<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Roy, on the other hand, plays a much more crafty defense. Not a quick jumper, he relies on position, anticipation, and clever hands. His lateral movement is surprisingly swift. He holds his ground on fakes. And he was able to reach into Tarence Kinsley's kitchen and snatch away his dribble.Here's a typical example of Roy's defensive awareness that wasn't recorded in the box score: The Grizz were looking to rush into the attack zone after a Portland turnover, and Chucky Atkins was pushing the ball toward the timeline while Roy was sprinting to keep abreast with one of the Grizzlies' wings. Suddenly, Roy pivoted sharply and made a dash at Atkins. The unexpected move to challenge his dribble startled Atkins and in his haste to protect the ball, he lost the handle. Even though the Blazers regained possession, the official stats didn't credit Roy with a steal (nor Atkins with a turnover).Roy's defensive rotations were models of precision and timeliness. As were his double-teamings. By my unofficial count, Roy deflected at least four passes in help situations. Overall, Gay is a dynamic defender in the lane, while Roy's defense extends from foul line to foul line.Roy's shot-mechanics are somewhat smoother than Gay's, but he also shows a little too much wrist-snap in his release. (From mid- and long-range, Roy was 2-for-6). If Roy lacks the speed to jet to the hoop, he can recognize when his defender is off-balance, and when the opponents' bigs have failed to properly rotate to cover the basket. On his only two forays into the lane, Roy utilized left-to-right cross-overs to score a layup, and then a short floater.Trickery, changes of direction, and court awareness are Roy's primary offensive weapons. Even against the visitors' zone, Roy was able to spot open spaces, wend his way into them, and pull-up for a smooth-looking jumper. (He's much better pulling left than right.) Still, his back is slightly stiff when he puts the ball on the floor, so there's a relatively long distance between his dribbling hand and the floor-boards. That's why most of Roy's turnovers occurred when he tried changing direction in a crowd.Even so, his passwork was impeccable ? really. He made the right pass every time. Back-hand flips. Snappy reversals. An occasional drive-and-dish. And especially his entry passes into Randolph. Absolutely perfect.For the present, Roy is reaping the benefits of playing four years at the University of Washington, and is much more developed than Gay, who only spent two years at Connecticut. Indeed, it's Roy who directs traffic for the Blazers on both ends of the floor. So there's no question that Roy has a lock on ROY honors.</div>http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6625924 This is from the article where Rosen breaks down Roy/Gay in their latest matchup.
