Brandon Roy Shut the House Down

by Ben. on Oct 11, 2008 10:46 PM PDT Comment 27 comments

I just got back from the Clash of the Classes high school showcase. Much larger than (I) anticipated crowd-- a few thousand packed the Lewis and Clark gym to see the likes of Mike Moser, Abdul Gaddy and Nigel Williams-Goss. Really well-executed show, from start to finish.

Play a game with me for a second.

Let's say you're an NBA All-Star guard. You just played a preseason game last night 2,000 miles from home (although there is no televised evidence that this game took place, it did take place, or so my sources tell me). You have another exhibition game tomorrow afternoon. You're coming off 2 weeks of 2 a day training camp. It's 9 oclock on a Saturday Night. Where are you?

In bed?

At the club?

On the couch watching the Ducks?

If you're Brandon Roy, you're at the Lewis and Clark gym, taking pictures with a high school cheerleadering team (who are squealing), exchanging phone numbers and words of encouragements with the team of high-schoolers that made the trip down from Washington (who don't seem at all surprised to see him), and signing autographs for Blazers fans of all ages (who do seem surprised to see him).

Tomorrow afternoon, when he's once again wearing a Blazers jersey in front of television cameras and thousands of fans, remember that he spent tonight encouraging young basketball players with no fanfare.

I'm not sure if his appearance will make the news, but it should.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

2 recs | Comment 27 comments

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More proof that the "Atlanta" game (in Kansas City?) never happened.

As if the Shavlik Randolph stat line wasn’t evidence enough.

If this were a movie, it would be Oliver Stone’s version of “Teen Wolf”.

"Mister Oden is a very, very big human being." - Jerryd Bayless

by QualityPie on Oct 11, 2008 11:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

the game happened. I was skeptical until I came across the,

proof it did

The faith (and I'm a guy) perverts. :)

by faith on Oct 12, 2008 6:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Brandon Roy,

should never be traded. I don’t care if he is a 41 year old player/coach for us some day, he deserves a spot on our roster for as long as he wants it.

If you think about it, it is kind of amazing that we have players like Brandon on this team. From what we had in the past to what we have now. It just is amazing. I am so proud of this guy, and this team.

by lethaldose on Oct 11, 2008 11:07 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Agree 100%

And worth a rec

Sergio has a knack for making passes that lead to layups and dunks, for both teams. - Ben G.

by jamon51 on Oct 13, 2008 1:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Geez.

What a class act. I agree with lethaldose – keep him on the roster as long as he wants.

Jerryd Bayless has two emotions: Kill and Win.

"I think it’s going to be very beautiful game next year."
-Nicolas Batum

NorrisHopper30: "someone injure pubert jones"

by rockingharder on Oct 11, 2008 11:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And to think we could have traded him for Starbury

And have a veteran

by southern oregon on Oct 11, 2008 11:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

JEEZ WHAT IS ROY THINKING?!

He needs to be resting up! Lousy irresponsible kids these days….I say, trade him now for Kobe Bryant, our new Messiah!

Hahahaha, seriously though.

We’re so lucky to have Brandon Roy. We shall never trade him, waive him, etc. He is not leaving this franchise. ever.

by dyshooter182 on Oct 12, 2008 12:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It doesn't sound like a great sacrifice

if you’re telling me he spent Saturday night with an entire cheerleading team that was high. That’s not the way to set a positive example for young athletes!

by conspirator5 on Oct 12, 2008 12:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ha!

You caught that too! Some “faux pas”, eh? I guess some guys just have it all.

by SubXero on Oct 12, 2008 1:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I saw that too

Makes me wonder if they just seemed like normal girls. Cheerleaders are normally all bubbly and too perky, if they got high, maybe they were like a normal even keeled person since it has that mellowing out effect.

Blazers Edge has an alarmist vision and a poet's heart.

by tominhawaii on Oct 12, 2008 4:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

saturday night was a bad time to make that typo, wasn’t it.

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 12, 2008 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have a serious problem...

with promoting/advertising middle school teams and those players. I can understand high school players/teams, but I heard umpteen radio commercials this week advertising the “#1 ranked 8th grader in the nation – come spend your money to watch him”. That is crossing the line; no, that is just wrong on so many levels. What is next – a tee ball tournament featuring the #1 ranked 6 year old tee baller in the nation? Sorry, but those radio commercials just left me totally disgusted and turned me off completely to the whole “clash of the classes” tournament. Just my two cent worth.

