I know I left no doubt about my absolute love for Roy's game. But I think, looking back now, the thing I loved most about Roy during his time at UW and his all to short time in the NBA was his quiet leadership and obvious will to win. I saw it most after the Blazers lost to Houston in that first round playoff series a few years back after they had won 54 games in the regular seaason. Roy played his heart out and got little help from his teammates. They won just 2 games and after that final loss, the only Blazer player I saw who was visibly disappointed was Roy.

Many players pay lip service to wanting to win. But very few push themselves and push their teammates to get to the point where they are upset when they don't win. Roy was one of those guys. And the void in Portland now is that I don't think there is anyone with his force of personality and will to win left on this roster. Sure Roy was super talented and ultra clutch. But what Portland misses more than anything is Roy's will to win and his unwillingness to accept anything less than that from his teammates.

Andre Miller had that will to win which was why I think Portland maintained competitiveness to a certain degree last season once Roy was hobbled and out. The coach and the fans can't fill that void or make players truly care about winning. It's got to come from on-floor leadership. Hopefully, in the draft or in trades, Portland can find a couple players who truly care about winning above all else like Roy and Miller did and who have the force of personality that Roy and Miller had to push their teammates towards winning the way those guys did.