Blazers' Roy has knee surgery
Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy had arthroscopic surgery on his
right knee Friday and will miss one or two weeks.
Roy has already been ruled out of Portland's first-round
series against the Phoenix Suns, which starts Sunday. But with the
recovery timeline, the Blazers left open the possibility of his
return should Portland advance.
The three-time All-Star leads the Blazers with 21.5 points
per game. He injured his knee last weekend in the first half of a
game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Spanish swingman Rudy Fernandez will start Sunday in Roy's
place.
Earlier this week, Roy said he would try to play with the
injury, a meniscus tear, because doctors told him he could not hurt
it further. The surgery was announced on Thursday.
Roy originally said his recovery time would take four to six
weeks, and coach Nate McMillan addressed the discrepancy at the
Blazers' practice facility on Friday.
``That's the time frame they gave us,'' McMillan said. ``And
a lot of times they base that off of what they did during the
surgery.''
The Blazers practiced in Tualatin, Ore., before traveling to
Phoenix on Friday night. Roy did not accompany the team.
Roy's absence for the playoffs has hardly shaken the Blazers,
who have been hit by injuries all season. Centers Greg Oden and
Joel Przybilla needed season-ending surgery, forward Nicolas Batum
missed the first half of the season after shoulder surgery, and
Fernandez had midseason back troubles. Former forward Travis
Outlaw, who was traded to the Clippers, sat out for a time with a
foot injury.
Roy missed more than a dozen games with a sore hamstring
earlier this year before the slight meniscus tear was discovered.
In all, 13 Blazers missed a combined 311 regular-season
games, second only to the Warriors this season. Only guard Andre
Miller and forward Martell Webster have played in all 82 games.
``We haven't made excuses, we've just gone out and played,''
McMillan said. ``And now is the time to do that.''
The Blazers got a scare at practice when center Marcus Camby
rolled his ankle. He appeared later with it taped, but told
reporters he was fine and would be able to play on Sunday.