Le Basketbawl

We live in a “Jaded Age” in the USA in 2010 especially for those of us who are Sports Fans. The last few years in sports there have been more scandals than celebrations. We have gone through steroid investigations, dog-fighting, referees who bet on games and a former “GOLDEN BOY” who was cheating on his wife with anything in a skirt.

There are very few moments in our present day and age that give you Frickin Goose-Bumps and make you remember why you became a Sports Fan in the first place. New York Vinnie had one of those moments on Saturday and if you are a fan of “The Greatest Game On Earth” most likely you felt that way also if you were watching game four of the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns series.

Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Brandon Roy had surgery on Friday April 16, to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The doctors told the Blazers star that he would be able to play again in 4-6 weeks; which was far too long for B-Roy to be inactive in his mind. Roy proved the doctors wrong when he played on Saturday EIGHT DAYS after the surgery was performed. And this was no token appearance as he came off the bench playing 27 minutes and scoring 10 points as Portland defeated Phoenix 96-87 to tie the series at 2-2.

In New York Vinnie’s eyes Brandon Roy is a “Real Frickin Man” for not only suiting up when nobody in their right mind expected him to; but to actually have a good game! Even Phoenix fans have to have respect for what this young man did on the hardwood on Saturday! Can you imagine the pain this man had to be in? Yet he sucked it up and was the ultimate team player as well as the ultimate warrior! And can you imagine how Frickin Pumped his teammates must have been? No wonder LaMarcus Aldridge had himself a double-double!

So the next time that some pouting whining over-paid baby who plays on your favorite team gets you ticked off; remember there is at least one guy in Pro Sports that truly gets it! That is Brandon Roy!

The Portland Trail Blazers will go into game three of their first round NBA Western Conference Playoff series Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns tied 1-1 with the action switching to Portland for the first time in the series. The Blazers may have gotten a mental boost Thursday morning when ”The Oregonian“ reported that Portland All-Star guard Brandon Roy told the paper that he will play if the team advances to the second round.

Roy had surgery on his right knee last Friday to repair a torn meniscus and recovery time was supposed to be 4-6 weeks. However the Blazers star told the paper that he would be on the floor with the team if they can get past the Suns. Roy when asked if he thought he could play if Portland advances to the next round replied “I definitely will play in the second round. Right now, the longer this series goes, I will try to push it as much as I can to get back, but if we do make it to the second round, I will be back for that.”

Portland shocked the Suns with a game one victory in Phoenix but the higher-seeded Suns would take the second game to knot the series up at 1-1 with the action moving back to Portland for the next two games.

The toughest decision a Pro Athlete has to make is when to listen to his head instead of his heart. The Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Brandon Roy had to make that decision on Thursday and it weighed on him heavily. His heart wanted to try to play through the pain and lace them up on Sunday when his team takes on the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs. However in the end he made the right decision and went with his head which will keep him off the hardwood for at least the next few weeks. The “Columbian” reported Thursday that Roy will undergo surgery to reapir the meniscus in his right knee.  

The procedure will knock him out of the Playoffs for at least the first round; and most likely will end the Blazers guard’s season. Recovery time from the surgery is usually 4-6 weeks; at which time Portland will most likely be already enjoying their time off.

Roy told reporters that it took him a long time to come to grips that he needed to have the operation. The Portland star said “This was not an easy decision to make. But, if I’m going to be out there, I want to be contributing. If we’re fortunate enough to advance in the playoffs, having the surgery now gives me the best opportunity to help our team.”

New York Vinnie has seen what kind of a competitor that B-Roy is since he came into the NBA; and no one can question his commitment or his courage. But he could have done a lot more long term damage to himself if he had tried to play through the pain. This has not been an easy season for Portland as they lost two centers to injury and had chemistry problems earlier in the season as the team got used to having a veteran point guard in Andre Miller. Sometimes you just have to know when to walk away so you can fight the battle another day. This was one of those times for Brandon Roy.

Most years as the NBA Trade Deadline approaches one starts to hear all sorts of rumors of deals that are on the verge of being completed. And most years that deadline goes by without those deals happening; in fact there are many years that it truly is a non-event. Well this season has been the exception to the rule with the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards completing a block-buster deal on Saturday. With the addition of Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to the Mavericks they became a more formidable opponent.

Tuesday the “Associated Press” reported that the Portland Trail Blazers have responded with a big deal of their own as they have acquired veteran big man Marcus Camby from the Los Angeles Clippers to fill the pivot spot for them for the rest of the season. The Blazers traded guard Steve Blake and forward Travis Outlaw to the Clippers for the veteran who is the second leading rebounder in the NBA this year. Reports are also that the Trail-Blazers also sent Los Angeles $1.5 million and will pay Camby $2 million in incentives for the rest of the season.

