Brandon Roy: What His Injury Means for the Portland Trailblazers

Many people have been bombarding Bleacher Report with articles on Greg's injury. Even though it is a massive loss, he is 22 and still has time and they are not recurring injuries.

The more important loss is not of a player; the loss that is going to affect Portland the most happened in April, when the team's best player and three-time All-Star Brandon Roy had the last of his meniscus in both knees surgically removed.

Ever since the injury, Roy has lost his explosive first step, and has looked less into the plays. Roy is basically playing bone-on-bone, and this is going to affect his health a lot.

It won't really affect his game much, as I like to call him the "Tim Duncan of Shooting Guards" and doesn't use his athleticism, but his extremely high IQ and fundamental skills to attack enemy defenses.

Everyone likes to look at the negatives, but here are the positives I see from this.

Wesley Matthews

Matthews is about to prove all the teams who did not draft him wrong. Matthews is a defensive monster, in just his sohpmore year.

When you get the starting job on a Utah team playing for a coach who seldom plays rookies, and not even being drafted, is a huge accomplishment.

Matthews shines on the defensive end, and on offense is more athletic than Roy is. He is also a better long ball shooter and better rebounder. With Roy's injury, I can see Roy personally taking Mathews under his guidance and teaching him the ways to ball-handling, play-making, driving and leadership.

Roy is like a Phoenix in this situation. He's not dying, but he's taking a step down and something even better could be rising from his ashes.

If Portland plugs Matthews into the starting lineup, the NBA should watch out.

Lamarcus Aldridge and Batum will step up

If it takes Matthews some time to develop, look for Batum and Aldridge to step up and take control of the team.

Aldridge is getting better and better year by year, though his stats do not show it. He is becoming a more effective rebounder, as he has learned from Camby. A new move he has added is the ability to tap the ball out to guards if he cannot get the rebound. Also, his defense and offensive games in the low-post are just improving every year.

Batum on the other hand, could be the next big thing for Portland. In only his third year, he is already considered one of the best defenders in the NBA, just like Matthews. He is probably the best shooter on the team, and is also very athletic.

He is getting harder and harder to guard on the drive, and it is just helping his cause. He uses new moves on his way to the basket to help him get off easier shots.

Roy will become a more Ray Allen type of player

Roy is going to have to adjust his game to be more of a shooter, and to distribute even more this year.

Knowing Roy's work ethic, the results should be good and should show up soon.

Even with the injuries this season and playing limited minutes, and still using his old play style which relies on his first step, Roy is producing at a near All-Star level and probably will still make the All-Star team.

Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez will probably be traded to bring in a better scorer

Miller and Fernandez are both good players, but their play-styles do not match Portland's. I see them being included in some sort of deal to bring in a better scorer to either start at the point guard or shooting guard position, depending on if Roy's position is changed.

Some players I can think of right now are Monta Ellis or Stephen Curry, even though they would be longshots, or even a CJ Watson or Jamal Crawford would help the team's bench.

Adding a good bench scorer will allow Mathews to move into the starting line-up.

Oden will either stay with the team, or be part of a sign and trade

I really do not see a situation where Oden is not part of the team's future. He still has a load of talent and has no recurring injuries like Yao Ming does.

He is an amazing rebounder and shot blocker, and could develop an offensive game with Aldridge's help. With Roy hurt, they will count on him to produce, just like the whole team will have to.

Overall, I think this means the entire team is going to have to step up and produce, and they're going to go back to playing complete team ball like when they won the championship.

The team has the talent, but how far back will injuries keep them?