SLAMonline Top 50: Brandon Roy, no. 28

The definitive ranking of the best players in the NBA today…

I’m not suggesting you give it a try, but mentally compartmentalizing NBA players can be a simple exercise:

There are the athletic freaks of nature. Volatile malcontents. Extra-efficient specialists. Cocky superstars. Non-conformist social deviants. Corny, viral video hopefuls. Long-range gunslingers. The list continues…

The process of creating mental groups allows us to comprehend what would otherwise be chaos in our mind. We do this as an automatic mind organizer – our anti-entropy filing system. To our brain, the NBA is too complex to have a single working definition. We build our conception from the ground up – players combine into groups; groups are arranged into concepts; and concepts form our opinions.

For example, we might group RayRay, Michael Redd, and Joe Johnson since they’re all deadly shooters. Defensive students of the game, Shane Battier and Tayshaun Prince fit nicely. Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Deron Williams fit for obvious reasons. Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith and Rudy Gay practically own our cranium’s amazement compartment. Baron Davis and Chris Bosh go together as they’ll likely petition for our All-Star votes for years to come.

We may combine these groups into larger, even more general groups until we finally create broad enough concepts to comprehend the NBA. It may seem difficult on paper, but when we all think ‘NBA,’ our brains do this automatically in a millisecond’s time.

I tell you this because I believe there is one player who constitutes his own group – his own concept in our minds. Yes, that player is 24-year-old Brandon Roy.

He is the single error in an otherwise flawless system. If he were to be considered a horse of a different color, that color would be clear. I find Brandon to be very frustrating and exciting at times – often both at once. You see, his most notable feature is that he doesn’t have one.

After exploring the wildest stretches of the imagination and turning the corners of the most abstract mental affiliations, I deduced the 6-6 guard is without peer no matter how you look at it. Brandon Roy is one of many great players in the League today, yet unlike the rest, his most unique attribute not only fails to stand-out, it doesn’t exist.

The fact of the matter is Brandon Roy will never be among the NBA’s most popular players. His jersey will never be come near the Top 10 sales lists in America or abroad. He’ll never be a first-round fantasy pick. He probably will never lead the League in any statistical category. And if you get your news from the late-night sports highlight reels, you’ll likely forget about Roy altogether.

He’ll never land a modeling gig with Sean John, and he’ll probably never design a signature sneaker. He’ll never get like his teammate Greg Oden and sing a piano duet with J.T. in front of a national audience.

When a system is working well, we don’t notice the nuts and bolts. But when there’s a wrench in the system, the wrench becomes our only focus. Brandon Roy stands out like a freckle – it goes unnoticed until it’s specifically being searching for. But in Brandon’s case, this freckle is a birthmark the size of a quarter – the mere fact that it’s different seems to merit our attention.

Brandon Roy is different all right. He does pretty much everything on and off the court well. He makes the right decisions – starting with his choice to pull his name out of the 2002 Draft – and exudes an air of control without speaking a word. There’s an inexplicable calm that he brings to the fore. Even the diehard basketball fan might forget Brandon is rehabbing a torn meniscus in his left knee. He’s become so reliable and professional, Blazer fans are treating the surgery like he was in for a routine physical.

Brandon’s most complex mystery is what he does best. He is not a jack of a single trade, but a prodigy who can do it all well. Therein lies Brandon’s difference again – he has no flaw to hide. In a world of specialists, Brandon is undeniably old school. Teams today have set roles for nearly every player on its roster. Brandon acts all roles equally well. Today’s manifesto highlights strengths and avoids weaknesses. Brandon Roy is the student who gets an ‘A-‘ in every subject instead of mostly ‘B’s’ and an ‘A+.’

Brandon is unlike anyone in the NBA. It’s clear he cannot be grouped with the rest of the stars in the NBA. Nor should he. He clearly is setting new standards. I thought such a unique player should have his own group – his own category. After exploring the wildest stretches of my imagination and turning the corners of my most abstract mental affiliations, I came up with nothing suiting. I slept on it, and it was obvious all along.

The category in which Brandon Roy fits perfectly is ‘Trailblazer.’

Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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This story is filed under: Blogs, NBA, SLAMonline Top 50, The Notorious D.N.P.

