Roy to Miss 7-10 Days
posted: 1/03/2009 at 9:22 PM
We flew to Los Angeles Saturday afternoon with the knowledge that the Trail Blazers' leading scorer, and Mr. Everything, Brandon Roy, would not be a part of Sunday night's game against the Lakers at the Staples Center. What's worse, is the fact that Roy could miss the next 3, or perhaps more, games.
It was a week ago, against the Toronto Raptors, that Roy tweaked his hamstring in the fourth quarter. Ironically, the injury didn't come on a strong drive to the hoop, but happened as he was pulling up for a three pointer. Roy had 18 points in that fourth quarter, 32 points for the game, and hasn't played since.
As I mentioned yesterday, it wasn't a good sign when Roy had said he was going to test the hamstring before the game against New Orleans, and then didn't. He came out dressed to go through some pre-game warmups, and after a long discussion with trainer Jay Jensen, returned to the locker room before he had even put up a shot.
I met with Nate McMillan for our pre-game interview session before the game against the Hornets, and he had just learned that he'd be without Roy for that game. McMillan also told me, off camera, he was concerned it could be a little more serious that originally thought. His hunch was correct, and Roy didn't make the trip with us to L.A.
Roy has also been experiencing some swelling in his left knee, the one he had operated on before training camp. He's had it drained several times, and they decided to perform an MRI on the knee earlier today. It didn't show anything new, and that was a good sign.
The good news in all of this (and, yes, there is good news), is that all of this comes during a stretch of the schedule where the Blazers only play three games in the next seven days. If he does miss just 7 days, he'll only be out for three games. Compare that with the first 24 games of the season when the Blazers had a game every 1.8 days. So, it's not good, but the timing of this could certainly be worse.
As you know by now, the Trail Blazers were able to overcome the loss of Roy and still beat the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. On Friday, New Orleans exploited the fact that Portland didn't have its go-to guy, and beat the Blazers at the Rose Garden. Everything is scouted so heavily in this league that it gave the Hornets a huge advantage to see what Portland did without Roy, and were able to scheme against it. Boston was caught a little off guard. Of course, the Blazers also played a lot better against the Celtics, and that's the biggest reason they were able to pull that upset.
Sunday will be difficult, to put it mildly. It would have been difficult even with Roy. The Lakers are 17-1 at home, and are playing great defense. They will also have the luxury of having seen the Blazers without Roy for two games, and can copy what New Orleans did to get the ball out of Steve Blake's hands, and defend LaMarcus Aldridge much more closely.
After the game against the Lakers, the Blazers return home for two games, against Detroit and Golden State. After that, we hit the road for four games. That trip will take us to Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Charlotte. Hopefully, Roy will be able to return for that trip. Best-case scenario, he's there for all four games, but all we can do is hope. That's all Roy can do at this point as well.
RSS FEED
I thought roy was going to be there for the LA game when is not there other people gotta step it up like lAmarcus,rudy travis,oden,bayless,blake,and they have to play good de to win I like what they did in the boston game.
i heard a rumor of trading rudy and outlaw for amare???
This is a great chance for bayless. I think nate needs to tell him to score because we need another scorer. We can win more games with out roy but it startes with D fence. Bayless and rudy are the only ones can take it to the rim. we need them to do that. outlaw is more of a pull up jumper guy. which hes gonna have to pull up some slack too. let go blazers lets take the fakers. go blazers
Well... Laker's 16-1 homecourt standings is definitely scary. I'm not saying we can't be the one to give them the second, but they blew us out the last time. Granted, it was the first game of the season, but still...
I'll be happy with the Blazers if they at least lose gracefully, and play their best regardless. If they can say they did and we can see that they did, then we'll know we lost just cuz the Lakers are a more veteran, experienced team (even tho I hate their guts).
I don't want to be embarrassed and blown out again though. Let's keep it close and keep them a little nervous down the stretch. If we can do that, we can earn some national respect even if we don't win it.
But anything can happen. We beat Boston and Phoenix, and ended some long-lived losing streaks, afterall (homecourt advantage in those cases though)...
Mike: hg here.
It is too bad for The Blazers that Blazin 7 will miss 7 to 10 games.
As adarsha says someone else has to step up.
You saying that The Lakers has more time to scheme knowing that Blazin 7 won't be playing: The Blazers has more time to scheme and practice sets without BRoy.
It is not only that others has to step up, but we are a different team without Blazin 7. We also didn't have time to set up different sets without him against N.O.
I do not want to put pressure on Greg, but he may be the x factor tonight. If GO can stay in the game and maybe Batman can knock down some good shots, than The Lakers will at least have to play us more honest.
