Blazers’ Roy finds good in bad

SAN ANTONIO — Moments after enduring what he called the worst regular-season performance of his professional career, Brandon Roy did the only thing he could think of to move on. He sought advice.

One by one, Roy approached his coaches in the visitor’s locker room at the AT&T Center and asked what they saw and what went wrong. And then, after the team had vacated the arena and arrived at its hotel late Tuesday night, with a 106-97 loss to the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs in the rearview mirror, Roy talked to his parents.

The response was unanimous.

“They all kind of confirmed what I already felt,” Roy said. “Bruce (Bowen) kind of got in my head early. He had me thinking instead of just playing and reacting. They run good schemes on defense, and they kind of bottled me up. And really, I just have to get in shape. I blame some things on (San Antonio), but some things were on me and my conditioning. I didn’t feel explosive. I wasn’t able to run the floor consistently.”

Eventually, when the Blazers look back on Roy’s dreadful season-opening performance, it could turn out to be a blessing. Sure, Roy went scoreless in the first half and finished with seven points — his second-lowest career output with at least 28 minutes of playing time. And, yes, he missed 8 of 10 shots and committed four turnovers.

But the aftermath could help him evolve into one of the NBA’s best players. His rookie-of-the-year season and 16.8-point, 4.4-rebound and 4.0-assist averages drew praise and acclaim. But they also stimulated attention.

Roy learned Tuesday he is a target for opposing defenses.

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