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201 Responses to “SLAMonline Top 50: Brandon Roy, no. 28”

Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:05 am
See in April when he loses his starting spot to RUDY!!
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:08 am
seriously this guy ain’t that good as RUDY…although he won’t lose his starting spot this year…
Mike Posted: Sep.25 at 8:08 am
Blazer Domination: Coming Soon To An Arena Near You.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 8:10 am
i thought you said it was happening in april?
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:13 am
it was an exaggeration(Rudy needs seasoning like Ginobili needed and Dragic will also need…)…i really like Roy as a fundamentally sound player…he could be a star in Europe, something like Antony Parker(they have a similar game)..but still Rudy is better…
Mike Posted: Sep.25 at 8:14 am
Man Rudys ait but Roy will murder him. You cant be too optimistic about the Euros until you see them play some NBA games. Yea I know he killed in the Olympics, but that doesnt automatically mean his game will transfer. For example, CP3 didnt do that well in China but hes like one of the 10 best players in the world right now
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:16 am
simply put Rudy is Ginobili 2010 and that means better than Roy (Manu will be ranked higher than ROY even in this list although not as high as he should be : top-10 NBA)….
andrew Posted: Sep.25 at 8:17 am
I think I don’t like this ranking. I thought he’d go higher than this, but I’ll have to see who’s higher than him before I decide that it’s a bad ranking…
Tombomb Posted: Sep.25 at 8:17 am
Great article and you are spot on, if you think about it the last great all-around player was probably Pippen……..and we all know how that turned out.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:18 am
you can’t be optimistic about NBAer’s until you see them play some European games. (check what Childress has done for my team up until now…)
jay Posted: Sep.25 at 8:21 am
Mike: you are wrong about rudy & the olympics. How can playing against an team constructed of NBA-players not tell you anything about a player? What will Kobe shoot the ball differently or, better yet, defend any different? Think not. Best belive that rudy is teh real deal bwoy!
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:22 am
@MIKE :CP3 is one of the top 5 players in the NBA now but not in the world…Manu is one of the top-5 players in the world now(and for the past 5 years) but not in the NBA. Easy to understand how this happens if you know the particularities of the NBA game…
Michael Posted: Sep.25 at 8:25 am
there will be someone who you would consider a lock for this list that will miss out i realise, there are more than 27 worthy players who havent been listed yet..
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:25 am
and stop equalling best in the NBA with best in the world…it is not that case anymore,,,the NBA understood it so there was no “WORLDCHAMPIONS” at the Spurs championship banners…worldchamps is Spain (up until 2010-Instanbul) and Olympic champs is the U.S…
rikson Posted: Sep.25 at 8:26 am
good spot for a complete player… nothin but love for ROY
James the balla Posted: Sep.25 at 8:38 am
I think this top50 sh1t is messed up… its all mixed up.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 8:40 am
as is the vacant space inside your noggin?
Mike Posted: Sep.25 at 8:41 am
Jay: No Im not wrong. Speaking of KB even he didnt do that well in China. And I never said Rudys not good. Im a Blazers fan so I want him to be good. But I aint gonna get my hopes up till I see him play some NBA games.
Antonis: Trust me cousin I know the NBA game dont worry bout that. Manus my guy but he aint top 5 in the world
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:42 am
this top50 is extremely entertaining and provocative(once again great job SLAM!!)… can’t wait the list with top-50 dunker’s in the NBA….that will be crazy!!
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 8:44 am
Guys, when I change a topic (or veer off course), I’ll usually do it with poise and subtlety. Your subtlety is like a bull in a china chop Antonis Fortosis.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:47 am
@MIKE..:best starting five in the world now:
DUNKAN
DIRK
KOBE
MANU
WILLIAMS
(you have to be a great shooter and also master of the fundamentals to make all-world team, not just freakishly athletic which is enough for all-NBA team so…no place for Lebeon’s, howard, wade and the other supermen..)
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:49 am
ok, maybe i pick GARNETT over DIRK for defense reasons but my last international impressions from KG ain’t that good (2000 olympics and his overall behavior..)
9th wonder Posted: Sep.25 at 8:50 am
Roy is a beast man. Dude will average 20, 8, and 9 this year. He did it on nba 2k8 so I’m pretty sure he will do it in real life.
fluxland Posted: Sep.25 at 8:51 am
