Brandon Roy

Roy opted to retire due to chronic degenerative damage to his knees. It's unfortunate to see an All-Star and potential Hall of Fame level talent have such a short career.

After failing to sign Hedo Turkoglu before the 2009-10 season, the Trail Blazers used their available cap space to sign Andre Miller as a consolation prize of sorts. The move was a a slightly puzzling one: though the prospect of a Steve Blake/Jerryd Bayless point guard tandem surely was ripe for an upgrade, Miller's possession-heavy game and lack of an outside shot appeared likely to clash with Roy's own, rather similar, game. Did the two clash? It's hard to say, for sure, as the Blazers suffered a borderline-comical laundry list of injuries, thus necessitating a number of improvised lineups and rotations on the part of coach Nate McMillan. Nor was Roy himself – between injuries to his shoulder, hamstring, and back, the shooting guard played in only 65 regular season games. When he did play, Roy's numbers weren't substantively different than in 2008-09. Yes, he lost a point of per-game scoring and about 0.5 assists per game, but those small declines could just as easily be attributed to the effects of injury and/or a depleted supporting cast. More than Miller's influence on Roy's game, what potential fantasy owners will be worried about is Roy's health. In addition to the injuries listed above, he also suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee in April. Roy had surgery on the knee and was able to return just eight days later, playing 27 minutes in Game Four of Portland's series against Phoenix. Reports suggest he's recovered from the meniscus tear, but whether he plays 75 games in 2010-11 is the real question.

Roy continues to make significant strides in his game, firmly establishing himself as one of the premier shooting guards in the league. The Blazers rewarded Roy with a well-deserved extension worth around $80 million, which will keep him in Portland for at least four more years (the fifth year is at his option). He improved his shooting efficiency across the board last season, upping his field goal percentage to a career-high 48.0 percent while converting on a healthy 37.7 percent of three-point shots. That allowed him to bump his scoring average up to 22.6 points per game. While Roy’s assists dipped a bit last season from 5.8 to 5.1, he will remain a consistent five-rebound, five-assist threat. After losing out on both Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap, Portland settled on veteran point guard Andre Miller, eventually signing him a to a three-year, $21 million deal. Coach Nate McMillan insists that Steve Blake will start at point guard, but it’s hard to envision Miller not getting the majority of the minutes alongside Roy. The addition of Miller should not have a major impact on Roy’s production, but it could mean more treys and suppressed assist and free-throw-attempt totals.

Roy was the runaway choice for Rookie of the Year in 2007, and he upped his numbers across the board as a sophomore. Roy has the ball-handling and decision-making ability to play full-time point guard (5.8 apg, 1.8 tpg), as well as the tools to be a dominant wing scorer with good size, an accurate jumper out to long range (45.4% FG, 1.0 3pg) and the athleticism to get to the rim (5.0 FT/game). Roy also crashes the boards well and contributes on defense, so he really doesn’t have a discernible weakness. With Greg Oden joining LaMarcus Aldridge on the front line, Roy should have more weapons to use and more room to work in his third season. Roy missed 25 games during his rookie year and eight last season, so durability is a concern. He had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in August, but is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp.

Roy lapped the field to win Rookie of the Year honors in 2007, winning the award despite playing in just 57 games due to a variety of injuries. His game has no obvious weakness, with solid scoring totals (16.8 ppg) and production in every stat column (4.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.0 3-ptrs/game, 45.6% FG, 83.8% FT). Those numbers should improve across the board this season – with leading scorer Zach Randolph gone, Roy is clearly the Blazers’ team leader and, along with LaMarcus Aldridge (and eventually Greg Oden), one of the franchise’s cornerstones. Look for him to be Portland’s primary option on offense and even to log regular minutes at the point, which should help to pad his assist totals.

Roy is one of the most intriguing rookie fantasy prospects in this year’s class. He is 6-6, 205 pounds, has a very solid handle, shoots a high percentage from the floor, can score off the dribble-drive as well as the jumper, makes good decisions, is an effective rebounder, is a good distributor and plays solid defense. In other words, his game coming out of college is very mature and doesn’t have any discernible glaring weaknesses. Roy will get minutes at both point guard and shooting guard and should begin contributing from day one. A First-Team All American last season, Roy was also impressive during the Reebok Vegas Summer League where he played point guard full-time and averaged 19 ppg on an absurd 65% shooting from the field. He is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, and is worth taking a chance on in the middle rounds.