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Doesn't look great. Reminds me of the stuff Kobe went through last season. Except that he's 32 years old and a 15 year vet.
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2010/11/blazers_insider_brandon_roys_k.html
Blazers Insider: Brandon Roy's knee issues could hobble the Trail Blazers' future
Published: Tuesday, November 09, 2010, 11:06 PM Updated: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 11:11 AM
BRUCE ELY/THE OREGONIANThe Blazers' Brandon Roy unwraps his knee to reenter Tuesday's game against Detroit at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won 100-78, but Roy spent part of the game on the bench tending to his leg.
Hate to be a buzzkill on a night the Trail Blazers blew away Detroit, but the real game Tuesday night in the Rose Garden was afterward in the training room, where a shirtless Brandon Roy was propped up and being examined.
The news, Blazers fans, is not good. Roy is experiencing swelling and discomfort on his left knee. This is the knee that was operated on in August 2008, not the right knee that was operated on last April.
Roy is concerned about what is going on inside the knee, which he says has been drained of fluid twice this season. His concern is strong enough that he wants a second opinion.
So today, general manager Rich Cho will cart some extra luggage on an already scheduled flight to Los Angeles. Before Tuesday, Cho was planning to fly to Los Angeles with injured center Greg Oden and soon-to-be-operated on guard Elliot Williams. Now, he will also be packing all the "film work" taken on Roy's knees.
Once in Los Angeles, Cho, Oden and Williams will meet with esteemed orthopedic doctor Neal ElAttrache, who will give a second opinion on Oden's left knee and perform a pre-operation exam on Williams.
He will also look at Roy's left knee and determine a course of action.
Right now, Roy has asked the team to play him less, in hopes that more time on the bench will calm the swelling and allow him more burst and mobility on the court.
The fear, however, is that this will require more than just rest, especially after watching Roy drag the leg around the Rose Garden court during 21 non-descript minutes on Tuesday.
Roy is 26 and in the first year of a five-year deal worth about $82 million. He has clearly lost his explosive first step, and appears to have little if any spring in his leap.
That is some scary stuff ... for Blazers fans and more importantly, for Roy.
Remember, this is his livelihood, and a big part of who he is as a person.
Coping with the fact that the skills that make Roy Roy are eroding so quickly ... well, that can be a tough thing to deal with for a young man.
"Does it concern me? Yeah," Roy said Tuesday morning. "I would love to play more minutes and have a much better body, but it's just not the case, so I have to try and make the most of what it is. I had a phone call (Monday) and in talking to a few people, it is somewhat of a reality check. This is what it is, and now you have to make the most of it."
Roy said his left knee has bothered him throughout his NBA career. And every year he said it has needed to be drained throughout the season. Now, however, whatever is going on in there appears to be sapping his super powers, and Roy can tell it.
When asked how hard this was to deal with mentally, he didn't hesitate.
"Very. Because I want to play at a high level," Roy said. "If things were different, maybe I could, but they are not."
If you don't believe this is serious stuff, consider this: The Blazers' main plays have been isolation sets designed for Roy to break down his man one-on-one.
This week, the isolation plays were scrapped. Roy hasn't been able to beat his man one-on-one enough to warrant the plays being instilled.
No longer will he receive the ball at the top of the key. Now, many of the plays call for Roy to post low on the block, or get the ball at the "elbow," the corner created where the free throw line meets the key.
It will be something akin to a fastball pitcher losing his zip after arm surgery, and having to learn how to pitch, using change of speeds and location to survive.
Of course, everyone could be getting ahead of themselves. Maybe the limited minutes, and the plan to have Roy skip some practices, will calm the knee.
All that is certain is that even though the streamers fell Tuesday night, signifying a Blazers win, it sure felt like a loss.
Now, the franchise, and the franchise player, wait for what a doctor in Los Angeles will say.
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2010/11/blazers_insider_brandon_roys_k.html
