Why is it that some players with knee problems just completely shrivel (Michael Redd, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady) while Jason Kidd, one of the first guards to get microfracture surgery, continues to play at a high level long after most of his draft class is out of the league? It's not as if Kidd didn't use to be athletic - he was one of the fastest end-to-end players in the league. Is it that he, like Nash, is mainly a passer, and that's a skill that doesn't diminish? (And why is Andre still so great when he never jumps over a piece of paper?) What I'm getting at, is, is there hope for a diminished Brandon Roy? I mean, even Ron Harper, who ran like an old man when he was on the Bulls, let alone the Lakers, still managed to be a productive player by playing smart. Or is Roy going to decline as sharply as Penny? I know we don't think of Roy as athletic, but he always was quick - relying on sudden bursts of speed to get past players, and that's something that does go away as legs get old. Whereas Nash, for example, is more crafty than quick. But some of Brandon's skills, like his step-back, would seem to be doable with older knees. And then there's Chris Paul, who has also had nasty knee problems, and is also short, who is currently a contender for league MVP.
What we're seeing right now with Roy is frustration. He is essentially a rookie again in the league. He's playing a COMPLETELY different game now then when he was younger because he lost his step. There's an adjustment/learning period to conserving your body. Roy will be much more effective than McGrady since Roy has a deadly jumpshot. Roy is a smart player and will learn some tricks from Miller about playing on the ground and not jumping so much. You can see Roy trying that now, but again, he's a rookie and it'll take a year or two before he's completely comfortable playing this way.
The "diminished" Brandon Roy talk is really getting ahead of itself imo. The guy is hampered by a knee injury right now and it's slowing him down. Who's to say once the knee is healthy again and there's no more pain/swelling he won't be pretty close back to normal? This whole thing is being blown way out of proportion imo. It's not like he's completely healthy and there's just no explosiveness there. He's hurt and that's why he's slower. This seems like a pretty normal thing.
And knowing Roy, he'll whine for half a season about having to change his game, then finally go about actually changing it...
Or, he'll get better, either from resting the knee or having surgery, and it will be a non-issue - until the next tiime he's injured and the media and fans panic again. Seriously, we don't have a a single qualified medical opinion on Roy's knee and already people are writing him off as a has been. Can we at least wait until he's examined by a doctor before we proclaim his career over? BNM
is anyone really under the impression that all knee problems are even close to the same? probably the best way to form a reasonable guess about the future would be to understand the current situation. Being the face of the franchise and all, I'd think that we'll have some medical professionals speaking about Brandon's situation in the not too distant future. But right now I'm recalling all the sky is falling expert posters claiming he'd need season ending (and possibly career threatening) surgery on his heal during his 2nd season. STOMP
I tend to divide many of the posters here into three related categories: blatant trolls, attention whores and drama queens. I think I need to add a fourth category: Chicken Littles. BNM