“Instanbul? Instanbul ain’t no country I ever heard of. Do they speak English in Instanbul?”
ctkennedy Posted: Sep.25 at 8:51 am
is he really better than vince if u got a week left in the season and u need him or vince to get u 3 out of 4 u would really take roy? he is good at everythin but he has no overall impact on the game he is better served as a sidekick watch bayless become the man portland give the ball to in the clutch cause one on one he scares the H*ll out of u
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:51 am
Hursty you are right (no irony)
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 8:53 am
@fluxland ….PERFECT!!!
Eboy Posted: Sep.25 at 8:58 am
No arguments on this placement from me. Good work, Rynocerous. I’d take this dude on my squad all day.
Nguni Posted: Sep.25 at 8:58 am
roy is an all-star. rudy hasn’t played one nba game. enuff said.
fluxland Posted: Sep.25 at 8:59 am
Ryne, did you mean to have “After exploring the wildest stretches of my imagination and turning the corners of my most abstract mental affiliations” in there twice? I like the the line, I’m just wondering tho.
Mike Posted: Sep.25 at 9:01 am
Antonis: I agree thats a good starting lineup but that doesnt mean theyre the top 5 players in the world. Just means that they complement each other well. Bottom line is that Roy is better than rudy and will continue to get better. If Rudy wants to be the next Manu he will need to gain about 30 lbs and work on his handle and even then Im not sure. I like his game but to say he will take Roys spot is ridiculous at this point
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 9:02 am
Jamal Magloire was an one-time all-star (like ROY) and at the moment Manu wasn’t even in the NBA (like Rudy now) so…
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 9:05 am
I agree with the ranking here. If Roy doesnt have one defineable skill-set, then what about Butler, McGrady or Rashard Lewis?
riggs Posted: Sep.25 at 9:08 am
i wouldve had roy at least one spot higher
Ryne Nelson Posted: Sep.25 at 9:11 am
@flux: Yes, I meant to repeat the line. Thought it was a good way to help tie the end back to the beginning.
Benoit Benjamin Posted: Sep.25 at 9:14 am
Good point Hrusty, Butler definitly fits the “traiblazer” group. I liked the post.
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 9:18 am
Its Hursty. Say in Napoleon Dynamite voice ‘jeez, urgh!’ lol
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 9:18 am
shut up! Antonis Fotsis… you ain’t know nothing yet, Rudy didn’t play a single nba game yet… he will start from the bench.
Bryan Posted: Sep.25 at 9:23 am
He’s good but this is gonna be a boring conversation
fluxland Posted: Sep.25 at 9:24 am
Ryne, thought so… while reading the whole thing the 3rd time I got the flow. Thanks.
Benoit Benjamin Posted: Sep.25 at 9:24 am
My bad Hursty, guess it’s my dyslexia comin’ back.
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 9:25 am
True Bryan. Hursty OUT.
Lz - Cphfinest3 Posted: Sep.25 at 9:28 am
Ryne; I like the write up and the placement of citizen Roy, big applause. But I have to point one thing out, you are very wrong in one sense, I quote: “his most unique attribute not only fails to stand-out, it doesn’t exist.” Sorry my friend but imo you completely missed out on (I think everyone who’ve seen Roy play would agree)what Roy’s one unique attribute is. Namely his composure, when playing Roy is never stressed, never hurried, never hassled, never nervous, always calm, thoughtful, immaculate, precise, thorough, and controlled. Roy always play under this amazing composure, and that composure is his one unique attribute.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 9:28 am
how can somebody can start from the bench..?? (both start and also be on the bench…interesting)
SLAM forums:where amazing happens!!!! (thanks simeon)
Mike Posted: Sep.25 at 9:32 am
Next time SLAM does a top 50 list Aldridge and Oden are gonna be on it too
Lz - Cphfinest3 Posted: Sep.25 at 9:32 am
A. Fotsis on SLAM forum, where not completely understanding the English language and still attempting to be a wiseazz happens.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 9:34 am
@Lz…: i agree with this also (hope i wrote correct now)
fluxland Posted: Sep.25 at 9:34 am
“English, MF, do you speak it?”
Pve84 Posted: Sep.25 at 9:40 am
Could someone tell me why anyone is paying attention to Antonis Fotsis when he is clearly speaking out of his as*? I understand a European being excited about a European player. Heck, I’m excited about Rudy coming to the Blazers and I’ll think he’ll be a great addition, but saying that A) Rudy will be better than Roy without having ever seen him play in the NBA is ludicrous and B)claiming that Manu is one the best 5 players in the world but not the NBA is a clear and obvious contradiction because the last time I checked, the NBA was a part of this lovely bluish, greenish world. If he means he’s one of the top 5 best players in international competition, maybe he’s right, but that’s because the majority of NBA players who play in International competition don’t play together for extended periods of time (with the exception of the past few years), and because all of the best American players in the NBA typically don’t all represent the country at the same time. Enough of that…I’m looking forward to watching Rudy and Roy blossom and take a playoff spot out West.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 9:40 am
