Is it all in Roy's head? (1 Viewer)

[Shooter]

Last night during the TNT broadcast, Reggie Miller said he talked to McMillan about Roy's struggles on the court, and McMillan told him the problem was all "between Roy's ears." In other words, it's a mental thing.

I almost fell off my chair.

If McMillan actually believes this, then it means he thinks Roy is okay physically, and is just afraid to push himself for fear of hurting the knee. If so, this is a very different scenario than the one I had imagined, which is that Roy's knees are in such bad shape that he's physically not able to play the way he used to.

Is it actually possible that Roy can return to his old form simply by getting his confidence back?? This is certainly what Miller seemed to be suggesting.

 

[Blazinaway]

It's "in his head" IMO as far as the difficulty he or anyone would have to adjust to a new physical reality. He simply has to learn to play a different way to what his knees/body allow. It's both mental and physical and I can understand why it is a difficult adjustment.

 

[Chuck Taylor]

Roy said his knees feel great. It's certainly possible that, with some more confidence and trust in his body, he can push himself to perform better.

But he sure looks slow to me. He can't get around his man on offense, or stay in front of his man on defense. I don't know how much of that is mental.

 

[Shooter]

It's "in his head" IMO as far as the difficulty he or anyone would have to adjust to a new physical reality. He simply has to learn to play a different way to what his knees/body allow. It's both mental and physical and I can understand why it is a difficult adjustment.

But Roy says his knees aren't bothering him.

 

[THE HCP]

If any of you have sprained your ankle bad, you know it takes a long time to get back out there and attack it like you used to pre-injury.

 

[Blazinaway]

Roy said his knees feel great. It's certainly possible that, with some more confidence and trust in his body, he can push himself to perform better.

But he sure looks slow to me. He can't get around his man on offense, or stay in front of his man on defense. I don't know how much of that is mental.

IMO when he says his knees "feel great" I think we have to put that in context of his "new physical reality". I certainly don't know for sure but that's my guess. He is simply not as quick or explosive as before, and i doubt that changes.

 

[Blazinaway]

If any of you have sprained your ankle bad, you know it takes a long time to get back out there and attack it like you used to pre-injury.

HCP, do you really think he'll ever be able to get back to where he was? I don't, but I do think he may be able to adjust his play to be a significant off the bench contributor, assuming he knees do not worsen too fast or too much from where they are now. IMO this is not comparable to a sprained ankle as it is a permanently reduced physical condition in both knees.

 

[Shooter]

If any of you have sprained your ankle bad, you know it takes a long time to get back out there and attack it like you used to pre-injury.

Yes, but that's assuming your ankle is fine after you give it some rest. Roy's knee condition is not like that (from what I've heard). He's supposed to have a chronic condition which will make it difficult if not impossible for him to ever regain his speed, flexibility, and quickness.

 

[illmatic99]

I hope it's in his head. It literally hurts me to watch him struggle out there because he's physically unable to jump higher than 5 inches.

 

[THE HCP]

In my opinion seeing him day in and day out at shootarounds, he will not get back to the level he was at. He has enough basketball IQ to be very valuable to us though.

 

[maxiep]

It's "in his head" IMO as far as the difficulty he or anyone would have to adjust to a new physical reality. He simply has to learn to play a different way to what his knees/body allow. It's both mental and physical and I can understand why it is a difficult adjustment.

Perfectly said. Repped.

 

[THE HCP]

Perfectly said. Repped.

He didn't really "say" it, he "typed" it! If you are gonna spread rep around, get it straight FAMS!

 

[e_blazer]

I suspect that the real truth is somewhere in the middle. That while Roy's knees are feeling pretty good, they'll never be the same as they were before his injury last season, but he can be expected to play much better once he gets his confidence and timing back. He probably can't be counted on to contribute at a high level for too many seasons, but there's no reason to conclude that his career is over right now. As far as the confidence thing goes, this is pretty normal and we've seen it in many athletes. It just takes a while to figure out how your body is going to respond and to learn to trust it enough that you can play without thinking about the injury. Hopefully, Roy can kick it in gear and contribute in the playoffs.

 

[Shooter]

In my opinion seeing him day in and day out at shootarounds, he will not get back to the level he was at.

