Brandon Roy is back. Although he said he never really planned to be gone all that long and the Trail Blazers just wanted to save some money. Choose to believe whatever you wish on that.
What is not in doubt is Roy’s knees were not good. As in no cartilage in his knees not good. And fancy German therapies or no, there are questions about how far back his knees will let him come now.
So what kind of role did Minnesota offer Roy to get him back? Big, he said at his introductory press conference, according to the Star Tribune.“The explosion is still there, that quick first step,” (Timberwolves assistant Bill) Bayno said. “The big test will be over 82 games. Will the pain come back? How does the knee hold up? He’s convinced he’ll be fine….
And the Wolves offered a role as big as Roy is physically able to handle.
There are big questions to go with that big role.
If Minnesota gets the old Roy, they go from being a potential playoff team in the West to a team you want to watch. They are not ready to challenge the Thunder yet, but they would move within a couple steps of that goal. Roy at his peak, the four-time All-Star, is that good. Especially when paired with Kevin Love and once Ricky Rubio returns from knee surgery.
But that last paragraph started with if. And even a Timberwolves assistant coach had questions about longevity. Roy was one of my favorite players to watch at his peak and I’d love to see him all the way back. But he’s going to have to prove it to everyone. Even those rooting for him to succeed.