it is FM….
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 9:42 am
This is by far Ryne’s best writeup on the site to date. Absolutely loved it. As for Roy, he is among my favorite NBA players today. He is not up there with Ivy or Paul just yet, but he is damn close.
Sesa Posted: Sep.25 at 9:46 am
Wow, Roy is better than Ray Allen…
Really?
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 9:50 am
@sesa, it’s ranking from slam the great online.com, so it’s REAL…
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 9:54 am
@ pve84…: when I say that these are different styles of basketball (NBA&WORLD) that means we are not talking about exactly the same game so somebody can be top 5 in one game and NOT top 5 at the other game , although both games have basic similarities…(this was at least the excuse the U.S.A had up until this summer for failing in international competition…)
Mike Posted: Sep.25 at 9:55 am
sesa: Roy IS better than Ray mane. Once we start getting national TV games people will start to see how good this dude really is
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 9:55 am
@sesa….:not really. just on this ranking…
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 9:56 am
Sesa: YES.
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 9:57 am
Antonis, where’re you from? Espana, Deutschland,…..
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 10:00 am
din ROMANIA!!! jocul aici nu este foarte popular dar toata lumea i-place NBA.
multumesc
Benoit Benjamin Posted: Sep.25 at 10:03 am
Foarte Puternic Antonis, but I still think you got carried away with that Rudy over Roy thing.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 10:04 am
@ Benoit :mai frate!!!!ce bucurie!!!
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 10:05 am
si repet : Rudy nu este acum mai bun decat ROY in cea ce priveste NBA. Enough with (Romanian though…)
Paps Posted: Sep.25 at 10:07 am
Solid player.
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:07 am
Ah so, kommen Sie aus Romania…, ich finde Englisch Übung klase ist gut für Sie. Bitte…
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:09 am
schlampe… Antonis
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 10:09 am
My eyes are bleeding onto the keyboard right now A.Fotsis. Just please be quiet.
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 10:10 am
Simone your not helping things either.
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:12 am
Antonis, PLS, for Hursty’s sake…
Jukai Posted: Sep.25 at 10:12 am
I agree!
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 10:13 am
Ok I will participate- you people are behaving like osch lochs. No google translator wont help you on that.
Jukai Posted: Sep.25 at 10:13 am
Is everyone happy now? Everyone? You pricks…
Eboy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:14 am
This really isn’t that much worse than a conversation between Aussies.
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 10:14 am
never mind. Please just be quiet. What does PLS mean?
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 10:16 am
At least we only speak bogan english Eboy. Much less German and Romanian.
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:16 am
c’mon guys…
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:17 am
PLS=please,
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 10:19 am
Brandon Roy’s game is so unassuming that we have to start coversations in different languages. Nice.
Lz - Cphfinest3 Posted: Sep.25 at 10:19 am
Vai tomar no cú with all that international flavour guys.
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:23 am
it’s kinda late at australia for now…
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 10:34 am
Its 12:33am here now.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 10:37 am
PLS=please.hm….
KA Posted: Sep.25 at 10:37 am
I’m not sold on rudy. he’s more of a finisher than a creator compared to Manu, who actually does the breaking down of perimeter d on the spurs rather than Parker whos a more pick n roll guy. also, nice write up. I like the bit about mental compartmentalization of NBA types.
MSkittle Posted: Sep.25 at 10:40 am
Dwayne Wade is in his category
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:43 am
mama wants you to get on bed hursty…
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 10:43 am
Roy is 20 times the player that Rudy is. Why the hell is everyone discussing Rudy??
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:45 am
Ask Antonis…
Simone S.Y Lawy Posted: Sep.25 at 10:57 am
