Brandon Roy to the Lakers? Sure, in 2008

It’s been confirmed that Brandon Roy is going to make a legitimate comeback after retiring due to deteriorated knees.

The 27-year-old 2-guard had a bright future and some billed him as the next Kobe Bryant after his first four seasons in Portland were all wildly successful. Roy was the cornerstone for the Blazers’ efforts to rebuild, and had the knees bent the right way, they might have been the young, draft-built championship team before the OKC Thunder made it cool.

Of course, now that he’s coming back, there’s speculation as to what kind of form he’ll be in, and who he’ll play for. Among those teams rumored to be a landing spot? Your always-involved-in-drama-and-high-profile-acquisitions-laden Los Angeles Lakers.

The reasoning behind it is fine: The Lakers desperately need depth and someone to create their own shots outside of the Lakers’ big three. LA was hurting for instant offense off the bench, as well as a formidable backup to Kobe Bryant. They also need more perimeter scoring, and someone who can spot up and knock down an open three, while also having the ability to slash just enough to make defenders think twice about bodying up as close as they can to prevent an outside shot.

Brandon Roy is the perfect man. Like, four years ago, at least.

Because there’s no way in hell Brandon Roy’s going to do any of those things effectively. The dude’s knees are long gone; cartilage doesn’t regenerate and Kobe Bryant’s innovative put-my-own-blood-back-into-my-knee-after-spinning-it-a-few-times surgery is in its beta stages. Are the Lakers really going to rely on a surgery that may not be as effective as it was on Kobe’s knees (although, Kobe had his worst season in quite a few years, but talking heads on TV don’t seem to notice)? Hell, is Brandon Roy really willing to sacrifice ever walking self-sufficiently again to become something of a sixth man in a season where he might prove to be as mediocre as he was in his final season in the NBA?

This isn’t a knock on Brandon Roy’s courage and love for the game; I felt as horrible as anyone did, knowing that Roy could’ve been the NBA’s next great superstar, but unfortunate circumstances kept him out.

But for the Lakers to garner more distraction than they need, with the extra media attention focused on Roy’s attempt at a comeback? And the lack of cohesion that could result in increased playing time for Roy, especially if it doesn’t work out? Not even for the veteran’s minimum would this work out, because we’d be experimenting needlessly with rotations while also being incredibly dependent on Roy being the dude that we’re billing as the Lakers’ sixth man.

Screw that, man. I’m praying Brandon Roy succeeds, and hopefully he lands himself in Phoenix (where Amar’e Stoudemire rose to his prime despite would-be career-altering microfracture surgery and where Grant Hill revitalized his career) or some other place that could nurse him back to being 2/3 of what he was (which is still a pretty damn good role player). But LA doesn’t need it. Not this year, where the heat will be turned up immensely on Mike Brown, and where Kobe Bryant could retire at the end of it, championship or not.

This team needs to be smart, not flashy. Let’s hope they get that.