Call it the changing of the guard – or better yet, the changing of the center to guard in one instance.

Growing up in Seattle, Washington, Brandon Roy was not your typical Seattle SuperSonics fan. Not even close. While he may have had pictures of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, posters of Shaquille O'Neal in his gold and purple adorned his bedroom wall. Plastered them.

Sorry Blazermanics. It's true.

Roy was a Laker lover.

"I was the biggest Laker dude there was," Roy said smiling, leaning against his locker with an autographed pair of O'Neal's size 23 shoes sitting beside him.

"Shaq's my top three or four (favorite players). I was the biggest Shaq guy there was. That was my guy."

Amazing where life takes you.

Back in February, Shaq befriended Roy at the NBA All-Star game in Phoenix, with the Blazers star guard standing in awe that he was actually sharing a locker room and eventually the floor with someone who once hung on his bedroom wall. Yet as he stood talking to the big fella, all Roy could think about at the time was his almost two-year-old son – Brandon Jr.

"He was holding my son and stuff. I was like, 'don't hurt him' - because Shaq's hands are so big," Roy remembered.

When Phoenix played in Portland recently, Roy and Shaq talked shop for a while in the Blazers training room before the game. Not your typical setting for a visiting player. But for Roy, this was Shaq. He asked the trainer to bring Shaq in. That's when it struck Roy about what's really going on in Portland – a return to the elusive postseason; an opportunity to go somewhere O'Neal has been repeatedly.

And then some.

As the two joked about Shaq growing old, O'Neal told Roy to "stay healthy" and wished him good luck "pushing on to the playoffs."

Que Jim Mora: Playoffs?!

Playoffs!?

With Phoenix – who just snapped a mini three losing streak and still four games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the eight spot - fading fast in the West, Shaq is about experience something he hasn't since before he entered the league with the Orlando Magic back in 1992: watching the NBA playoffs from home instead of playing in them.

Brandon Roy was eight-years-old back then.

Rudy Fernandez was seven. Nicolas Batum was four. So was Greg Oden.

My, how the kids have grown.

Those around the league – coaches, front office types, experts and writers - always maintain teams can't consistently win with youth, particularly when it comes to the playoffs. Forget winning with rookies. Yet with unconventional styling and heavy scoring touches from a bunch of young guys, Portland continues to prepare for the first round.

And then some?

Right now, Portland is the second youngest team in the league. Before long, they'll be the youngest team in the playoffs.

No Shaq. No Phoenix. No postseason. No worries.

Instead, the Blazers - led by Roy - are helping usher in a new era in the West.

"The good thing about this team (Portland) is they can grow together and it's possible they can do some damage," Shaq said, while repeatedly calling Roy a "fabulous player".

"It usually takes a team four, five, six years to get that (way). I'm not sure how long these guys have been together but if they can keep these guys together for a long time, they're going to make some noise."

When asked what Portland was missing, O'Neal didn't hesitate.

"Nothing. They've got it."

Remember those autographed pair of "Dunkmans" sitting next to Roy's locker? Those were a birthday present for Brandon Jr., who turned two-years-old in late March.

"Maybe one day he'll know who Shaq was," Roy said laughing.

Come the playoffs, maybe the rest of the league will know who Portland is.