There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.
Paul Muad'Dib - Dune (Frank Herbert)

My Translation: My Dad is a dude just like me, and my sons are dudes like me also. I love that.
Season Tix: Section 315, with my sons

by johnv59 on Oct 12, 2008 12:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'll tell ya' what's next...

… a whole team of high cheerleaders. Just think: a whole ENTIRE team of them. Eh, that’s life in modern times – whaddya gonna do?

by SubXero on Oct 12, 2008 1:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i hear you...

i am with you…. if i thought kids were being exploited in any way, i would not attend and i certainly would not promote an event on this site.

but i suggest you go watch nigel play.

in theory, it’s weird to pay to watch him and hear radio commercials about him.
in practice, it makes perfect sense.

he is worth the price of admission.

he is a once in a decade talent for the portland area. if nigel wasn’t involved, the youth game would not have received any publicity and the focus would have been on the main game only.

turning a profit is not what events like these are about. showcases like this provide exposure that local athletes do not otherwise receive. if anyone thinks courtside has a negative impact upon portland youth basketball, you are vastly underestimating the good these guys are doing on a year-round basis.

earning a college scholarship is not an easy task. these guys play a critical role for a lot of young players. ask the players and families what they think of the event and you’ll get 100% support. so much so, that former players (lots of current college players and Brandon Roy) go show their support. without showcases like this, players slip between the cracks.

plus, these events are basketball oriented, fun, and priced reasonably (5 dollars). there were a lot of families in attendance. this is a great sign for portland hoops. as a supporter of portland basketball in all its forms, i think this event deserves my unconditional support.

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 12, 2008 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

we agree

to disagree. He may be a great player, but I’m uncomfortable listening to ads on the radio touting him (and you know he has heard them). He’s great, good – don’t use the kid as an advertisement at that age – it will only get worse. I guess what gets me is I have 6 sons, and my youngest is in 8th grade, who still sneaks in bed with Mom and Dad sometimes and sleeps on the end of our bed and watches our HD TV and snuggles the cat. I just can’t fathom someone that age being put in such a spotlight – what does that do to him mentally? What does the hype do to his mind? He is probably only 13 years old. It just seems wrong, but I may be wrong, however I think not. It would not be something I would subject my son to, and that is speaking as a very experienced parent. It’s hard enough on the really good high school players (been there, done that), but middle school??

Love your stuff Ben, seriously.

There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.
Paul Muad'Dib - Dune (Frank Herbert)

My Translation: My Dad is a dude just like me, and my sons are dudes like me also. I love that.
Season Tix: Section 315, with my sons

by johnv59 on Oct 12, 2008 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i hear you

all i can say is that nigel isn’t the normal eighth grader. for 99.999 percent of 8th graders, i agree with you. and i think his parents, from my limited conversation with his father, take his development very seriously and monitor it very closely.

but that doesn’t mean the hype is a good thing or without negative repercussions, and there may indeed be carry-over on the other players involved.

at the end of the day, i make peace with my actions by stating: his talent is prodigial and deserves to be seen. of course, i did not profit from my promotion of the event, so it’s easier for me to say that.

thank for you raising the points, it’s been an interesting ethical situation to think through.

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 12, 2008 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And now we contrast that to the SI article about the Blazers of 2001...

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024614/1/index.htm

On the morning of Dec. 7 the Portland Trail Blazers gathered outside their arena to serve breakfast and distribute Christmas trees to families in need. It was clear that Rasheed Wallace would rather have been anywhere else. The team’s best player and co-captain, Wallace spent most of the 90-minute session speaking on a cellular phone, the hands-free device dangling from his right ear, and, like most of his teammates, he checked his pager incessantly. When a Blazers employee suggested that Wallace wear a Santa Claus hat, he declined, saying cryptically, “I’m a supervisor.” At one point a teenager beseeched the 6’11" Wallace for an autograph. “You ain’t got a Sharpie?” Wallace responded. As the kid retreated to find Wallace’s preferred writing implement, the player cursed at no one in particular and yawned uninhibitedly.

