I know he's unappreciated but how about underrated? I don't mean just by the whole NBA, but even to the biggest Roy fans. I'm talking about the BIG picture. What if he becomes a top 15 all time player? Don't get me wrong, but is he really just the seventh best player in the NBA? Should we be satisfied with him just being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Kobe and LeBron? What if he can actually surpass a few guys on that list? The list that Hollinger writes consists of LeBron, Wade, CP3, Kobe, Duncan, and Dwight. Kobe and Duncan will probably be off that list within 3-4 years. By that time, Roy will truly be in his prime. Then it'll be LeBron, Wade, CP3, and Dwight (I won't count potential guys like Durant and Rose because that will complicate things). Would you do a straight up trade, Roy for anyone on that list? LeBron is the only for sure, in my opinion. I'm a huge fan of Roy. The only weakness I see in his game is lazy defense in the first 3 quarters (he usually starts trying in the clutch, ask Joe Johnson and Carmelo) but that's somewhat typical for a young player that must play a lot of minutes and carry the load on offense. Also, I've seen a bit of Kobe in him. When it comes down to the last few minutes of a game, he'll occasionally take some pretty bad shots. Like Kobe, he'll make some of them and be hailed as a hero. But also like Kobe, he is usually being double/triple teamed and could easily pass it up to an open player. Just those two things and somewhat of an injury proneness. Now to the strengths...a lot to list actually. -Good with both hands. -Excellent 1 on 1 player. -Nice jump shot. -Already 4th best FG% for SG's. Better than Kobe (and supposedly, this is one of Kobe's best shooting years). Only Ray Allen and Wade are ahead of him. I won't count Ronnie Brewer. With Roy, I tend to see 12/21 performances more often than 5/19. Can't say the same for Kobe. Whenever he gets a 40 pt game, it's pretty common for his FG to be something like 15/33. -Rebounds well, and his versatility allows him to play PG. -Doesn't turn the ball over much -High IQ -Last but not certainly not least, he's clutch as hell. -Etc., etc., you don't need me to tell you all about him. Most of you already know. But if you think we've already seen all Roy has to offer, you don't know Roy. He's improved leaps and bounds over every off season and it's amazing. No one could've predicted this. He didn't have any hype going in the draft whatsoever. But of course, when it boils down to it...the ultimate deciding factor on Roy's legacy is how many championships he'll bring to the Blazers. Excuse me for getting ahead of myself but with everybody in this team being so young, we'll have a very long window of opportunity. As long as we don't lose any key pieces, we'll be in the hunt for the next 10 years. He can't do it alone of course. Aldridge will have to become more consistent. And at the very least, Oden has to be a good, defensive minded, 15/12 guy. If he's a Ben Wallace, plus the ability to draw people inside with some sort of an offensive game, I wouldn't be totally heartbroken about not taking Durant (in my most optimistic view, I still believe he'll be just about as good as Dwight without as much points). With this young nucleus, honestly, it's not unreasonable at all to expect a dynasty that brings us 3+ trophies. And if that happens, Roy is going to be the guy that gets all the credit. He's the most efficient offensive weapon we have, and also is the leader. Bill Simmons actually made a great point comparing him to Tim Duncan. None of the flash or cocky attitudes...just gets the job done and done well. And Duncan is on many people's top 10 lists.
I don't think he's underrated by the media, coaches, or his fellow players. The average fan may not know how great he is, but they will learn exactly who he is in the playoffs. He's a top 10 player in this league who hasn't come close to reaching his ceiling. I think an MVP Award is definitely in his future.
Not by people who know the game. Possibly by casual fans, as he came into the league without fanfare and, while he does everything well, is not THE best at any one thing. I doubt he will win a scoring title, or an assist title, and while he can put up a highlight real shot, he knows that a layup, if available, is the same 2 points. That shows smarts, not taxing his body when not needed, but when most people get their sports in sound bites, it isn't one. He is not flashy off the court, either, just a guy who goes home to his family, has dinner with them and goes to bed early. He'll probably be in the all star game year after year but never as a starter. Until he wins multiple championships with Aldridge and Oden.
Mychael Thompson just said on The Game that he thinks Roy is the 2nd best SG in the league, behind Kobe.
This year, for the most part, I think he hasn't been under/overrated. I think he's been fine. He has separated himself as the 3rd best SG, he got that 7th best player in the NBA article, in the top 10 MVP talks, all-star again, players/coaches saying how good he is (Kobe, and then that one coach saying they treat him like they treat a LeBron/Kobe/Wade, etc...). He seems to be getting the credit now that the team is winning. Hopefully it continues and grows as he grows as a player.
What? Come on, Dwane Wade is a stud of studs. And, now that he is fully healthy again, he is putting up CRAZY numbers. He also has a ring and a Finals MVP trophy. Until Wade falls off and/or Roy puts up LeBron/Wade type crazy numbers and/or wins a ring himself while being team MVP, let's hold off on this kind of stuff.