Winning this game would be so great, but playing good BB without Blazin 7 is more important, because as you said it would be difficult to beat LA with Blazin 7.
We have some great players; they just have to learn to adjust their game.
hg
To call the Boston win an upset indicates that any time we beat a team with playoff projection or a better record than us, it's an upset. I sure hope our players don't feel the same way. Otherwise, with Roy out, it appears that we are headed for a 4 to 6 game losing streak.
It's never an upset when the Blazers beat another team--any other team, for that matter. It means we out played the other team; because, on that given night, the Blazer were the best team.
Look what we did to Miami and Chicago, and how they played in their next games. The players for teams like Boston and LA are not gods--no one can beat Portland when they play together and play with confidence.
I'm sorry Roy is out and I'm sorry about his injury--It's not like this is the first time he's missed games due to injury. I'm sure he'll feel a lot better during his rehab if the Blazers go on a bit of a winning streak while he's out. Just think what it will do for the team's confidence level to realize we're good enough to win no matter what 5 players are on the floor at any given time.
On another note, regarding players being out due to injury--is there any time line or idea when Martell might be able to play again? He is another Blazer that can be really inspirational to our team. I understand his shooting strength has really improved since he got injured.
Go Blazer--RIP the city of LA! We are RIP CITY and we can rip anyone!
Rudy Fernandez haces unos mates de muerte¡¡¡¡¡ desde Badalona te seguimos adelante¡¡¡¡
I'm just happy to be able to watch the game tonight, with or without Roy. Not having access to Comcast is driving me nutty after a year and a half!!! It would be nice to get continuous updates from the Blazer organization.
On another note: What is Martell's status, is he going to return any time soon?
This is horrible timing for Roy to go down, instead of being able to build on the win over the Celtics and really make some hay, the team has to just try and survive.....
Thanks for the great job Mike.
The Blazers are going to have a tough go of it tonight that is for sure. However, they need to control what they can control and that is HUSTLE. The reason they beat Boston was due to great team defense. At times it seemed like they had 6 guys on the floor. ;-) But seriously, ball pressure, backside rotation, and hands up on all shooters, WINS BALLGAMES.
Great to see Joel step up and lead this team. He has been doing it for so long through his game, its good to see him build a fire in others through his words.
A key to keeping it close tonight will be the shooting of Rudy. He needs to quiet his body more when shooting to be successful. He is a quick shooter anyway but sometimes a little too quick and not quite set. When he has his feet and hips in position he is deadly from the outside. What a beautiful release!!!
Lastly, I would love to see Bayless get some more PT. It is easy to see that he lacks confidence. On the Blazers, only Brandon is better at getting to the rim off the dribble than Bayless. This makes for a great Inside Out game for Portland.
Good Luck Tonight
It will be a fun game to watch.
D
Devastating news for Blazer fans.I surely hope we compete and there is no letdown on the team due to a built in excuse.
A lot has been said about Bayless. I know we are all excited to see the kid get playing time. However, (And I hate criticizing Nate about anything) I believe he has been used wrong. I know he has trouble knowing his spots. I think it was Blake who shot a 3 from the corner and Bayless was standing two feet from him in the same corner! I know that is not right. I think if I was Nate I would run clearouts for Bayless while he was in the game and let him drive the ball to the hole. I don't know that there is anyone who he cannot get by and this would open up the oppurtunities for offensive rebounding as bigs would have to rotate over. Outside of Brandon he is probably the best penetrator on the team. Interested in everyones thoughts this.
Now lets go kick some Laker a$$!
Rip City!
Not great news, but as you say Mike...it could be worse. Lets not assume we will lose tonight's game. Sure, our backs are against the wall and the Lakers have two videotapes of the Blazers w/o Roy to watch. However, the season is still long enough for us to bounce back and still stay competitive in the division and conference.
Everybody will need to step up their game tonight. Oden is a different player these days then he was at the start of the season. Alldridge needs to be our cool, calm leader while Blake, Outlaw and Fernandez need to be on fire. Bayless too will be a useful weapon. Ultimately, I think the pressure falls on Alldridge to lead and when he is on top form we are still a threat.
Solid Blazer defense to hold Bryant and Gasol to reasonable numbers will be the key to the game.
Will Pryzbilla play? What about Frye? I say, give him a go.
