Richardson: Jamal Crawford Wished Brandon Roy Well After Preseason Debut

Ray Richardson of TwinCities.com reports that former Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy says he is receiving a lot of positive feedback following a successful preseason debut as he continues his comeback with the Minnesota Timberwolves. One of the well-wishers: Roy's close friend, Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford, who spent last season in Portland.

"He wanted to know how I was feeling," Roy said of his chat with Crawford, who is in Beijing this week for the Clippers' two-game exhibition series with the Miami Heat. "He was trying to keep up with the score because he wasn't able to watch the game on TV. We talked for a while."

Roy also received calls and text messages from friends and family in Seattle, including his parents, after playing in his first NBA game since April 28, 2011, when Portland was eliminated by Dallas in Game 6 in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Roy retired eight months later because of a degenerative condition in his knees.

The comeback is progressing so well that his parents are planning to attend the Wolves' exhibition game Saturday night against Chicago at Target Center.

"Everybody is excited to see me back playing again," Roy said after practice Thursday. "It made me feel good to know I'm giving them something to do back home."

The Blazers released Roy using the amnesty clause in December 2011 and he spent the 2011-12 in unofficial retirement before signing a 2-year contract with the Timberwolves last summer.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter