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Brandon Roy not out of the woods in NBA comeback

Roy's knees are already bothering him and he's just a couple of weeks into the regular season.

Jonathan Ferrey

Brandon Roy has had a solid career in the NBA. For the former standout with the Washington Huskies and Portland Trailblazers, one can only wonder what could have been if he was able to stay healthy over the years. Roy has been severely limited in recent years due to knee injuries, and as he makes a comeback attempt in 2012, he's already feeling the physical effects.

On Friday night, Roy was forced to leave the Timberwolves game because soreness in his left knee. It is unclear if he'll be able to play in the coming days. According to coach Rick Adelman, the veteran guard just needs some time to get back into the swing of things.

"He's figuring that out," Adelman said, as Roy navigates the physical and mental demands of his comeback. "He hasn't been as effective as a lot of people thought he should be, but they're thinking about the guy three years ago. He's so used to just letting guys come to him and taking ‘em off the dribble and finishing plays.

Adelman went on to say it will only be a matter of time before Roy is at full strength.

"Y'know, he's just coming back after being off a year and he's just not as sure of himself right now. [Friday] he came out and took three quick jumpers and knocked ‘em down. Everybody who comes back from knee surgery or major surgery, if they're smart players, they figure out how to get to their strengths. He still can do that. It's just going to take time."

It will be interesting to see just how much Roy is able to play in 2012-2013. There's no denying he's still a player capable of contributing when his knees aren't bothering him, but the fact that he's already having injury issues cannot be a good thing. We'll see if he takes the floor next Wednesday against Denver.