HEY THE BLAZERS CUD BEAT THE LAKERS WITHOUT ROY THEY JUST HAVE TO PLAY LIKE THEY WANT TO WIN CUZ IF THE COULD BEAT THE CELTICS WITHOUT ROY WITH HOPE AND EFFORT THE BLAZERS COULD LAKERS
They can win no doubt about it
Roy not playing is a very bad sign that doesn't mean tat we are going to go in a losing streak. if we play together and everybody steps up and put big numbers on the scoreboard then we could win the same way as we defeated the celtics. steve blake and greg oden has to play very well and has to stay out of foul trouble.
Go Blazers we can do it.
Blazer bigs have got to play out of their minds if they're going to stand up to Bynum/Gasol/Odom. Tough match up, but if Greg gets going early the Blazers have a chance of controlling the tempo. Rudy has got to feed the post efficiently and put pressure on the Laker D by attacking the paint.
It will be interesting to see what Nate does tonight. I can see a small lineup having success against the Lakers' ball movement.
The problem with the Lakers is that they are so versatile on offense that they're going to be able to give the Blazer D several different looks. Oh, and they have the best player in the league too. That always helps...
This should be an interesting game---I would expect a little more fight out of the road team tonight than game 1 of the season, which was a nightmarish showing.
go Blazers!
While we were able to beat the Celtics without Roy, that was at home, beating the Lakers on the road is a much tougher assignment. Not that we can't do it, but it's going to be very hard to do.
I think Greg needs to have a big game. In the last three games GO had two good games and one bad game because of fouls. The two good games he had we won and the bad game he had we lost. Need to keep him out of foul trouble.
Btw, I'm happy to say that I'll be able to watch this game because it's on KGW.
I can't believe it's been over a year and a half and still no deal done with Comcast and Directv. Someone ask for updates from the Blazers about it. I can tell you the only update they would give,,,they are negotiating. LOL! What a joke!
All I can say at this point is...STOMP THEIR GUTS!!!
This is a day for upsets.
Orlando, Cleveland, Boston, and dallas have all lost to much weaker teams already today. The only team with a better record to win so far as been detroit over the clippers.
GO BAYLESS!
MB,
I see Miles played a couple mins for the Griz tonite in garbage time. Only 9 to go. Do you think they are doing it just to screw over the Blazers?
come on guys just cause it sounds bad bacause we have no roy and where playing the fakers does not mean we can't win. where is the faith. we can win period. no problem. Go blazers big game out of everybody
whey is so apparent that the team has really stop playing to win and is just putting in there time. ther should be a fining allowed and that would put a lot more back into the game.
Let's face it.
The Blazers aren't all the good. They've beaten a few elite teams like the Celtics, but so what?
My prediction: The Blazers will struggle to make the 8th and final playoff spot. Even if they do, they'll lose in the first round in 5 games.
They're just too young, too inexperienced, and too inconsistent to be called a playoff worthy team.
It really wouldn't have mattered who the Blazers have/had. They are inferior to the talent the Lakers have. Until Portland and their owner can get a high profile player, they will always be mediocre at best. There are only to great teams with a significant history, Boston and the Lakers.
Hey Mike,
I was wondering what is that status on webster is he gonna play any time soon? I think if any body should be the shooting guard IF he has his sharp shooting down right now he could sub roy instead.
Lets destroy the pistons!
go blazers
viclubsmau4eva
Let the hot hand lead us.
Without Brandon, we need the hot hand lead us in the second half. Against the Hornets, Rudy should have had his number called a bit more often in the second half and fourth quarter. Against the Lakers, LaMarcus should have had more 3rd and 4th quarter shot attempts as well. In particular, the mindset should have been for him to force the issue even against the double team. During our 4 minute scoring droughts, at the timeouts we should have called for going to the hot hand from the first half. Let the hot hand lead us in the second half. The hot hand must force the issue like an all-star. Double teams will be challenged by the hot hand. The hot hand will not take no for an answer. We needed 30+ from Rudy to win against New Orleans. Likewise, we needed 30+ from LaMarcus to beat Los Angeles. This is asking a lot, but we need someone to play like an all-star for a night to get these tough wins against the elite squads. Let the hot hand lead us, to victory.
KP don't give up on bayless. play more of batum. move t outlaw he has no fire and gets burned on D assignments d lee for outlaw s rod and channing don't give bayless he is going a good one
We are expecting way too much from a team that started 3 rookies and 1 off the bench. Its too much to ask. We aren't a veteran team yet. Our expectations with out our leader should lessen more. Aldridge is a complimentary player at best, and until Batum, Fernandez and Blake make more shots, its going to be a long haul. We're still in the top 9 in the west and gaining valuable experience. We need 1 maybe to more 6 game streaks to get into the playoffs and we need to avoid losing streaks of 2 or more. Go Blazers - We're young and on our way. Just not yet.
