Former Portland Trail Blazers point guard Brandon Roy’s swift departure from the NBA was not unforeseeable but it was rather abrupt. He obviously had his injury problems that plagued him for his entire career but any player that retires from professional sports early is going to face questions about a possible return.
Roy is no exception.
He’s been working out and staying in shape, contemplating possibly returning to the NBA.
“The thing about the situation that I’m in is that I can always come back if I choose to,” Roy said. “Having that option is always a good thing for me. I’ve been in the gym working out with Tony Wroten and you just find out how fast you miss the game.
“In the back of my mind, maybe this is something I may do again. But who knows? It’s something right now where I’m enjoying playing and not playing with the pain I had last year after going through two knee surgeries. I was never the fastest or the highest leaper but being smart — those are all little things I have up my sleeve if I do decide to play, those are all positives I do have going for me.”
At the very least, Roy sounds optimistic that he could play again. His close friend and Blazers guard, Jamal Crawford, seems to think he’s perfectly able to make a comeback.
“We’ve been playing and he’s looked just as good as he did before the season started last summer,” said Crawford. “Actually I think he’s in better shape now than he was. It’s amazing how things work out. I think he’s just enjoying it right now and seeing the potential of possibilities of what can happen in the future.”
Crawford is actually hosting a Pro-Am league this summer in Seattle that Roy is going to be playing in. Like most summer leagues, it’s a casual, laid-back atmosphere that should be a lot more fun than it is competition. If you look down the rosters, there are a few very solid NBA players that could provide some great matchups for Roy. It will be the perfect setting for him to test his legs again and see if he’s ready to return to an NBA style of play.
You never want to see a player retire before their time is up, and it would be great to see Brandon Roy return to the NBA again, but I suppose that’s up to his knees.