Fourth-year swingman Bonzi Wells is an emerging star, but he hasn’t captured the public’s imagination. Not that he minds. “We’re not really going to worry about what the hell [the fans] think about us,” Wells says. “They really don’t matter to us. They can boo us every day, but they’re still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street. That’s why they’re fans and we’re NBA players.”

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 12, 2008 3:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I know...

I think this article was mentioned elsewhere in relation to the latest J.A. Adande article, and while reading it I couldn’t help but think how, if I were a prominent member of the organization, I’d like make both articles required reading by the team. “Guys, just take this, go home, and read it in a quiet place so you can reflect.”

Time changes so many things so quickly – right now we’re on cloud 9 to have such an upstanding team. At one time Bonzi seemed to be one of those types of guys. Didn’t take long to corrupt him. Anybody and everybody faces the same pressures, day in/day out. I want so much for all this ‘Buffet of Goodness’ to last… It’d break my heart to have the nightmare start all over again.

by SubXero on Oct 12, 2008 4:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Damn...i knew i should've waited a few years after graduating from high school.

I went to Lewis and Clark during the Jailblazer era. Obviously should’ve waited a few years and then gone there. Damn my poor judgement!!!

by moflow on Oct 12, 2008 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Roy is a swell guy.

Blazers Edge has an alarmist vision and a poet's heart.

by tominhawaii on Oct 12, 2008 4:39 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Gotta love the guy.

I have read other blogs. A lot of other teams love Roy the person, and hate Roy the player (lights em’ up). Like David Robinson was for me. Loved watching him play as long as it wasn’t against us!

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Oct 12, 2008 7:18 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Brandon is such a class act. We already know that.

How do we put a price on this guy it’s almost not right. He is invaluable, on so many levels. Ok, this post sounds like a mastercard commercial.

1. Seeing the Blazers score 111 in their first pre season win and Greg Oden dunk and Rudy pass like a ~~magician~~ G and Nicolus Batum up close- $150.00

2. Large Soda (insert pic of son dropping full soda right after we leave concession stand) another Large soda and nachos – $30.00

3. Throat lozenges -$ 4.50 at walgreens

4 Joy of seeing your fav team (cake) finally come out of the oven – Priceless

"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson

by BlazerFan1 on Oct 12, 2008 10:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

"Watching the ducks"???

Last time I checked, didn’t Brandon graduate from UW?…not much chance he is following the swoosh’s football team this year.

He is great, he is a humanitarian, he walks on water and all that… BUT, I would presume that he must have also been hitting up Gaddy and Moser to convince them to recind their oral commitments to UofA and stay home in Seatle. Lute Olson has been stealing some of Washington’s finest for 20 years and B Roy has to have just a lil bit of homer in him somewhere… has to have pissed him off a little to watch the Huskies play .500 ball last year.

by cic on Oct 12, 2008 4:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

brandon didnt talk to moser.

as for gaddy he’s solid at ua — at least according to what i’ve heard.

romar is here at the RG tonight, not sure if i missed him last night.

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 12, 2008 4:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Double Decommitment?

Thanks for the update Ben. My guess is that Gaddy will not decommit from the same school twice. Although at this point, as a UofA alum I don’t count the eggs until they show up on campus, or bolt for Europe.

I feel for Romar, he was on top of the world with Brandon and Nate in the backcourt… now I hear that some U-dub fans are calling for his head.

by cic on Oct 12, 2008 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think gaddy is solid.

moser was actually guarding him a lot of the time last night, and it was very fun to see them go head to head. i think both are real steals for UA. both should be solid college players, not good enough to go 1 and done, which should work out well for UA in the long run. Moser looked absolutely great, best i’ve ever seen him by far.

what’s interesting is that avery bradley transferred from bellarmine to go to prep school in nevada this year. very interesting timing, considering it would have been their senior year together and they’ve been friends for so long, and as recently as august they appeared to be getting along fine.

bradley going to texas, gaddy going to arizona, despite all the rumors they would go to college together.

something must have happened there. probably the age-old two stars, one ball situation. but that sucks. they were a joy to watch together.

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 12, 2008 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs