Sports Column

When Roy flies, so do Blazers

On Sports

By dwight jaynes

The Portland Tribune, Dec 24, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (6 Reader comments)

Can a player become recognized as one of the best in basketball without the special flair it takes to become a commercial icon?

You know, the ballhandling wizardry of Steve Nash or the magnetic charisma of LeBron James or Kobe Bryant?

Is the NBA ready for a player who can dominate a game the old-fashioned way, with fundamentals, guile and deceptive physical skills?

We’re going to find out, because that’s what Brandon Roy seems intent on doing this season.

The Trail Blazers’ second-year guard is old-school crafty and a little more explosive than he looks. And, in the last month, he’s brought his game up to an elite level, making 25-point, nine-assist, eight-rebound nights look routine.

“He’s the third-best all-around player in the league,” Magic Johnson blurted out during a TNT telecast Thursday night, probably placing Roy behind only Bryant and James.

Roy doesn’t fly over people, doesn’t make the highlight packages every night with spectacular dunks and doesn’t do any national commercials that feature his spectacular plays.

What he does is make his teammates better — lately, lots better.

He’s also able, almost whenever he wants, to get to the basket for layups — even in the face of packed-in zone defenses or double teams. The communication between his brain and his feet is on the genius level — he’s able to see a slight opening and get the word to his body in a hurry, able to command his feet to respond immediately … before the glint of daylight closes.

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