Brandon Roy vs the Lakers: Part 3

Part 2: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/11/7/1800332/brandon-roy-vs-the-lakers-part-deux

I'm not sure how to start this one. Still feeling like the general Blazersedge fan is being much too hard on Brandon, but I'm going to let the facts do the talking on this one, as I'd like to be done in time to watch MNF tonight. :)

So, to begin, from part 2, here are the 22 players that have recieved 2 All-NBA team nomiations in their first 4 years since 1988(includes players that played before 1988 and recieved an All-NBA team nomiation in 1988 or after):

(Reason for 2 All-NBA team nominations in first 4 years: Roy has only played 4 years, and that's what he's earned.)
(Reason since 1988: previously they only voted a first and second team All-NBA team, after 1988 they voted a first, second and third.)
(So, all I'm looking at is since the voting rules have been constant, what other players have done what Roy's done in the limited 4 years he's played.)

Michael Jordan        Magic Johnson        Patrick Ewing               Karl Malone
Hakeem Olajuwon    Charles Barkley       David Robinson           Shaq
Tim Duncan             Kevin Johnson        Tim Hardaway             Penny Hardaway
Vince Carter             Grant Hill                 Dirk Nowitzki                Kobe Bryant
Brandon Roy            Lebron James         Dwyane Wade             Carmelo Anthony
Dwight Howard         Chris Paul

It was brought up, that of the 22 people that have accomplished what Roy has, listed in part 2 that I should makesome other random comparision to exclude Marbury. I feel that some are feeling that my comparision to get Roy on a list with those other 21 players was misguided. I don't actually think that I'm making up an unfair comparison with that post. After Roy's first 4 years, which is all we have at present to rate Brandon Roy, what other players have accomplished the same feats at this time in their professional career. The answer was those 21 other players.

On the Marbury point though, I actually want to make point first. In the fourth year of his career, Marbury had 30 games of double digit assists, while seemingly never taking a day off, having only 8 games, all season, where he didnt have 5+ assists. He scored 20+ points in 48 games that season, and he only had 18 games where he didnt register a defensive steal. That year, he registered 29 double doubles.

Think about that: How many double double's did Chris Paul have last season? 24. How many double double's did Jason Kidd have last season? 26. In his 4th year, Marbury had 29.

In the first 4 season's of his career, Marbury was flashy and played hard. I'd go so far as to say that Marbury was looked at like Chris Paul or Deron Williams is at present after roughly their first 4 years in the league. Super young talent that has burst onto the scene, seemingly playing the game with such ease and explosion.

Here are Marbury's stats after the first 4 years:

Rookie season: 15.8 points, 7.8 assists, 2.7 boards, 1.0 steals
2nd season:      17.7 points, 8.6 assists, 2.8 boards, 1.3 steals
3rd season:       21.3 points, 8.9 assists, 2.9 boards, 1.2 steals
4th season:       22.2 points, 8.4 assists, 3.2 boards, 1.5 steals

I think it's actually really important to have a player like Marbury on the list of 22, to help emphasize exactly what we're dealing with. If the list was just 21 "Top 50 players of alltime" and Roy, I'd say that I was arguing that Roy is destined for greatness. But the point is, he has the talent to do it. The question is, are we as an organization, which includes the fans, going to give Brandon Roy the platform to shine. While you never want to focus on past accolades, you do use them as a way to gauge what actually happened.

Brandon Roy was the best rookie in the NBA his rookie season in the NBA. He won Rookie of the Year. We can use the fact that he was the most talented and delivered the most to earn that award. So, in the history of the Blazers organization, we've had a grand total of 3 players to have earned this award.

Blazers to have won Rookie of the Year:

       Geoff Petrie
       Sidey Wicks
       Brandon Roy

I think fans understand the honor of Rookie of the Year because we talk about it. I think fans understand the honor of being selected to the Allstar team. I'm not sure that all fans understand the honor that it is being selected to the All-NBA team. This award is selected by the league at the end of the year to the top 3 players at each position.

Here is the list of Blazers in the history of the organization to have been selected to an All-NBA team:

Bill Walton
Clyde Drexler
Maurice Lucas
Jim Paxson
Brandon Roy

Roy has done it in both of the past 2 years. So, if we as fans are complaining about any output from Brandon Roy for the past 2 years, I think the league wholeheartedly disagrees. The past 2 times the league has voted, he has been honored. In fact, after the first 2 years where we forced him to turn our franchise around, where he lead our team from a league low 21 wins to being 500, Brandon Roy has been honored with this award both times. Consecutive All-NBA team awards. In the history of the Blazers, only 4 other individuals have been as good. That's it!!! Of all the Blazers to have ever worn our jersey, only 5 of them have had this honor. Roy has done it twice in his first 4 years. Twice in the past 2 years.

Kobe and Artest aren't the only one's that are saying it.

The league has been speaking for the past two years, and we don't appear to be listening. 

One more time for emphasis:

2006-07: Rookie of the Year
2007-08: Allstar
2008-09: Allstar (All-NBA Second Team)
2009-10: Allstar (All-NBA Third Team) - despite battling injuries all year
2010-11: ? Dare to dream ?