quiet morning…
niQ Posted: Sep.25 at 11:04 am
Rudy can play point guard while Roy plays Shooting Guard…
catalonian Posted: Sep.25 at 11:06 am
Brandon Roy n. 28 Gasol n. 31… incredible
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 11:08 am
Rudy can also play small forward!! (man, i must be definitelly retarded…)
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 11:10 am
catalonian i can feel you..
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 11:13 am
also Navaro better than ROY (if you smell what i cook…)
Keith Posted: Sep.25 at 11:41 am
A Rock quote? This place has gone down hill…
pbob Posted: Sep.25 at 11:42 am
Wow, that seems pretty low for a player without a flaw. He is top 20 for sure. Oh well, I guess the rest of the league will catch on soon enough. And to all the dumb foreigners on here, yes he is better then Gasol, Rudy, Navarro (are you kidding me), and Ginoboli. And by the way, the NBA game is basketball, we made the sport up, so the way we play it is the right way. No one gives a sh/t about who is the best at your stupid imitation game that doesn’t even allow diving.
JackBrown Posted: Sep.25 at 12:03 pm
Top 15!
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 12:08 pm
you are right, i was kidding on the Navaro quote(although he ain’t that far)…diving though..?diving,diving,….diving!!!
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 12:09 pm
There is diving in basketball? I’m American and didn’t even know that.
matt the jazz fan Posted: Sep.25 at 12:36 pm
i’m not sure that joe johnson is such a bad comparison for b roy
King David Posted: Sep.25 at 12:46 pm
damn right
Ryne Nelson Posted: Sep.25 at 12:50 pm
Johnson is a fair comparison, but he became more of a jump shooter (80 percent of his attempts were jumpers last season). Johnson’s ball-handling doesn’t really compare, either.
Jukai Posted: Sep.25 at 12:50 pm
While I’m not knocking Brandon Roy, and I’m sure as hell not going to raise Rudy on a pedestal but… I’m pretty sure Rudy’s not that far off from Brandon Roy. They’re pretty close in terms of skill.
Dma Posted: Sep.25 at 12:59 pm
rudy only stands out because he’s in going nowhere memphis. roy will become a top 5 player in the nba and his game will only be compared to lebron just like how drexler and jordan were. it’s the new unspoken rival.
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 1:07 pm
I’ll take Roy over Rudy 366 days out of the year.
Jukai Posted: Sep.25 at 1:14 pm
DMA: The “rudy” talk we are going on about is Rudy Fernandez, not Rudy Gay.
TADOne: I’d only take Roy over Rudy 297 days.
B. Long Posted: Sep.25 at 1:20 pm
Antonis must be Rudy’s kid brother, right?
RedRum Posted: Sep.25 at 1:23 pm
There is a category for Roy, the Tim Duncan category. Roy is the Duncan of the guards
Ted Posted: Sep.25 at 1:35 pm
Roy is clutch, see for yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfj7UjdRUwg&feature=related
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 1:42 pm
good point file…
NBK Posted: Sep.25 at 1:50 pm
None of you have any idea how good brandon roy is compared to rudy fernandez…you saw rudy fernandez play inferior competition in everything you’ve seen except the olympics where he had to step up because there was no one else to do it. Rudy Fernandez is nowhere close to as good as Brandon Roy, Rudy will be competing with Jerryd for a starting spot while Brandon is Averaging around 20-5-5. Come off that Rudy is as good nonsense because that is all it is. And I didn’t like this write up too much it seemed like you just repeated yourself that he was uncategorizable (?)
B Deezy Posted: Sep.25 at 1:59 pm
out of all the ppl who post about their favorite player or team, how many of ‘em actually play…im just sayin’
NBK Posted: Sep.25 at 2:13 pm
5 days a week
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 2:21 pm
Thank you for clearing all of that up, NBK. I can now continue my day with a clear conscious.
Mackenzie Posted: Sep.25 at 2:26 pm
Brandon Roy is something different he has no flawess and can do it all. What every the team needs he has it. If the team needs a defensive stop he will get it for you. or a clutch shot Brandon Roy is your man.
catalonian Posted: Sep.25 at 2:29 pm
pbob, we talk about BASKETBALL, you talk about “street-doping-travellingball” (NBA today). I’m sorry pbob,
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 2:34 pm
Wow, Brandon really does deserve better than what these comments have materialized to.
TIP Posted: Sep.25 at 2:46 pm
RUDY SUCKS BALLS
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 2:50 pm
@catalonian….street-doping-traveling!!!!(that was cruelly precize,but don’t get that fast at this stuff, people here still think that lebron,howard etc have a rectangular face with no reason at all… ) men there is no coincidence what Spain has achived the last 20 years…people can really understand basketball there…may favorite player: Juan Antonio San Epifanio(hope i spelled correct!!!)
hola!!
9th Wonder Posted: Sep.25 at 3:01 pm
