It is easy to say after a good performance that proceeded one of legend. I was saying this after game 2 (here) and believing this before the playoffs. My thinking was that the Trail Blazers needed Roy to make a run for the finals. Roy needed a boost of confidence that might come if he was asked to start again, and having lost a step athletically Roy would actually fit better as a hybrid of the Roy of old and a spot up shooter slash facilitator. The lesser Roy might be a better fit for the team. I was especially hoping that this would be true after the Wallace trade; with Crash’s chaos opening up improvisational opportunities for Roy.

The last two games haven’t changed my opinion much. Physically Roy looked better after the surgery. He isn’t grimacing, he isn’t icing swollen knees. He is just a step off behind what he was. The same could be said for Kobe so I’m thinking Roy can still produce, when or if he could get right mentally. Mentally he was a mess in game two. It seems like he wasn’t shooting to score he was shooting because it’s a good shot in the offense. That’s how roleplayers play. Roy cant play like that. He has to play as a scorer. He has to play like a star. A star with a lesser more team oriented role but a star nonetheless. And stars start for a reason. For the Trail Blazers to beat Dallas in Dallas or defeat the Lakers or Thunder they need Roy-evolved playing off of Crash, Miller, and Aldridge.