As if being traded for one another isn't enough to link them together perhaps for the rest of their careers, they've got last names that rhyme: Randy Foye, Brandon Roy.
The Wolves decision to draft Roy, considered a ready-made NBA scoring guard, on draft day 2006 and trade him down one slot to Portland for Randy Foye and cash looked slightly less lopsided now that Foye is back playing, especially like he did in Saturday's comeback victory in L.A. against the Clippers. Then came the Blazers' comeback victory Tuesday night at Target Center, when Roy commanded the game down the stretch.
"It's funny, you know: Roy, Foye," Foye said before the game. "He's a good player. We're both in great situations. Obviously, I got hurt earlier this year and he's having a great season, played in his first All-Star Game. It's just important that, even though we swapped teams, people try not to link us together because I'm here in Minnesota and he's there in Portland."
Tuesday's game won't help that matter any. Foye, who missed the season's first three months and the Wolves' first two games against the Blazers because of a kneecap injury, was solid: Nine points, eight assists, seven rebounds. Roy was his usual Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Star self: 27 points, nine assists and five rebounds and instrumental in a late 12-2 run that told the game.
"It's a unique situation: We're in the same division and me and Randy Foye will be forever linked together because we were traded for each other," Roy said afterward. "They'll carry on about that until late in our careers, when nobody will remember who drafted us."
In Minnesota, Foye might always be linked with Roy, if only because the draft-day trade is another in a laundry list of player personnel missteps.
"Obviously, people are always going to do that," Foye said. "People always are going to jump on the bandwagon. Last year, I was played really well and people loved me and they said it was it was an even trade. Now, since I got hurt and he's played really well, it's different. You can't compare us: We played different. Different situations. Different coaches. Different players. I had a great year last year and I'm coming on now."
BLAZERS 103, WOLVES 96: Leading by four points at halftime, by a bucket after three quarters and by five points with six minutes left, the Wolves were undone and denied their first three-game winning streak of the season Tuesday when they surrendered a 12-2 run late in the game.
Star forward Al Jefferson was held by Portland's speedy double teams to just two points by halftime, and still the Wolves led. He scored 18 of his 20 after intermission, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
He made six of nine shots then. His teammates made two of 13 shots and scored five points combined.
"The quickest I've seen in a long time," Jefferson said of the Blazers' collapsing defense. "The last 15 games, I haven't seen it that quick. Man, they were coming. I'm just frustrated with myself missing easy shots. I had to cuss myself out to get myself going."
