I think that, whatever else may come, it's bizarre--and not necessarily a good thing--when your best player has to have his knee drained of fluid twice, and is for the first time that i can remember calling for limited minutes, very early in the season no less. It actually makes me feel worse that Roy paints this as a chronic issue rather than an acute ailment that could be remedied.
I wouldn't call it bizarre at all. Roy got off to a slow start last seaon, too and the schedule was much easier. Last year, the Blazers first 8 games were spread out over 15 days, with only three games on the road, and not a single back-to-back. This year, the first eight games occurred over 13 days, with much more travel. The Blazers have played 5 road games and 3-back-to-backs, including two of the very unusual home/away back-to-backs, and a coast-to-coast flight from LA to NY. And, Roy's minutes are up. Note:. I only included the first eight games as that was when Roy asked for his minutes to be reduced (which they were in the Detroit game).
Simply put, he hasn't had any time to rest and recover between games. I'm not a professional athlete (no kidding, I'm not, really), but I regularly get swelling (fluid build-up) in my right knee and both ankles. The best cure, sit down, relax and elevate the feet and legs. With the hectic schedule, increased minutes, all the travel, and multiple back-to-backs, it's possible Roy's knee just hasn't had a chance to recover on it's own between games.
Granted, it's not a good thing, you'd prefer there was no swelling, but it's not necessarily the end of the world. As the schedule becomes less hectic, with more days off and fewer back-to-backs, Roy's knee may be just fine. Or, perhaps not. I'm not a doctor and we haven't heard one word from a licensed physician on the current condition of Roy's knee. I'd prefer to wait until we do before I suspect the worst. All we have so far are quotes from the patient and all sorts of random, unqualified speculation from the media and fans.
BNM
