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NBA Injuries: 20 Stars Who Deserve A Career Do-Over

By Gerald Bourguet

AUBURN HILLS, UNITED STATES: Detroit Pistons player Grant Hill (L) drives around Indiana Pacers player Chris Mullin during the first half of their game 07 February at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons beat the Pacers 107-98. AFP PHOTO/JEFF KOWALSKY (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, UNITED STATES: Detroit Pistons player Grant Hill (L) drives around Indiana Pacers player Chris Mullin during the first half of their game 07 February at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons beat the Pacers 107-98. AFP PHOTO/JEFF KOWALSKY (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images) /
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NBA Injuries
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 23: Brandon Roy #7 of the Portland Trail Blazers walks off the court after overcoming a 23 point deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 84-82 in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2011 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

11. Brandon Roy

His career may not have ended all that long ago, but people have quickly forgotten how freaking good Brandon Roy was in his prime. Though he only spent five seasons winning over those long-suffering Portland Trail Blazers fans, those were a memorable five seasons that forever endeared him to a rabid fan base.

It didn’t take long for Roy to start winning over the fans, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2007, earning his first of three All-Star appearances in 2008 and Second Team All-NBA honors in 2009, when he helped lead Rip City back to the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Rip City lost that first round series in six games, but Roy averaged a stellar 22.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game on efficient .480/.377/.824 shooting splits in what would ultimately prove to be his best season. Though Roy technically appeared in three more NBA seasons, he was limited to just 117 games in that span, missing the 2011-12 season entirely.

The reason? Roy’s degenerative knees that didn’t have enough cartilage in them to withstand the toll of an 82-game season. Arthroscopic knee surgery in early 2011 limited him to a bench role when he returned weeks later, with Roy posting career lows of 12.2 points, 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game for the season.

Though Rip City lost to the Mavs in six games in a first round playoff series that year, Roy’s improbable heroics off the bench — including a 16-point Game 3 victory and an 18-point fourth quarter in a Game 4 win that tied up the series — were genuine feel-good moments for a player whose career was coming to an end before anybody knew it for certain.

Before training camp began the following season, there was no cartilage between the bones in Roy’s knees, forcing him into retirement at age 27. He announced a comeback in 2012 after undergoing the same plasma procedure that Kobe Bryant once had, but he played a grand total of five games for the Minnesota Timberwolves before having to call it quits for good with a season-ending knee surgery.

From his late-game heroics to his well-rounded play to his unassuming demeanor to his final hurrah in 2011 when he was quite literally on the last legs of his career, Roy’s five seasons with Rip City were a memorable but ultimately sad tease. Just imagine what might have been with a core of Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez and an experienced Brandon Roy.

Next: No. 10