Uh, okay, but this contradicts what you said 5 minutes ago:

If any of you have sprained your ankle bad, you know it takes a long time to get back out there and attack it like you used to pre-injury.

???

 

[tlongII]

Roy's problems with turnovers and shooting is definitely "between his ears". He has lost some athleticism, but he can certainly still play "smart" and hit open jumpers if he gets his confidence back.

 

[Blazinaway]

I suspect that the real truth is somewhere in the middle. That while Roy's knees are feeling pretty good, they'll never be the same as they were before his injury last season, but he can be expected to play much better once he gets his confidence and timing back. He probably can't be counted on to contribute at a high level for too many seasons, but there's no reason to conclude that his career is over right now. As far as the confidence thing goes, this is pretty normal and we've seen it in many athletes. It just takes a while to figure out how your body is going to respond and to learn to trust it enough that you can play without thinking about the injury. Hopefully, Roy can kick it in gear and contribute in the playoffs.

I'll take this a step further, for the Blazers as a team the question is do you possibly hamper the team's future and pay a guy for an all-star level for 4 more years when he's now (nor will be) no where near that level - please note this is NOT Brandon's fault but it is the reality of the situation. This situation may or may not be solved with a new CBA. Here's my question to all posters - if the new CBA allowed us to get rid of Roy's contract in the sense it would not be applied toward a lux tax or perhaps a new hard cap - would you let Brandon go? Note that he would still get paid.

 

[THE HCP]

Uh, okay, but this contradicts what you said 5 minutes ago:



???

I was saying that it might be in his head. Myself having injuries playing ball in the past, i know how scared I was to go full speed. Scared I was going to get hurt again. So maybe Brandon was easing back in. Somebody else asked in my opinion would Brandon ever return to his all star level, i said no. 2 different answers to 2 different questions. What don't you understand?

 

[handiman]

Nate has a soldier mentality. His saying it's all in Roy's head just means don't acknowledge any physical shortcomings. Mental stuff can be dealt with.

 

[magnifier661]

Guys he shouldn't even be playing this season! The dude wants to come out and play. Whatever we are getting now is icing on the cake. Yeah he's playing poorly since his return; but the kid is a top notch warrior. Anyone else in the league would take the season off and rest his knees as much as possible.

 

[Blazinaway]

Guys he shouldn't even be playing this season! The dude wants to come out and play. Whatever we are getting now is icing on the cake. Yeah he's playing poorly since his return; but the kid is a top notch warrior. Anyone else in the league would take the season off and rest his knees as much as possible.

Unfortunately rest won't help his knees Mags, he only has so much mileage left and that tread is worn down badly.

 

[magnifier661]

Unfortunately rest won't help his knees Mags, he only has so much mileage left and that tread is worn down badly.

Call me a homer, but I still have hope. Can't think worst with this guy. I owe it to him to stick by him until the end. He was a pivotal part of the Blazer's turnaround.

 

[Shooter]

Call me a homer, but I still have hope. Can't think worst with this guy. I owe it to him to stick by him until the end. He was a pivotal part of the Blazer's turnaround.

I like your attitude. Sure hope Roy can make a comeback!

 

[e_blazer]

I'll take this a step further, for the Blazers as a team the question is do you possibly hamper the team's future and pay a guy for an all-star level for 4 more years when he's now (nor will be) no where near that level - please note this is NOT Brandon's fault but it is the reality of the situation. This situation may or may not be solved with a new CBA. Here's my question to all posters - if the new CBA allowed us to get rid of Roy's contract in the sense it would not be applied toward a lux tax or perhaps a new hard cap - would you let Brandon go? Note that he would still get paid.

Assuming he doesn't show any more by the end of the season than he has so far since coming back, then yes if it would work to the team's advantage as far as the salary cap goes, no if it's only luxury tax relief. As a fan, I don't much care if Paul Allen shells out some money in luxury tax. I'd rather have Roy able to contribute something, even at a reduced level of production, than simply cut him to save a few dollars that don't clear cap space. On the other hand, if it is advantageous in terms of the cap and makes it easier to put a better product on the floor, then I'd be willing to part with Roy.

 

[crandc]

Lakers are not gay, tlong. Say it ain't so. Please. I don't want to have to like them.

