So on Saturday night, after Roy scored 31 points to lead the Blazers to a 95-93 win over Minnesota, he came out of the showers and immediately signed his Nike shoes. As he was getting dressed, a clubhouse attendant came over and asked for the shoes.

“They are right there,” Roy pointed. “But hey, who are they for?”

The clubhouse attendant said he didn’t know, only that the request came from the Minnesota locker room.

“Mark Madsen,” another attendant said. “The shoes are for Mark Madsen.”

Roy looked up at me.

“See. Told you. Every game.”

I said it must not have been during the game – Madsen didn’t play – but Roy said he was asked by a Timberwolves player for his shoes during the fourth quarter.

“And it wasn’t the player I gave the shoes to, either,” Roy said.