SBNation.com - Brandon Roy Re-Emerges, Signs 2-Year Deal With Timberwolves

Brandon Roy Injury: Timberwolves Guard Has 'No Setbacks'

2012-09-14T12:04:20Z

A year removed from Basketball, Brandon Roy has been working as hard as possible to get himself in shape for a comeback with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Talking with the Associated Press on Thursday, he discussed the road to recovery, and how the three-time NBA All-Star sees 'no setbacks' that will prevent him from playing this season.

After years of issues with his knees, Roy now finds himself in a pleasantly unusual situation, playing without pain.

"That's the biggest thing I'm excited about is I'm in the gym, I'm working hard and coach has to tell me to stop playing instead of me saying, `OK that's enough. I'm feeling my knees."'

Brandon Roy's presence isn't just about what he brings to the table for a team in need of scoring from their guard positions, but also a work ethic that permeates the entire organization. It's easy to forget just how young the Timberwolves are, until you realize that Roy is an elder statesman, and he's only 28. From the perspective of Wolves assistant coach Shawn Respert, his presence has been noticable at workouts.

"With Brandon it's just a healthy attitude where he wants to see how much he can push himself to that limit before we have to shut him down and be smart about it," Respert said. "He's been spectacular so far as far as the mentality, his toughness, his willingness to do what we ask him to do and still find that little bit of room to do a little bit more."

Minnesota's approach to team building may be a little more haphazard than other young teams around the league, but thus far the decision to bring Brandon Roy into the fold has been a sage one. With a young nucleus of Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, and Nikola Pekovic, now bolstered with the likes of Roy, Chase Budinger and Andrei Kirilenko, the organization got decidedly older, but also more mature. No longer simply the next young team in line, the Timberwolves look to place themselves in position to make a run in 2012-13, and with Brandon Roy's knees feeling good, that run will be a lot more comfortable.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves check out Canis Hoopus.

Brandon Roy Deal With Wolves Reportedly 2 Years, $10 Million

2012-07-06T03:08:24Z

The Brandon Roy comeback tour will apparently stop in Minnesota after the guard agreed to a two-year deal with the Timberwolves, according to a report.

Brandon Roy has agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to sources. Link coming.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 6, 2012

Roy sat out the 2011-12 season due to a degenerative knee condition but decided to make a comeback earlier this offseason. The Timberwolves visited Roy in Seattle last week. Roy also drew interest from several other teams including the Golden State Warriors, who he also visited.

The deal with Roy could throw a wrench into Minnesota's plans to sign Nicolas Batum to an offer sheet. The Timberwolves were reportedly set to offer Batum $45-50 million over four years, but now they may have to make an additional move first.

If this dollar figure is true, Minny either has to amnesty Darko and renounce Tolliver, or offer Batum much less $.
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) July 6, 2012

For more on the T'Wolves, head to Canis Hoopus and SB Nation Minnesota.

Brandon Roy Will Sign With Timberwolves, According To Report

2012-07-06T02:30:30Z

Brandon Roy didn't play in the NBA in 2011-12, having "retired" in the 2011 offseason after a degenerative knee condition diminished the form that made him one of the league's best shooting guards for part of the last decade. But he's going to play in 2012-13, and will reportedly do so for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports that Roy has come to a verbal agreement with the Wolves, a team in need of some scoring punch on the perimeter.

The Wolves used Martell Webster (6.9 points per game), Wayne Ellington (6.1 points per game) and Malcolm Lee (3.3 points per game) at shooting guard in 2011-12. Roy scored just 12.2 points per game in 2010-11, but his career average of 19.0 points per game is a little healthier — and if he's a little healthier than he was at the end of his Portland career, he could be a big pick-up for the Wolves.

For more on the T'Wolves, head to Canis Hoopus and SB Nation Minnesota.

Brandon Roy's Comeback Bid Supported By Fellow Seattle-Area Players

2012-07-04T11:59:06Z

Seattle-area NBA stars streamed into Spokane Arena on Saturday night, participating in the Jamal Crawford A PLUS Classic, but the most recognizable star was notably absent. Though Crawford and game organizers promoted Brandon Roy's participation, he was nowhere to be found in the NBA charity game raising funds for the Seattle-based A PLUS Youth Program.

The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly met with Roy in Seattle on Saturday night, a reasonable excuse for his absence in Spokane. Chicago, Dallas, Golden State and Indiana round out Roy's five finalists. The players participating in the A PLUS Classic lent their support and excitement for Roy's return.