Somtimes staying in college for four years helps out the young guys. Roy is the perfect example of a four year guy that got better every year when he was in college. The next Roy of college basketball? Terrence Williams of Louisville.
Rudy Posted: Sep.25 at 3:04 pm
this really was amazing to read.
luvshaq Posted: Sep.25 at 3:13 pm
anyone up for some pick-up-street-doping travellingball tonight?
luvshaq Posted: Sep.25 at 3:17 pm
do they jump off the wrong foot in Spain? I heard they do that in Italy..
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 3:42 pm
@luvshaq…:ask Dwight Howard on this !!!!
Cordeazy Posted: Sep.25 at 3:50 pm
I’m sorry, what exactly has Spain achieved?
starbury&stevey Posted: Sep.25 at 3:52 pm
@antonis fotsis is a greek player,do you speak greeks too?
matt the jazz fan Posted: Sep.25 at 3:54 pm
world champs
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 3:55 pm
Spain has achieved this…: http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/even/rank/p/openNodeIDs/943/selNodeID/943/rankMen.html
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 3:57 pm
milao ligo
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 3:59 pm
and they are also the current world champs…(thanks matt)
Tarzan Cooper Posted: Sep.25 at 4:09 pm
roy is that dude, but the preview was just awful. awful, ryne, awful
LA Huey Posted: Sep.25 at 4:12 pm
I love B-Roy’s game. Bennett taking my team has its plus-side: I can take my cheers down south without remorse.
starbury&stevey Posted: Sep.25 at 4:17 pm
@ antonis,o rudy den einai me kamia panagia kaliteros apo ton ROY,o ROY kanei ta pada sto portland,sto NBA, oxi stin ispaniki league…exei psomia akoma o rudy…giafto kopse na ton ektheiazeis,do i speak difficult greeks?
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 4:24 pm
i understood everything filarako !!! although i think that Diamantidis is slightly better than both of them…(not in the NBA, generally speaking..). maybe they got more potential than mitsaras cause they are more explosive athletes but…
antonis fotsis Posted: Sep.25 at 4:26 pm
anyway ,i said from the beggining that Rudy is not better NOW…(he needs seasoning and some other stuff)
Jukai Posted: Sep.25 at 4:27 pm
Just remember Tarzan: if you were me, seven to ten people would be lashing out at you right now!
Patrick Lok Posted: Sep.25 at 4:31 pm
These rankings are purely subjective, but Brandon Roy is one of my favorite players to watch in the game right now. The fact that he always seems to be in control, never in a hurry, makes me think Tim Duncan playing guard.
tinchek Posted: Sep.25 at 4:40 pm
old school.
i like that
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 5:26 pm
Moose in da house!
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 5:35 pm
skazmos vlamenos
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 5:38 pm
Money, what does that mean?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 5:39 pm
yeh, money bill, i would be happy to take you up on your offer of small talk right now.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 5:42 pm
it means shutup you idiot in greek, not sure of the spelling though, and it was aimed in no one in particular
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 5:43 pm
ok moose…..soooooooooo you like stuff?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 5:47 pm
yeh, cool. so uhhhhh yeh come up with somethin to talk bout and i’d love to talk to you, but that just won’t cut it man. sorry for pointing out your failure
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 5:49 pm
moose, you checked out my blog, that could be a conversation point till BET gets here
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 5:53 pm
i “checked out” your blog? i didn’t leave any comments or nuthin . . . how’d you know that?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 5:59 pm
money bill, you can ponder my question till i get back from doing stuff for a half an hour . . . peace!
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 6:02 pm
yeah i gotta drive into work in a second
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 6:02 pm
moose, i know everyting that ever happened, ever!
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 6:14 pm
seriously, money, how’d you know? you got a tracker or sumthin?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 6:18 pm
or did you just guess hoping that i had?
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 6:51 pm
moose, it was a question not a a statement, i had no idea you checked it out, but thanks for doing that
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 6:55 pm
whats the go in beantown anyway?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 6:55 pm
Sorry Money, i save the brain for school and don’t bother using it outside.
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 6:56 pm
Not much, Money. Red Sox doing good, Patriots in a tight situation. Other than that, the going’s slow. How’s Sydney?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 6:58 pm
