how much better is dwayne wade than brandon roy?

[thacabbage]

the mainstream opinion, which i subscribe to, is that only the very cream of the crop can carry a team to the championship.

the mainstream opinion is that kobe and lebron are a slight notch ahead of the pack, with wade rounding out the group of elite perimeter plays in the game today. i realize that some feel that wade is better than kobe/lebron, but that's irrelevant to the discussion - i'm just picking one player to set the lower limit to the threshold of "greatness"; if you want to choose kobe or lebron or anyone else as the variable for the discussion, that is fine.

i always held the opinion that the blazers were a nice young team, but really had no chance to break into the "elite" unless oden blossomed or they made some blockbuster trade. my reasoning was that while brandon roy was terrific and a legit all-star, he wasn't in that "elite" class of players that could carry a team all the way to the title.

after watching this series, i am starting to rethink that premise.

the guy is absolutely incredible. it's not just his willingness to drive into the heart of the paint, but the fact that he is doing it seemingly at will against a very good houston defense. he's been making two all-nba defenders look like NBDL rejects.

if dwayne wade is the bottom branch of the "elite" (or kobe, it's not relevant), how much better is he than brandon roy? the gap is much closer than i had assumed..

he's definitely moved ahead of chris paul and deron williams in my book, two guys whom i had ahead of him before this series began.

if brandon roy could dunk, would he be dwayne wade? more importantly, was jeff van gundy's win at denver the most reprehensible crime in rockets history?

[Noob Cake]

Wade is the king of phantom calls. Refs have been "hard" on Roy this series. If Wade were doing those drives, Yao would foul out in less than 10 minutes.

LeBron is the kind of crab drilling aka traveling on every play. Crabliers and King Crabs won a ridiculous amount of games somehow this season. They will cool down next season.

Kobe and Roy are the two best superstar in the league. Chris Paul can have trouble guarding big guards, and his ability to carry a team (ie score more than 30/40) is questionable. Dwight can be inconsistant, and NBA defensive rules have made centers less effective.

[superfob]

I disagree. Roy's been getting to the hoop off picks, and Yao is too slow to show on it. Wade's quicker off the dribble, while Roy's a better long distance shooter.

I wouldn't use this series as a bubble for Roy. I say he's still a tier below. If they were to swap teams, the Heat wouldn't be in the playoffs. The Heat's supporting cast is just terrible.

[arno_ed]

I'm not that big of a Wade fan. I believe we have two top wing players (James and Bryant) and a little below them you have the group of Wade, Roy, Paul, Williams.

So I believe wade and Roy are both amazing players.

If i had to start a Franchise today and i had to pick between Wade and Roy I would take Roy (but also as a result of Age and Injury history).

[A_3PO]

First of all, Roy CAN dunk, he just doesn't do it that often. In fact, he can go up, fly in the air and tomahawk the ball through the rim. But Roy doesn't play with nearly the same reckless abandon as Wade (who does?). On specific occasions when he wants to make a statement to the other team, Roy will sky and slam.

It's good that you recognize how good Brandon Roy is. I've been tooting his horn since he came into the league. While still a notch below the big 3, he belongs in the CP, D-Will group IMO. One aspect about him most people still don't understand is how much of a leader he is. It's not an exaggeration to say he's helped Nate McMillan mature as a coach and has take a huge burden off of him by becoming the disciplinarian for the other players. "Sarge" is long gone and Roy tells him when it's time to lay off. I could say a lot more about this but the point is made.

I'm willing to say Roy might be better than CP and D-Will, but not by much, while the gap between him and the big 3 remains big.

[DaDakota]

Wade is quicker, Roy is more about the team.

I would take either on the Rockets.

DD

[pgabriel]

Originally Posted by A_3PO First of all, Roy CAN dunk,

funny you mentioned this, watching the all-star game at a friend's house I was shocked when roy had a nice dunk. they were all like, hell yeah he can dunk. you're right, he just doesn't do that much. interesting from a young player

[leebigez]

Wade is just a better athlete, but roy is a better shooter,ball handler, distributor and I think his career is going to be longer. I've talked about roy for awile too because I'm a night owl and watch a lot of west coast game on nba league pass. He's really,really good and he's showing it.