It seems like Mike Rice has been commenting on this for the last few games, but I think that without Roy in the lineup, the Blazers get bogged down in their offensive sets. Thus, I think they need to go D'Antoni style and get up and down the court in order to keep the energy up and in order to get easy baskets. The few times they have done this, Batum and Rudy have been getting dunks, transition 3's, etc. Also, I think they need to get Bayless out there more at the 1 because he can play some good physical defense and can match quickness with the point guards, but he is overmatched size wise by the opposing 2's. I think I saw this lineup on the court once, but I wonder how it would do starting out the game in Roy's absence: Bayless, Rudy, Batum, Outlaw, LA. Obviously the rebouding would suffer, but I think the boost in quickness could energize the team to start the game.
Where to start...
The blazers need to stop being comfortable but be confident. We had a good lead and a great start in the Laker game, then at the end of the 2nd and all of the 3rd we were doing horribly, it seemed we gave up.
The game lasts 48 minutes, not 24 or less. Just remember it's as easy to come back from a lead as it is to build a lead, so a team can always come back. Until that buzzer sounds at the end of the forth, the Blazers should be playing their hearts out and aiming for the win, NOT at the last 2-4 minutes of the 2nd quarter.
I hate to say it, but I like Roy being gone because it teaches this team a lesson to play without depending. Every player needs to think that this game is their game, and they need to play their best. No one is going to bail you out, and constantly shooting 3's after constantly missing them isn't going to help. If you're ice cold, go down and dunk the ball, or get an easy assist to someone that can shoot the ball.
The Blazers beat Boston. Why? Well because they dislike Boston as much as we do (even though they probably won't admit it). They need to think like that to everygame. The Blazers probably have the most fans in the NBA and the best fans. You can't go around wearing another NBA teams logo in Oregon without someone staring you down wanting to smack you across the face. So the Blazers need to consider that, they need to know that even though they got great revenge off the champions, they've still got over half the season, and I tried buying tickets for the Suns game since it's the day before my Birthday, and they're already sold out! They've got people supporting them, they need to find something to get in a good rythem and keep going at it.
Just my opinion on how things are done, because to be honest the last 2 games seemed more like a letdown then a loss, because the Blazers seemed to give up in one of the Quarters.
One thing I've been noticing is that Rudy is just taking 3's. He's quick, he can dunk... he's in the rooster for dunk competition, we need him to go to the hoop more. I don't care if he makes 1 3 pointer every game, that doesn't always win games like playing smart basketball does.
I'd also like to see the "Twin Towers" more often. They worked well together and easily dominate the boards.
Lastly I'd like to say Channing Frye needs to stop acting like Jarret Jack and give a sigh after every foul or missed shot. Channing is a valuable player, but I'd like to see him more excited about the game rather than pissed off about it. When he gets excited and happy, he seems to do a lot better. Refs will always call horrible fouls, get use to it. How many games have we lost this season alone due to horrible calls? Anyone remember how pathetic the Golden State game was?? Sighing and complaining about it won't change the status of the game. Maybe getting a T might help, but don't look like you're a big baby.
In no way do I mean to critisise this team, just giving some helpful hints since I'm sure they view this regularly. I love this team and I've been a Blazer fan all my life. I'd rather meet a Blazer, any Blazer, than a famous actor or famous politician.
As for the update on Roy, thanks for letting us know MB. Hopefully he comes back steaming hot, because I know he's eager to get back in the game and win.
Go Blazers!
I like the current rumor about KP trying yet again to get the Knick's David Lee! Our weakest position is backup power forward and Lee would fill that job as well as backing up at center.
We've long needed a big man who plays with a lot of energy, and, let's face it, JPriz has been injury prone. I wanted to get Varejao when he was possibly available but Lee will do just fine.
Of course, the Knicks might not want to take Channing Frye back but I'd be willing to give them Outlaw and either Bayless or Rodriguez for Lee. Lee is the type of player we need to be a serious playoff team!
I must vent alittle...I have to say I am very frustrated with t-laws play of late.bad d and out of control offense(the majority of the time). Why was the offense running through travis at the end of the game? why notdump it in to LA or even oden to score or kick it out? I thought even with our missing wide open shots, nate should have put nic in to start the 4th, this may have given us a chance to at least make it close. By the time he put nic back in the game was out of reach.
Conclusion-bench travis, start bayless.
GO BLAZERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BE CONFIDENT-CRUSH THE PISTONS!
Post a Comment
<< Home