or wherever else in Australia where you live. i don’t know my australia very well, i know it’s its own continent . . .
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 7:10 pm
On a completely different note, to any SLAMonline writers: When should we expect a Thunder uni to come out? The season starts in a little over a month.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 7:40 pm
Im 1 hr away from sydney in a place called wollongong. its sh!t atm, footy team out of finals, bball team off to bad start for season and im stuck in an office on a hot as fu(k spring day with my suit and tie on doing tax returns
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 7:41 pm
is brady out for season?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 7:47 pm
yeh, Brady is out for the year. tore his ACL and MCL. we handed the reins to Matt Cassel, a guy who I’m not quite sure about . . . you’re at work?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 7:48 pm
oh yeh, different time zones. and it’s fall for us right now . . . and 7:47 PM.
Bortros Posted: Sep.25 at 7:56 pm
G’Day from Canberra (boring I know) Admittedly I only saw Rudy torch Williams/posterise Howard in the Gold Medal game so I don’t know much about him…but can we really compare an All Star to an NBA Rookie?
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 8:01 pm
its 9:58 in the AM on friday and my boss is away, so im on slam and not doing any work lol
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 8:02 pm
you guys on holidays?
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 8:03 pm
cool, that works for you. is he usually looking over your shoulder to see if your doin your work or sumthin? i don’t have any experience, being too young for a job.
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 8:03 pm
Whatchu mean by that, Money?
tealish Posted: Sep.25 at 8:05 pm
A- in all subjects is a good description of BRoy. Similarly, Odom gets B-’s across the board. They’re somewhat similar in that they don’t have a particular trait that stands out. However unlike LO, BRoy shows up for every test whereas you’ll see Incompletes scattered among LO’s B-’s.
Tom Posted: Sep.25 at 8:19 pm
Roy’s definable characteristic is that he is a closer in the same vein as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. I have watched a lot of basketball and Brandon Roy can close a fourth quarter better than anyone other than the two HOFers I mentioned. To question him being better than Vince Carter or Ray Allen tells me that A) you haven’t watched Cater play in three years and B) that you haven’t watched Roy play in a game. I actually disagree with the sentiment of the article because when the Blazers are competing for titles it will be Roy who is the star and best player on those teams.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 8:21 pm
is your school on holidays? coz the schools here started on holidays today
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 8:25 pm
Nah, we don’t go on holidays until Xmas . . . I guess the american and australian schools don’t go together for that one.
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 8:36 pm
And remember, I’m not in college or anything, maybe that’s what you’re thinking of. I’m pretty young.
David Posted: Sep.25 at 8:44 pm
Brandon Roy is the reincarnation of Joe Dumars, the player.
Moose Posted: Sep.25 at 8:48 pm
I’m out for the night. If BETCATS shows up, tell him that I’m sorry that I can’t talk wit him. And Money Bill try and get some work done. Make me and your boss proud. Good evening and good night.
TADOne Posted: Sep.25 at 8:51 pm
Oh boy! Being a Pistons fan, I should love the comparison. However, Roy and Dumars are nothing alike really. Actually, let me take that back. They are alike in that they both never get rattled. Cool customers under pressure. But their actual games are nothing alike.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 9:00 pm
nah moose, the universities dont get holidays for another six weeks i think, which means another month and bit of night school for me. Im talking bout high schools going on hols. And im getting some work done, just not much!
Hursty Posted: Sep.25 at 10:42 pm
Yeh…. holidays. I’ve been on them for close on a week now. Good times.
Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Sep.25 at 10:53 pm
Give him a year or two and ROY is definitely going to be a top 20, if not top 10 ball player. It hurts that the Raptors passed on him for Andrea Bargnani =(…
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 10:55 pm
whats going on hursty?
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.25 at 10:56 pm
Teddy, top 20 definetly, top 10 might be pushing it but could happen
KA Posted: Sep.26 at 12:53 am
oh wow, the tim duncan of guards is pretty good actually. i love tims game but hes is pretty bland.
Jeter Posted: Sep.26 at 1:11 am
This might be too low for Brandon Roy.
J-Hern Posted: Sep.26 at 1:28 am
