Blazers' Brandon Roy Is Rare "Quiet" Superstar

If Tim Duncan had a little brother, or if he were squeezed into a perimeter player's body, you'd have Brandon Roy.

The guy is quiet, unassuming, humble...and lethal.  The only difference between him and Duncan is that Roy will actually smile on the television every once in a while.

Thursday night the third-year guard made the Suns pay dearly, going off for 52 points on 14-for-27 shooting and 19-for-21 from the charity line in the Blazers' 124-119 win over Phoenix.  I still give a big "thumbs up" to the Suns for acquiring Jason Richardson two weeks ago, but they had to be missing Raja Bell on this one.

Oh yeah, Roy also had six assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers.  If I had the kind of resources the ESPN/TNT guys have, I'd be researching when the last time someone scored over 50 and had zero turnovers.

Getting back to my earlier point, Roy is like Duncan in the sense that neither of them possesses that zesty "wow" factor on their way to exceptional performances.  While not overly electrifying, they're incredibly efficient.

With the personnel both the Spurs and the Blazers have, its essential their respective stars be the way they are.  If Kobe Bryant were a Spur, there's no way Ginobili or Parker become the All-Star caliber players they are today.  If Dwyane Wade was a Blazer, its doubtful LaMarcus Aldridge would come along as nicely and quickly as he has.

Roy's personality allows players like Aldridge, Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez and Co. to grow into their potential, because he doesn't dominate the ball (or the headlines).

Roy may not be the most memorable superstar like he was last night.  Because of his unselfish all-around play, however, the Blazers could become the most memorable team night in and night out.

Other Notes:

• The Suns can throw up their hands and say they just caught Roy on the wrong night...or they could own up to some lousy rebounding in the final minute of the game.  After Roy rebounded a Steve Nash miss, the Blazers got two offensive rebounds after running down the shot clock on each extra possession.
• Confusion continues to reign in Phoenix.  Are they trying to improve their defense or have they given that up as a lost cause?  It sure looked that way last night, especially in giving up 39 third-quarter points. 
• Stoudemire's griping about not getting the ball more in crunch time is understandable after his line against Portland: 23 points (on just 13 attempts), eight rebounds, eight assists, zero turnovers.  Stoudemire's last shot was with 3:21 remaining.
• When the Spurs' big three of Parker, Duncan and Ginobili combine to shoot 14-for-46 (30.4 percent), it's gonna be a long night...the Magic handed it to San Antonio 90-78.
• Jameer Nelson's 24 points and seven assists were timely, but hopefully the Magic have realized by now he'll never be anything more than a decent point guard.  It's his fifth year in the league, and unless he pulls a Nash revival, he shouldn't be given the "potential" crutch anymore.
• Orlando is claiming contender status now that they're 20-6.  I'm not jumping on that wagon until Rashard Lewis proves he's worth his ridiculous contract come playoff time.  He can do that by not shooting 5-for-15 like he did Thursday night.