Hooked on Hoops: Brandon Roy is Making a Comeback
While rumors were spreading that Brandon Roy will make a comeback, this past weekend news broke out that the former NBA All-Star for the Portland Trailblazers is indeed in the process of returning. The announcement came via Twitter. While Roy doesn’t have a Twitter, he used former teammate Will Corney’s account and confirmed it. If Roy decides to return to the NBA for the 2012-13’ season, this is bittersweet news for Trailblazer fans.
To summarize briefly what happened to Roy, he suffered constant chronic knee problems. This was a problem he faced during his college days. Roy underwent surgery last season, and then came back in the lineup for the Blazers. His knee problems would then come back. Finally, just before a deal was made to end the 2011 lockout, Roy announced his retirement because he lacks the cartilage between the bones in both knees. A really unfortunate series of events for such a tremendous player who could of in fact been (or was) the Blazer’s franchise player. Could have reached Derrick Rose stardom if he hadn’t suffered so many health problems.
Now over the weekend when Roy took over Corney’s twitter account, he confirmed 3 key things. The first is that he is going to in fact make a comeback and is training daily; the second is he is preparing for a return next year… God willing and the 3rd is that if he does return, he won’t be with the Trailblazer’s next season. The reason for that is because the Blazers used the amnesty clause on his contract for cap flexibility. Because of this, other teams would be able to pick up his contract.
Now the question remains on whether or not a team will pick up his contract. If worse comes to worse, he’ll sit out next season. This however isn’t such a bad problem if you think about it; it’ll give him more time to improve (if 14 months isn’t enough). But the unfortunate part is that Roy can keep improve all he wants but the fact is, you can re-grow cartilage and you can’t regain it by working out and sitting out for a few months. Not even through rehabilitation. This injury isn’t like Rose or Rubio’s injury, in which they’ll recover and get back up on their feet in a few months. No, this is a different case. Roy can’t regrow it back. But it doesn’t necessarily stop him.
There are many options Roy can do. If a team does pick up Roy’s contract, he surely won’t be his old self and deliver that explosiveness, that fire he did before, nor will he probably start. Roy could potentially serve as a backup guard. There for his team and called upon when his team needs help.
In the end, I hope a team does pick up Roy’s contract. When Roy played for the Trailblazers, he made many people Blazer fans. When he announced his retirement it didn’t just hurt Blazer fans, it hurt NBA fans. Roy was like what Rose is to the Bulls. He was the face of the Blazers. He had a bright future ahead of him with that team, but it was cut short. I do believe people get second chances in life, and I feel like this is Roy’s second chance at the NBA. Sure he won’t be nowhere near where he was before, and sure he’ll probably have to start from scratch, but if a team doe pick him, he’ll show the world that its not over. This is just an example, that life does give you second chances.