever he's been. His teammates love him and miss him dearly when he leaves. Is it just a strange coincidence that all of a sudden, he's labeled a cancer of this team and is being put on trade wish threads? B-Roy is just being a douche. And this is all retarded. When they started Roy and Miller, they won a bunch in a row. You can check the stats...when Roy and Miller play together, it produces good results. Why Roy prefers otherwise is baffling. The only thing we can think of is that he's selfish, because that's how it honestly looks right now.
To full on armchair psychoanalyze, I think Roy is threatened by Oden. Miller gets Oden the ball where Blake and he do not. Hence, Roy doesn't like Miller because he helps to reveal Oden as an emerging Superstar. Roy needs to just be happy that he has such a gifted teamate and use Oden to pad his own stats (he should get 8 assists a game with Oden) and help the team to succeed. I'm sure Papag will be here any minute. I fully expect Roy to reflect on himself, work on his game and grow to love playing with Oden. It's all part of the team's maturing process. Some people don't like change, especially if it takes away from their time in the spot light. I can't blame the guy, it's a big adjustment playing with an emergent Oden and Miller. I don't see this as reflecting on Roy long term other then perhaps tarnishing his image for awhile. I just hope Roy figures things out sooner rather then later and NEVER takes another summer off. His rust and shaky handles are a large part of the problem. I think Roy may have realized on Tuesday taking 25 shots and being stripped a few times that he needs to concentrate on his game. His most recent comments are giving me hope. Now I want to see it on the court with him dumping it into Oden.
How do we know any of it is true? How do we know it just isn't Nate with his weird lineups? It hardly makes any sense to me that Roy would refuse to play with Miller as a guard, and then go out and play with him as a SF instead. None of that makes sense at all. Let me see, I don't like to play with Miller, so now I am going to go out and play with Miller, but in a position I don't like to play. It makes absolutely no sense at all.
I get it that people around here get touchy when "outsiders" criticize the team and/or its players, but I utterly fail to see the controversy. The guys on ESPN are paid to give their opinions, and if in their opinions Roy has been selfish or hurting his team because of his words and his actions then they are well within their rights to say so. I like Brandon, and my tendency is to give him the benefit of the doubt, but even I have to admit that some of the things that he has said about playing with Miller vs. Blake and talking about touches and role, etc. have left him wide open for the shots he's taking. Bottom line: Brandon needs to talk less and play more and all of this shit will be behind him.
I thought what Roy is accused of 'saying' is that he doesn't want to play with Miller, so Blake has been starting instead; and also that even though the three-guard lineup was 'working' with Roy at SF, Roy didn't like that either and had it changed. Roy's image is definitely taking a hit. And it's mostly self-inflicted IMO.
Roy has not refused to play with our autistic veteran, nor does he decide who starts. They are criticizing out of fear and ignorance.
If only he were as wise and enlightened as you, who make light of a serious condition by calling Andre Miller "autistic" (or, alternatively, can diagnose autism from the other side of a television). Ed O.
