Brandon Roy addresses media
Brandon Roy met with the media for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery in both knees Monday. Here’s a transcript.
Brandon Roy: “It’s been a couple days. It feels like it’s getting better every day. The biggest thing is just the stitches, probably the thing that is the tightest, but once that kind of loosens up a little bit the flexibility comes back. So, feels good today.”
What are you able to do, basketball-wise?
Roy: “Nothing. I got to see the doctor today. He’ll probably give me a little more clearance for next week, but I’m not allowed to do nothing until I see him again for the second time. I think he’ll be here tonight. If not, I’ll see him Monday for sure.’
Can you feel a difference?
Roy: “Yeah, there’s a slight difference with somethings that were going on that feel better right after the surgery. It’s just a situation where he was able to go in there and kind of debris both the knees and clean up a little bit of some problems that I was feeling in the right knee. We’re optimistic that that worked. I feel good so the tell tale is going to be when I start playing again, Day Two, Day Three, making sure the swelling is just not getting to the point where it’s coming back so quickly.”
What did the doctor say afterward?
Roy: “He said he was optimistic but he didn’t use anything like promising. He said ‘We took a shot at this.’ He said ‘Let’s just be optimistic.’ He doesn’t want me to rush back out there. He said ‘You might feel great’ but he still doesn’t want me to try to rush back out there too fast. He said give it some time and really try to give the debrising time to work.”
Do you think you’ll be able to (not rush back)? You history shows you rushing and pushing to get back. How are you going to handle that?
Roy: “Yeah, it’s tough. It’s something that I’ve had to be patient through this entire process. Now is challenging because I want to start pushing the minute it feels good enough and the doctor is still saying ‘Nah, we have to take it a little bit easier.’ So it’s tough. Jay, he was trying to get me out of the gym today, just from doing stuff. I’m listening. I know this is a big point in my career where I really have to take that advice and be more patient.’
Did you do anything today in the gym?
Roy: “I did some stuff yesterday in the gym, a little bit, some shooting. Nothing too serious.’
When can you start running on it?
Roy: “I don’t know yet, probably… I’m hoping next week. Maybe tomorrow. Who knows? Whatever he says.’
I thought you said you didn’t do anything basketball-wise?
Roy: “I thought you said today. My bad. Yesterday I did some shooting, but I wasn’t supposed to. I thought you asked today.”
What are you able to do basketball-wise?
Roy: “What am I able to do? Nothing.”
But you can shoot.
Roy: “(Laughing) They’re not allowing me to do that neither, but I did anyway.”
When you learned you couldn’t have that transplant surgery, how did you take that? What was your reaction to that?
Roy: “I never even got my hopes up to thinking I could have that. From Day One our doctor was like ‘Nah, you’re not going to be able to do that and play basketball.’ After a couple other opinions said no, I already knew it was kind of a no from the first jump. I didn’t really get my hopes up for it so I don’t even remember how it felt when the second doctor said no. Dr. Roberts, he was like ‘Nah, that’s not going to work.’ It wasn’t like he was like ‘I don’t know.’ It was ‘No.'”
What’s your goal on when you would like to get back playing?
Roy: “I’m not going to put one on it. I’m going to really listen to the doctors this time and take it slower as far as when I go back on the court. Usually I don’t practice much before I go back out there. I usually do like one practice and then I play. This time I’m going to make sure I get more workouts in, more practices in before I actually try to go play in an actual game.”
You think it was definitely be this season?
Roy: “Yeah, I hope so. I hope it’s this season. It’s tough sitting out, so my thing is it’s just tough not doing anything. I just asked ‘Can I jog? Can I do this?’ Not today, so I’m just trying to be patient. I don’t like not doing much. Biggest thing is I’m going to ask them everyday but just try to be as patient as I can.”
How is your weight?
Roy: “It’s good. It’s great, same as when I was playing.”
What is your reaction to how well the team has been playing without you?
Roy: “I think they’ve been doing a good job. I think LaMarcus has stepped up tremendously, and not just elevating his game, but guys around him. That’s what great players do; they’re able to lift the level of play of guys around them. He’s scoring those points where the team needs that basket and I think that has been huge. And then they’re just playing together. I think a lot of people were counting them out and not talking much about them and they’re doing a great job of just sticking together and going out there and putting together wins.”
