If you are counting this is number seven. A seventh knee surgery. By age 28.
Brandon Roy, who has missed the Timberwolves last four games, will undergo right knee surgery next week, reports Jason Quick at the Oregonian. No timeline for Roy’s return has been set.
Ugh. Not that this wasn’t a predictable outcome, but still. Ugh. I like Roy, I like his game (well, his old game). I wanted to believe. But it always felt the storm clouds were gathering.
He was philosophical about it, the paper reports.
Roy signed with the Wolves this year after missing a season following the Trail Blazers using their amnesty on him because his knees had gotten to the point he couldn’t play. He said he didn’t have any cartilage left. There was a retirement press conference (which Roy later said wasn’t a retirement). Roy was a fan favorite in Portland, a three-time All-Star whose body betrayed him.
But after a year off and a variety of treatments, he thought maybe. He talked big, about starting and playing more than 30 minutes a night, like the old Roy. Then he banged his knee in the Timberwolves final preseason game and aggravated it a couple of times after that. Minnesota coach Rick Adelman tried to take it slow, but…
Now… we don’t know.
He was to return to Portland for the first time with Minnesota, but that is not going to happen.
Roy has not played well this season, he hadn’t learned to adapt his game without his trademark explosive first step. In five games he averaged 5.8 points per game on 31.4 percent shooting.
Roy has one year left on his deal with Minnesota after this, but it only becomes guaranteed if he meets certain benchmarks, including games played.