[DaDakota]

Originally Posted by leebigez Wade is just a better athlete, but roy is a better shooter,ball handler, distributor and I think his career is going to be longer. I've talked about roy for awile too because I'm a night owl and watch a lot of west coast game on nba league pass. He's really,really good and he's showing it.

I agree, too bad JVG had to win that meaningless game in Denver, or else we would have Roy on the Rockets.

DD

[JeopardE]

Originally Posted by leebigez Wade is just a better athlete, but roy is a better shooter,ball handler, distributor and I think his career is going to be longer. I've talked about roy for awile too because I'm a night owl and watch a lot of west coast game on nba league pass. He's really,really good and he's showing it.

I'll buy better shooter. I don't think Roy is a better ball handler or distributor than Wade though -- somehow Wade's playmaking abilities are still underrated despite his superior assist numbers. Wade has some world class handles.

No slight to Roy -- he really is that good, but really the only areas I see him being better than Wade at are pure shooting and team leadership.

[JujuxG]

Both great player, but i have to give it to Dwade, because he carry his team in playoff and keeping his team in the series with hawk.

Dwade is more aggressive but sometime make bone head moves and fail when he dont get the call.

Roy is a smarter player, he know how to use his team mate and know what to do and not to do on offensive end and the defensive end.

[pgabriel]

Originally Posted by JeopardE I'll buy better shooter. I don't think Roy is a better ball handler or distributor than Wade though -- somehow Wade's playmaking abilities are still underrated despite his superior assist numbers. Wade has some world class handles. No slight to Roy -- he really is that good, but really the only areas I see him being better than Wade at are pure shooting and team leadership.

Wade has steve francis type assist numbers, not to discredit his numbers but I don't think it reflects on his ability as a point guard as running the team is concerned. Roy is definitely more of a game manager.

[JeopardE]

Originally Posted by pgabriel Wade has steve francis type assist numbers, not to discredit his numbers but I don't think it reflects on his ability as a point guard as running the team is concerned. Roy is definitely more of a game manager.

That's more a "leadership" thing. It's clear McMillan entrusts the running of Portland's offense to Roy more than Wade's coaches have, and while I'm too lazy to look it up right now, he probably has a higher usage rate. But that doesn't mean he's a better pure playmaker than Wade is. Wade has far better floor instincts and is superior at finding the open man or creating offense for his teammates. In terms of being able to lead his team to the promised land, I'd give Roy the edge, but when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of what each player is capable of doing on the floor, I haven't seen anything from Roy that beats what I've seen Wade do.

[DaDakota]

BTW,

Roy carries the ball across his body so fricken often, he cups it and reverses it...all game long.

Drives me crazy...

DD

[Shaud]

Roy can dunk pretty good he just doesn't do it for some reason. He got a mean dunk over Shamb for the Clippers.

[MisterPink]

Originally Posted by DaDakota BTW, Roy carries the ball across his body so fricken often, he cups it and reverses it...all game long. Drives me crazy... DD

God he really does. It's terrible. He'll seriously carry the ball for a good 3 steps.

On topic though, I have been extremely impressed with his level of play during this series. He's been tearing up our vaunted defenders ands going right into Yao with no fear -- but in a much more controlled manner than DWade does. Roy keeps his body under control and manages to get off good shots. Really impressed.

Also, of course he can dunk. . . .

[A_3PO]

Originally Posted by Shaud Roy can dunk pretty good he just doesn't do it for some reason. He got a mean dunk over Shamb for the Clippers.

I remember that one. The game was in LA and the Clips made a big run late in the 3rd quarter, punctuated by a vicious Eric Gordon slam. Nate calls a timeout and the Blazers players moped over to the bench after blowing a lead. A couple of plays later, KA-WHAM!, and the Blazers ended up winning the game by about 30.

[rice]

Originally Posted by DaDakota Wade is quicker, Roy is more about the team. I would take either on the Rockets. DD

we could've had roy!

[Tuan]

I have to admit that Roy is a lot better than I thought. However, he still doesnt belong in the big 3. One thing I also notice is he isnt that great of a passer. Even though he is a very willing passer, most of his assists comes from the pick and roll with LMA. I had always thought he was superior passer as he averages nearly 5 assists a game.

[thacabbage]

Originally Posted by MisterPink Also, of course he can dunk. . . .

Yes, I seriously meant that he literally couldn't dunk.