 

[magnifier661]

Assuming he doesn't show any more by the end of the season than he has so far since coming back, then yes if it would work to the team's advantage as far as the salary cap goes, no if it's only luxury tax relief. As a fan, I don't much care if Paul Allen shells out some money in luxury tax. I'd rather have Roy able to contribute something, even at a reduced level of production, than simply cut him to save a few dollars that don't clear cap space. On the other hand, if it is advantageous in terms of the cap and makes it easier to put a better product on the floor, then I'd be willing to part with Roy.

Too many people don't understand that even if we waive Roy, we will still be over cap. The only thing it will save us is a roster spot and lux cap relief. We still need to resign Oden and Batum. There will be "0" left for anyone worth a damn.

 

[maxiep]

Lakers are not gay, tlong. Say it ain't so. Please. I don't want to have to like them.

Why would you like them simply because they're gay? There are all kinds of straight people I dislike. Someone's sexual preference has no bearing on what I think of them.

 

[e_blazer]

Too many people don't understand that even if we waive Roy, we will still be over cap. The only thing it will save us is a roster spot and lux cap relief. We still need to resign Oden and Batum. There will be "0" left for anyone worth a damn.

There are too many unknowns at this point to have an intelligent opinion as to what the smart thing is to do with Roy next year. We don't know what the new CBA will have as a salary cap. We don't know whether the cap will be a hard cap or continue as is with maybe a lower luxury tax threshold. We don't know if there will be an amnesty provision that will allow for a player to be waived and, if so, whether the waiver will only count against luxury tax or whether it might count against the cap, or at least a hard cap if one is put in place.

As it is, if the Blazers pick up Miller's option year and if Oden were to take the qualifying offer, they would be committed to about $69 million for next season. Add in a first round pick and a couple of guys for the end of the bench and you're at around $72 million or so. Roy's scheduled to make around $15 million next year. If the league were to set a hard cap at about what this year's salary cap was ($58 million), the Blazers might be forced to dump Brandon simply to comply with the hard cap. OTH, if it's a soft cap, like I said above, as a fan I don't really care if PA pays a few bucks in tax as long as he's willing to do so. Brandon, even at a reduced effectiveness, is likely to be better than any other minimum dollar guy we could get to fill his roster spot.

 

[magnifier661]

well e_blazer I seriously doubt there will be a hard cap. That would make it impossible for teams to keep players. This isn't the NFL or NBL. It's somewhere in between. If there is some "hardcap" then the cap must be much higher just to keep up with the revenue sharing with owners and players.

 

[e_blazer]

I don't know if Stern will be successful in getting a hard cap or not, but if one were to be put in the new CBA it seems to me that it would have to be phased in over several years. Like I said, there are just too many unknowns to have a reasoned opinion on Roy's contract after this year.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Last night during the TNT broadcast, Reggie Miller said he talked to McMillan about Roy's struggles on the court, and McMillan told him the problem was all "between Roy's ears." In other words, it's a mental thing.

I almost fell off my chair.

If McMillan actually believes this, then it means he thinks Roy is okay physically, and is just afraid to push himself for fear of hurting the knee. If so, this is a very different scenario than the one I had imagined, which is that Roy's knees are in such bad shape that he's physically not able to play the way he used to.

Is it actually possible that Roy can return to his old form simply by getting his confidence back?? This is certainly what Miller seemed to be suggesting.

I did not quite interrupt what Miller said the same way you did. When I heard him say it, I agreed with Nate. Meaning when Roy misses wide open jump shots, or gets to the basket and misses a lay-in....it is mental. Partly due to not being used to coming in cold off the bench as opposed to starting.

Nate was not addressing the fact that Roy has lost a step. Just that his shooting struggles have not been related to his knees.

Now what made me fall out of my fucking chair was when Miller alluded that since Roy's assists are down, he must be holding onto the ball more and not passing as much as he used to. For an x-NBA player to make such a stupid conclusion based on looking at a stat sheet is embarrassing. Gee you think there could be other reasons? Like the second unit he plays with can't hit an open shot? If anything Roy is holding on to the ball less, not more, than he used to.

Bottom line though was that after watching the game last night, Miller knows that Roy still contribute at a high level. Even if he is not as explosive.