We've got a bonafide superstar here, already one of the legitimate top 10 players in the league, with Brandon Roy. With only 4 years under his belt, he's in the same class of players that are future Hall of Famers. 

I think the best way to show you just how special Brandon Roy has been here in Portland, is to take you back to Drexler.

Lets look at Clyde Drexler's stats in his first 4 years in the league:

Rookie season:  7.7 points, 1.9 assists, 2.9 boards
2nd season:     17.2 points, 5.5 assists, 6.0 boards    
3rd season:      18.5 points, 8.0 assists, 5.6 boards    
4th season:       21.7 points, 6.9 assists, 6.3 boards   

Now, at the time, 4 years into his career, you're looking at Drexler stats and saying <what>?  I'm just going to say, for me, those are some really impressive numbers. Now, at the conclusion of Dexler's fourth year, the league did the same thing it has done at the end of every season, and voted for the league awards. Not once during those 4 years of Drexler's carreer, did the league honor him with an All-NBA honor. Brandon Roy has been honored with it in consecutive seasons.

In Drexler's career, he was only honored with an All-NBA team 3 times. Compared to the other players of his time, Drexler just wasn't up to par with the top of the class. He was a A- superstar compared to the A+ superstars of his day. Didn't seem to matter here, as Portland loved him. Roy has been honored twice already and still we complain. 

When I see all the negative talk towards him during the offseason, I just don't get it. Every year, we complain about him, and every year he delivers. Even when he delivers, we talk about getting rid of him. I just don't know what we as fans expect.

We're not a super rich franchise to begin with.

Blazers historical achievements:

1 Championship (Walton)
1 MVP (Walton)
3 Western Conference Championships (1 Walton, 2 Drexler)
4 Division Titles (1 Walton, 2 Drexler, 1 Dunleavy)

That's it guys. That's all. And yet, we are seemingly insistent that Brandon Roy owes us a division title and a first round playoff win. We haven't won all that much in our history, and in case you forgot from earlier, we won 21 games 4 years ago. Where is your memory? Do you not remember the lows? Do you not remember when people didn't want to be associated with the Blazers? Do you not remember all of this?

Now, 4 years into a career that hopefully stretchs another 10 years here in Portland, we're complaining about what he's currently delivered to Portland?

Mini History Lesson:
2005/2006 - Miami Heat win the title. The Blazers have an embarrassing 21 wins. Blazers had the draft picks they had to get the superstar talents of Roy and Aldridge that year because we had such a terrible record.
2006/2007 - Brandon Roy's first year. Blazers have year over year change of 11 wins, improving to 32 wins.
2007/2008 - Brandon Roy's sophomore year. Blazers have year over year change of 9 wins, improving to 500, with a record of 41-41
2008/2009 - Brandon Roy's coming out party. Blazers have year over year change of 13 wins, improving to an amazing 54-28
2009/2010 - Brandon Roy's fourth year. Blazers suffer through mind numbing amount of injuries including Roy missing 18 games and playing hurt in countless others. Blazers still win 50 wins, and make playoffs.

In his second season, Roy garnered the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks, the first Trail Blazer to accomplish the feat since Clyde Drexler in the 1990–91 season.

He's already won the Blazer franchise record with 10 steals in a game against the Wizards, showing glimpses of his defensive talents.

When it's all said and done, barring injury, he's going to be the most decorated Blazer of alltime.  

I just don't understand why we aren't embracing him more. He's going to have off days, we all do. He's going to have games where he looks terrible. He's going to have games where he becomes too self centered. You have to remember that he's a 26 year old kid that's trying to find himself in this world too. He's the greatest baller to have come through our halls in a long time. Not since Drexler has a player of this caliber played ball for the Blazers. And yet, all we want to do is talk smack.

I don't reasonably see how you can be complaining about anything related to Brandon Roy for his first 4 seasons here in Portland. He's done more than we ever could have hoped for.

For those that say they are bashing on Roy for the 8 games he's played this year, and not the fabulous 4 seasons that he has already given to our community. For those, I say WTF.

It's 8 games into the season, and we're 5-3. That's still on pace for 50+ wins and a playoff appearance. We've played 5 of those games o the road and he's avg. 20 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block in the 8 games this season. He's registered a steal in 7/8 games this year. In addition, he had a block that game he didn't have a steal, so he's had a defensive stat in every game. He's had a 5 steal night against Milwaukee. And right now, Brandon Roy has made 26 consecutive free throws. If you're expecting more from him then that, I don't know what you're looking for.

And since I know you guys will probably bring it up again. Yes, Roy hasn't had the much luck in the playoffs yet. The first 2 years of his time in Portland, he was given the greatest job of restoring the Blazer brand, and was bring us from 21 wins to 500, and obviously didn't make the playoffs. In the past 2 years, we've had consecutive first round exits. As an fyi, the Blazers had consecutive first round exits in Drexler's 3rd and 4th years in Portland as well... (3rd season Blazers lost 3-1 to Denver in 1985-86) (4th season Blazers lost 3-1 to Houston in 1986-87)

Remember all the joy Drexler brought to this city... :)

Cheers....