Brandon Roy and the Tortured Fanbase

It appears that the Brandon Roy we have grown accustomed to watching may be no more.  After a few big knee injuries, it has recently been reported that Roy has been diagnosed with Arthritic knee, which basically means that there isn't any meniscus left in the knee, and its simply two bones rubbing together.  Roy will have to take medicine everyday just to reduce the swelling in his knee.  The day after the report was filed, Roy had to leave a game against New Orleans because of the pain, and right now doesn't have a timetable to return, although more will likely be learned today after a scheduled MRI.  Either way, this isn't good news for Blazers fans.

Blazers fans simply cannot catch a break with injuries to their favorite players.  Its a punchline that wasn't any funny to begin with and is just downright depressing now.  Knee injuries have always hit a little bit close to home.  I myself have pretty bad knees for being young, and I also had to watch the Kings title hopes go down with Chris Webber's knee in 2003.  The franchise is just recovering. 

But for Blazers fans its even worse.  They've seen the potential of guys like Roy and Oden up close, and then it all comes crashing down in a heap of torn ligaments and broken bones.  Its just not fair. Its gotten to a point where a typical Blazers fan might know more about the anatomy of the human knee better than a typical pre-med student.

So here's hoping that Roy is able to come back and get back to his All-Star ways.  Here's hoping that Greg Oden shuts up all the haters and ends up having a good career.  Here's hoping that Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and everyone else remain healthy for long periods of time.  Here's hoping that the Blazers overcome all this adversity and one day win it all.  Wouldn't that be something.

UPDATE:  5 hours after I posted this, it was announced that Greg Oden will be out for the season as he has to have microfracture surgery.  Sigh.

2010-11 Season Previews: Portland Trailblazers

Pictured: Greg Oden

The NBA Season is fast upon us, so its time for the Pick and Scroll to begin previewing each team. We're going to go in order from worst previous record to best. The Blazers are up next, and they're sure to be good, but can they be healthy for once?

2009-10 Record: 50-32
Additions: Rich Cho (GM), Luke Babbitt (Draft), Armon Johnson (Draft), Elliot Williams (Draft), Wesley Matthews (FA), Moody Fernandez (evolved from Rudy Fernandez at level 25, learned Pout)
Subtractions: Kevin Pritchard (GM), Martell Webster, Juwan Howard, Travis Deiner, Jeff Pendergraph (tore ACL, likely out for season), Rudy Fernandez (bruised ego)

Unsung Heroes: Northwest Division

Players are often described as being "overrated" or "underrated".  In the NBA, this often translates to overrated players being players that are good, but vastly overpaid for their abilities, or who get more media exposure than some other players, while underrated often means a player who is making a pittance for his current production (funnily enough, underrated players tend to become labeled overrated when they get new, bigger contracts).

I do think there are some underrated players though, players that aren't as widely known for their roles on their team, who don't often get mentioned for their contributions but are indeed integral parts of their team.

Over the next week or so, I'll be looking at each team to find one "underrated" player for each team in the league.  Last Tuesday, we looked at the Atlantic Divsion, Wednesday the Central, and Thursday the Southeast.  Friday we moved on to the Western Conference and checked out the Southwest.  After the jump, we venture on to the Northwest.