Face of the Blazers

by lama on Jun 28, 2007 10:12 AM PDT

Canzano wrote this today: "Brandon Roy is here. So is LaMarcus Aldridge. So are Jarrett Jack and coach Nate McMillan. But none of these men are the face of the franchise in the way that Oden, or even Durant, would be. None of them have the ability to make you forget the past simply by showing up. None of them transcend basketball in the manner that only a game-breaking, first-rate franchise star can do."

How true is his statement that "none of these men are the face of the franchise"?

To me, the face of the franchise is Roy. He proved himself to be the leader of this young team last year, and it is his attitude that I want stamped into the persona of our Portland Trailblazers. Oden will be the national media's focal point for the near future, but at crunch time Roy will be the Man.

Thoughts?

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Roy will be the leader of this team, Oden will be the dominate player on the court, the two don't always come from the same guy. Time and time again in the NBA the final shot has come down to a perimeter player making a play for himself or for a teammate. Even the most dominate post players who won championships didn't take the final shots, Shaq had kobe, Duncan has parker/manu, Kareem had Magic, etc...

Oden will be the face of the Franchise, becuase the media choose who that will be, but ROY will be the leader of the Blazers for years to come.

by usmcr3049 on Jun 28, 2007 10:25 AM PDT reply actions

Yes, Brandon Roy is and will be the team's leader.

Having another player better than him doesn't change that.
Even with two or three guys more dangerous on offense,
he'd still be to them what Ron Harper was to Jordan and Pippen,
and ESPECIALLY to the Shaqobe L[xxx]r championship teams.

And that's WORST-CASE scenario as pertains to Roy as team leader!

Blazers have a five-on-three...and they pull it back and wait for help.

by QualityPie on Jun 28, 2007 11:00 AM PDT reply actions

Oh--and let's not forget who won that lottery!

That was Roy up on stage in the national TV spotlight, displaying the Oden pick.
And greeting him at the airport and thumb-wrestling him.

Oden is ALREADY Roy's handiwork and footsoldier--and a mighty fine one at that.
Roy will be Oden's new and forever Conley.

Blazers have a five-on-three...and they pull it back and wait for help.

by QualityPie on Jun 28, 2007 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions

one of the reasons Oden is the right pick

...is he's more of a grunt than a captain. With Roy and Durant you could run into issues with having two generals, or two alpha dogs.

Not everyone has to be The Leader to justify their worth.

by matthewcc on Jun 28, 2007 11:42 AM PDT reply actions

right now

Roy is clearly the face of the franchise. He will also remain the steady hand down the stretch and he will be our "closer." Roy is such a talented versatile player that if Oden is Tim Duncan, Roy is our Ginobili, while simultaneously providing some of Tony Parker's contributions. Note that I don't think Oden will be quite the offensive player Duncan is, and that Roy will eventually be better than Ginobili, but the roles could be similar.

Its very possible that Roy will remain the face of the franchise into the future, even with Oden (who, like Duncan, may be a little dull). Time will tell.

by jksnake99 on Jun 28, 2007 1:41 PM PDT reply actions

dull?

I think Oden is anything but dull, on or off the court.

I think while Roy will be the leader of the team, its probably Oden will be the face, at least to the NBA world outside Portland. I bet more casual basketball fans already know "Greg Oden" than "Brandon Roy".

The question is when TNT promotes the game will it be "Greg Oden and the Portland Trail Blazes take on the .... " or "Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers... ".

Team face and team leader aren't necessarily the same thing.

by matthewcc on Jun 28, 2007 3:23 PM PDT up reply actions