antonis fotsis, before you feel the urge to type another message, please read pbob’s comment again.. For anyone to say that Rudy is going to take Roy’s spot is completely oblivious to the game of basketball and the Blazers organization.. Everyone in here is that much dumber after reading your idiotic posts. Now go in the corner put your head down.
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.26 at 2:24 am
@Money Bill…it is written :skasmos vlamene!!
and get back to work…!!!(this is the reason why my employees have blocked access to most internet sites during work time…)
kali mera kai kali douleia kai TGIF!! (meaning:have a nice day at work and TGIF!!)
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.26 at 4:02 am
thanks for clearing that up antonis, i can’t stay mad at you my compatriot, even though im aussie i still got my greek roots!
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.26 at 4:26 am
if you are aussie i got a question for you on a player…at the final of world juniors championship of 1995 there was a player for the australian team that almost won the game by himself..he was great,he made 7-8 3-pointers and nobody could stop him, i mean he was amasing…i followed the Australian team for the next years and only Sam McKinon (great leaper!!) made the men’s squad. But i am telling you that other guy was 10 times better than McKinon then…his name was Aaron Traher (or something like that…)if somebody knows something about him PLS( simone.!!!)give me some info…
Petter Posted: Sep.26 at 5:02 am
Jag tycker att det är alldeles för lite engelska skriven i dessa kommentarer. Vad hände med den unversiella förståelsen för varandras åsikter och tankar? Really, stop posting in non-english people! And why are washed-up players like Sheed and Ason ranked so high, this ain´t the list of 2003 right?
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.26 at 6:05 am
aaron trahair is his name. he id s bit old now and got waived by my wollongong hawks after a couple of games last season. he came to wollongong having not played for a month, was overweight, slow and old and did not fit the defensive minded hawks. i can’t find any current info on him but due to his low productivity levels with the hawks i can’t see him playing in the NBL again. He was awesome with the Kings and razorbacks though back in the early 2000’s
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.26 at 6:10 am
and were abouts in greece are you from?
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.26 at 6:44 am
though from Romania (Zimnicea, judetul Teleorman) i stayed in Greece (Athens and also near Sparta) for over 10 years (late 80’s to early 00’s) and i got stuck with greek basketball . here everybody is on football ,our best basketball export is Muresan(!!!). Anyway ,Trahair in this tournament was out of this world and Australia made it to the final. We won the championship back then though, we destroyed a U.S. team led by Marbury, Carter, and Samaki Walker(!!!). Tremaine Fawlkes was their best player at the tournament…
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.26 at 6:46 am
Thanks a lot for the Trahair info!!
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.26 at 7:07 am
no worries, kali nictah ( if thats how you spell it )
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.26 at 7:10 am
kali nihta!
Antonis Fotsis Posted: Sep.26 at 7:28 am
@J-Hern…out of my corner now ,though you made me feel i know nothing about basketball…which isn’t that far from true…
(So,there you have it ,i made you famous!!!)
Moose Posted: Sep.26 at 7:37 am
twelve hours later and still going strong, huh Money Bill? And I wouldn’t be on “holidays” anyway, seeing that I’m not in high school. I’m 13.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.26 at 7:45 am
oh k, yeah im devoted moose
Moose Posted: Sep.26 at 7:46 am
as am i, money bill.
Money Bill Williams Posted: Sep.26 at 7:48 am
cool
Daniel Posted: Sep.26 at 11:37 am
how dare u say b-roy isnt gona be all this and that
i garuntee you that he will be dominating the L in the next 3-5 years
Michael Posted: Sep.26 at 7:05 pm
love the pun. crazy to think how things come full circle if you give em enough time - it’s now considered innovative to have old-school skills
csharp Posted: Sep.27 at 2:34 pm
k. i can tell a lot of people here havent seen roy play or what the blazers plans for the future is with their lineup. roy will not lose his starting spot to rudy,rudys gonna come off the bench like manu. roy is a very cerebral player and is the teams playmaker and leader. eventually roy might play point and rudy at guard or rudy at the 3.just watch some blazer games and see how this team actually plays before commenting
Gerry Posted: Oct.5 at 8:20 am
Roy at 28?? Sorry but this list makes no sense. Roy is a top 20 player.
CL SMOOTH Posted: Oct.6 at 6:56 pm
I’ve seen B.R. play in person three times. AANYBODY who thinks he’s going to lose his starting spot or his place as the face of the franchise is really, really on that white.