As Mike Tokito reported (link here) earlier this week, Brandon Roy will participate in the H206 Charity Basketball Classic at Key Arena Saturday afternoon to support the A PLUS Youth Program. Roy will be joined by fellow Seattleites Jamal Crawford and Martell Webster as Seattle takes on “the League.” The league will feature Blazers rookie Nolan Smith and Oregon native Kyle Singler.
It will be interesting to see how hard Roy pushes himself on Saturday. If he is capable, will he try to wow the crowd with explosive moves to the basket and power dunks? Or, will Roy work on a more evolved, mature game that is closer to the ground.
Despite the game being an exhibition, where players add flair for the sake of “oohs” and “aahs,” we can learn a lot from Roy’s approach. If he attempts to take over the game with his mind, ball and head fakes, and working off of picks, it will illustrate that Roy has made the mental adjustments to be a solid contributor to the Blazers moving forward.
However, if Roy approaches the game with his old “iso” mentality, we will know he is not ready to accept a new role on the team. The significance? If Roy can’t learn how to play within himself and his current body, a more subdued bench role, the Blazers will struggle to progress with Aldridge as their centerpiece.
Brandon Roy was the key to the Blazers resurrection. Now, Roy is the Sandra Day O’Connor of the Blazers—his decision about his role on the team will decide the fate of the Blazers’ success this upcoming year. LMA is spectacular, but he needs Roy to be his Robin, just as Roy needed LMA in the past.
--Jonathan
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