Brandon Roy is hanging up his sneakers for a second and final time. He attempted a comeback after signing a 2 year deal with the Timberwolves last summer. For Roy fans it was hope that maybe he could become a 6th man type player in show some flash of his former self but his body didn’t allow him to give us that sort of joy. He only played in 5 games for the Timberwolves before his knees ended his season and ironically his career.
After Roy hung up the kicks after the 2010-11 season because of his knees, we all hoped the one year layoff would give him enough juice to play a few years. Injuries can turn Superman into Clark Kent in a heartbeat so it is hard to not think of what could’ve been with Brandon Roy.
He only played 6 seasons in the NBA if you count last season but he was a top tier shooting guard nobody could take that away from him. Hell if then Ron Artest called him the best player he’s ever played against in his life besides his homeboy MIke from NY. That’s a hell of a complement coming from anybody especially Ron Artest. Watching Roy play was poetry in motion, he could create for others, shoot from anywhere, get to the hole, play solid defense and sell popcorn you name it he could do it. These were some of the reasons he was my favorite player ever on NBA 2k during the 2k9 through 2k11 seasons man I got buckets. I know that doesn’t have much to do with the story but I had to add that part.
Hindsight 20/20 I fully understand the emotion shown by Roy during the 2011 Playoffs when he had his last superstar moment. During that game he helped lead his Blazers back from a 23 point halftime deficit scoring 18 of his 24 points in the 4th quarter versus the Mavs. The man with the troubled knees shined one last time on the big stage as he led his team to the victory. After the comeback was complete the crowd and his teammates showered him with love, as Roy cried with joy in the public eye. For some we thought man Roy will be alright just look how he played tonight but Roy knew something we couldn’t see from the outside looking in, he knew his body had quit on him and he would never be the same. That game put a stamp on the end of a career that was cut short by injury but that game was symbolic on the type of player he was.
Roy is another one of my favorite ballers whose career was cut short due to injury but for those who didn’t get to see him play during his prime don’t check for his T’Wolves highlights dig up some Blazer highlights from 2010 and before. Digging up prime highlights will give you a better appreciation for his skill. Even though his career is over Roy left his imprint on the game hopefully people won’t forget how good he was.
