Rick Adelman willing to be patient with Brandon Roy – NBA Update
When Brandon Roy emerged on the NBA scene nearly six years ago, he was tipped to be the next big thing in the league. He was a guy, who mesmerized all with his fantastic shooting ability, and his skills to create his offence off the dribble.
But then, his knees started to give way and he has never been the same, not even close. The shooting guard decided to quit the game last year after his issue of degenerative knees become too much to bear. However after undergoing an innovative new method on his knees, the player decided to make a comeback and got a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the summer.
Roy’s return to the game was seen with a lot of anticipation, but five games into the season, the soreness resurfaced, and the player has been sitting the last three games out for the Wolves. Even in the first five games which he played, Roy could only manage 5.8 points and 4.6 assists on a 31.4 percent shooting in 24.4 minutes of game time. The scoring average is a far cry from the 18.8 points per game he has scored over the course of his five years career, and to make the matters worse, he is yet to score a three pointer.
The situation is definitely frustrating for the Wolves, but for now, they are willing to give Roy as much time as possible;
“He’s figuring that out,” Adelman said while talking to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. “He hasn’t been as effective as a lot of people thought he should be, but they’re thinking about the guy three years ago. He’s so used to just letting guys come to him and taking ‘em off the dribble and finishing plays.
“Y’know, he’s just coming back after being off a year and he’s just not as sure of himself right now. [Friday] he came out and took three quick jumpers and knocked ‘em down. Everybody who comes back from knee surgery or major surgery, if they’re smart players, they figure out how to get to their strengths. He still can do that. It’s just going to take time.”
It is not that Adelman has the luxury of too many replacements on his roster. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are out indefinitely, while Chase Budinger’s injury puts added pressure on the coach to hurry Roy back on the court. He is however still being patient and a 5-3 record to start the season is certainly helping him stay put with this approach.
Tags: