Brandon Roy misses game, to sit out on Saturday
Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy missed his second-straight game with an injured knee on Thursday 18 November, and will also sit out for their game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Roy, who is averaging 18.1 points and 3.3 rebounds this season, had been bothered by his knee all-season long, but team doctors have confirmed that a surgery is not required.
The team doctors revealed that the 26-year-old guard knee is hurting because he no longer has meniscus on either knee. Since there's no cartilage to absorb the tension when he's running
and jumping, there has been some speculation that the Trail Blazers will try to trade the three-time All-Star.
However, Trail Blazers president Larry Miller denied the rumours, saying that they already knew that Roy has bad knees even before selecting him in the 2006 NBA draft. “When he was drafted,
we knew there were problems with his knees."
Miller also said that they were aware that Roy no longer had meniscus in either knee when they were discussing the contract extension of Roy during the off-season, although he admitted that
the condition almost prompted them not to extend Roy’s contract and just evaluate him this year. But in the end, Portland gave him a five-year extension worth $82 million, saying that the four-year veteran deserved it after his four years of hard-work with
the Blazers.
“When we talked about his extension last summer, it did come into play and into the discussions,” Miller said. “But at the end of the day, he was the face of turning this organization and
franchise around. He was Rookie of the Year, a three-time time All-Star. It just made all the sense in the world to give him the deal we gave him.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Roy, Miller believes that the former Washington standout will bounce back and be productive, even if he will need to change his playing style to adjust
to his ailing knee.
“I still personally think Brandon is going to be a star in this league,” said Miller. “Brandon is a smart enough player. If his athleticism is going to change and be limited, he is going
to find a way to contribute and be effective on the basketball court.”
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