Up north there is a city covered in morning dew, where the leaves are turning from their summer tones, to the colors of the upcoming fall. Somewhere hidden in the city’s lovely restaurants and coffee shops were the signs of old, and the faint cry and reminiscing chants of “Beat L.A!”
Welcome to Portland.
Then it happened, on a gray-bleak Oregon day, when the end of the era of rain and jail days officially arrived. He came, a savior, just as the last smoldering fire burned out, a fire that destroyed a franchise that just missed the playoffs for the first time in over 20 seasons.
He is Brandon Roy.
So why does Roy deserve an entire profile in a paper that is produced in a city known for a certain number 24 and a mastermind coach?
Roy is one of my favorite athletes for a plethora of reasons.
For starters, lets look at his stats. The 6’6 shooting guard has the size to drive to the hoop and ability to change his body’s motion while in flight, while maintaining the ability to finish strong at the point of attack.
He also has enough quickness and range to take his opponent off the dribble and hit game-winning jumpers from 40 footers to fade away jumpers over some of the best defenders (see Ron Artest).
Second, Roy has the “it” factor. Some attribute his basketball IQ and ability to lead to the fact he stayed at the University of Washington for a full four seasons. Others believe he came out of the womb dribbling a basketball, and singing, “I’m sorry Phil Jackson, I am for real!”
Simply put, Roy does things physically that most people can’t even dream of, and he can see things before they happen.
The final exclamation point: Roy saved a city.
In a city that was ashamed of putting up pictures of Rasheed Wallace and Shawn Kemp, a city that’s been previously labeled “the city that coulda-woulda-shoulda taken MJ,” the Jail Blazers turned Trail Blazers have struck gold.
Roy’s ability to be a teammate has worn off on every single player, to the point where every player shows up to rallies and will pose with fans and hang out even after their job as “PR” material has ended.
Next door to the stadium are 4 large silos, which no one in heaven or on earth, except God, knew what they were for until the magnificent trio came to town.
It’s a 50-foot by 100 feet posters of Roy, Greg Oden, and LaMarcus Aldridge donning slick jerseys with the inspirational “Rise With Us” motto underneath it.
People are proud to be apart of Blazer-mania again, and when none of your players on current roster have been to jail, it creates a pride in the city.
Despite the loss to a tough Houston team, Portland still has this season, the next, and most likely the next after that.
No matter who GM Kevin Pritchard throws around Roy, ultimately it’s one aspect of Roy that will make the Blazers a strong team; character.
Roy’s a family man. His wife and son were in his arms at the playoff rally, and he always puts his family first, something coach Nate McMillan praises.
He’s the guy you can invite to your schools to teach elementary kids how to read. He’s someone you can look up to, and he’s someone that will bring home a championship banner in the next few years.
Look out L.A., Portland’s coming to town.