Portland General Manager Kevin Pritchard told reporters “We are very excited to bring an experienced big man of Marcus’ caliber to the team and we feel he’ll help us a great deal down the stretch run. He’s a fierce competitor and has been one of the league’s best defensive players for quite some time.”

New York Vinnie sees this as a total win/win situation for the Blazers in this deal. They get a legitimate presence in the middle in the veteran Camby who on a bad Clippers team is averaging 12.1 rebounds along with 7.7 points per game this season. Camby can score more if Portland needs him to; but the reason they are picking him up is the way he cleans the Frickin glass. This is what Blazers coach Nate McMillen wanted from “MR. RICKETS” starting center Greg Oden before he was lost for the season due to injury.

It also gets rid of a controversy that has hung over this team all season; Andre Miller or Steve Blake as the starter at point guard. New York Vinnie has told you all season that Andre Miller was not brought in to sit on the Frickin bench. It is all well and good that Brandon Roy and Blake had good chemistry on the floor but Miller can take this team to a level that Blake is not capable of. This now rids the team of that problem and helps them in an area of need. You can not ask for more than that from a deal.

Once again the deck has been re-shuffled and this time it is Portland that seems to be at or near the top of the pile in the Western Conference. Will Camby put this team where New York Vinnie thought it could be at the beginning of Training Camp; a team that is battling for the Conference Finals? Or will yet another move be made to change things yet again? This season you can not rule anything out!

Unfortunately one of the “True Good Guys” in the NBA Brandon Roy will not play this Sunday in Arlington, Texas when the NBA All-Star Game takes place. Roy announced last Saturday that his sore hamstring would keep him out of action until the All-Star break and rather than risking missing more time with the Portland Trail Blazers he will sit the game out. However as bad as New York Vinnie feels about the Portland star missing the contest a deserving player will be taking his place. The “Los Angeles Times” reported Monday that NBA Commissioner David Stern named Los Angeles Clippers Chris Kaman to take his spot on the roster.

Back in December New York Vinnie was pushing pretty hard for Kaman to be named to the NBA Western Conference All-Star Team. New York Vinnie is a guy who likes to see people rewarded for dedication and hard work and Kaman’s numbers are certainly a reflection of that. Kaman did not allow himself to stagnate and just get by. He dedicated himself to being a better player and eventually that will pay off either with the Clippers or as a Free Agent for another team. So New York Vinnie is very pleased that Kaman was given his propers by the Commissioner and will get to shine in the spotlight!

The “Oregonian” reported Thursday that Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will most likely miss the next two games due to pain in his right hamstring. Roy aggravated the hammy Wednesday in a win over Philadelphia. The Blazers are on the tail end of a road trip with a game against the Celtics in Boston on Friday and will travel to Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Pistons Saturday.

Roy is averaging 23.1 points and 5 assists per game for Portland and the team as well as the player are taking the cautious approach. Roy told reporters “Odds are high that I’ll miss the next two just because we want to be smart with (the injury.) They don’t want me to rush right back out there. I’m sure they are going to be a lot more cautious.”

Roy missed the first game of the four game road trip Monday as the Trail Blazers lost to the Washington Wizards 97-92. Portland is 26-17 this season in second place in the Northwest Division trailing the Denver Nuggets by two games.

The “Associated Press” has reported that the Portland Trail Blazers have scheduled a news conference for Friday and will announce they have signed forward LaMarcus Aldridge to a five year contract extension. Portland Team President Larry Miller said back in August that the club was hoping to lock up the talented 24 year old power forward before the NBA deadline of October 31. Details of the extension have not been released.

Aldridge averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season and in New York Vinnie’s opinion he can be another cornerstone this team can build  around alongside All-Star shooting guard Brandon Roy. Roy was signed to a long term deal this summer and wanted the club at that point to work out a long term deal with Aldridge.

Roy spoke to reporters before training camp started and told them that the Blazers needed to keep Aldridge in the fold to insure long term success for the team. The Portland star told reporters ”“I’m excited that I’m finally done, but now it’s time to get LaMarcus signed, because I think he’s a huge part of what we’re trying to do. I think he’s a future all-star for years to come. I think LaMarcus is a big part of my success on the court, because there’s a lot of things that he does to free my game. … I’m excited with getting LaMarcus done and getting him happy, that way we can continue to move forward with all the guys we have.”

New York Vinnie still believes that “MISTER RICKETS” Blazers center Greg Oden is liable to break down at any time during the season. However if he can maintain his health and be some sort of presence in the middle Portland should be right there with San Antonio and Dallas as the elite teams in the Western Conference this season.