"I was elated, he was one of my favorite players growing up. I know he's got a lot of basketball left in him," said Warriors swingman and former Washington State Cougar Klay Thompson.

76ers center Spencer Hawes, who missed teaming with Roy in college by one season, added: "It's good to see him healthy and playing better."

Less than a year has passed since Roy announced his NBA retirement shortly after the NBA lockout ended in early December. The former Washington Huskies standout cited his fragile knees that contained little cartilage after surgeries on both legs. In the past few months, speculation and rumors have circulated around Roy's possible comeback, and in mid-June Roy ended his silence through his former college teammate Will Conroy's twitter account:

"Lord Willing, I will play again soon," Roy said.

The question that teams like Chicago and Dallas need answered isn't whether Roy's knees are 100 percent, but whether his knees are healthy enough to help him contribute throughout a full season.

While he's been working out daily, he hasn't participated in an NBA game for over a year. Moreover, the initial decision to retire followed comprehensive medical advice and was nothing close to brash. Roy made a decision with the best information he had at the time.

"For us, we have to continue to support him. ... I knew it'd be tough for him when he retired," Jamal Crawford said.

Roy's decision to retire, while fully thought-out, left too many questions on the table for a player who's in complete love with the game. Assuming he's coming out of retirement to satisfy any unrest he feels and to reach a peace of mind, his decision isn't necessarily a bad one.

When Roy does sign with an NBA team, he's unlikely to receive a significant contract. His knees are an inherent risk, and any hope of him being a consistent starter in the league should be checked. Some argue Roy's knees don't need to be 100 percent because of his cerebral style of play on both ends of the court. However, this argument is flawed in the sense that there is still a certain baseline athleticism athletes must possess in the NBA. Bad knees will prevent Roy from performing at a high level regardless of how high his basketball I.Q. may be.

Regardless, no one is stopping Roy now from playing another NBA basketball game. He has a lot to prove after missing a full season, but that drive to prove himself might end up being just enough to satisfy the competitiveness he so direly missed during his year off from the NBA.

"He still does a lot of stuff on the floor that a lot of other players in the NBA can't do. At the end of the day he's still got a lot to do," Conroy said.

Timberwolves Top Brass Visited Brandon Roy In Seattle On Friday

2012-07-01T03:56:42Z

How serious is the Minnesota Timberwolves' pursuit of retired two-time All-Star Brandon Roy?

How serious are Wolves about BRoy? Glen Taylor, Kahn, Adelman and trainer Gregg Farnam flew to Seattle to meet with him Friday
— Jerry Zgoda(@JerryZgoda) July 1, 2012

Pretty serious!

Roy announced his retirement in December after a couple of years of knee injuries after knee injuries. Instead of filing for medical retirement so that the Portland Trail Blazers could receive cap relief, the Blazers used the amnesty waiver on Roy. Some (including yours truly) considered it a ruse to avoid fan outrage at using the amnesty clause on Roy, a beloved player. Given that Roy is prepared to return to the NBA less than a year later, that is a bit more believable.

The Wolves actually drafted Roy in 2006 and traded him to the Blazers for Randy Foye, setting off a terrible chain of events for the entire state of Minnesota.

For more coverage of the Timberwolves, please visit Canis Hoopus and SB Nation Minnesota.

NBA Free Agency: Brandon Roy Meets With Timberwolves

2012-06-30T12:44:30Z

The Minnesota Timberwolves met with free agent guard Brandon Roy on Friday, writes Minneapolis reporter Darren Wolfson (via SB Nation Minnesota). Roy was waived via the amnesty clause in December by the Portland Trail Blazers due to continued knee issues; before the waiver, he announced his medical retirement. Some of us sniffed that out as a ruse, a way to make the Blazers' amnesty waiver more palatable to fans. If Roy returns this quickly, it will have been obvious.

The Wolves desperately need backcourt help for Ricky Rubio. J.J. Barea was not great in his first season in Minnesota, and the Wolves didn't pick up a wing in the 2012 NBA Draft. They did trade the No. 18 pick for Chase Budinger, who could fill some minutes at small forward and two-guard, but Roy -- if he's even a shade of his former All-Star self -- is a much bigger fish.

The Wolves were able to meet with Roy before the start of free agency on Sunday because he has been a free agent for several months. Most players remain under contract until June 30.

For more coverage of the Timberwolves, please visit Canis Hoopus and SB Nation Minnesota.