Despite being named a potential starter four days earlier by coach Nate McMillan, Portland shooting guard Brandon Roy announced his retirement after just six NBA seasons. Further amplified by the news a few hours later of Greg Oden suffering yet another setback, the Rose City was in full grieving mode.
Roy was the foundation upon which the current Trail Blazers team was built, and he was the centerpiece of the organization's transformation. As soon as Portland traded for his rights on draft day in 2006, he dedicated himself to the city.
He stood up to Zach Randolph early in his career, making it clear to the players and the fans that the Jail Blazers era was officially ending, and that the new Trail Blazers team would stop at nothing to do things the right way.
When I wrote the article, "The Brandon Roy of old returns, gives hope to those with shattered dreams," following Roy's 18-point fourth quarter to lift the Blazers to a comeback after being down by 23 points against Dallas in the first round this past year, I never thought it would be the last time I'd write about Roy doing something amazing on the court.
What I did write, though, was this: "Saturday, April 23rd: a day no Portland fan will ever forget. And a day Brandon Roy can hang his hat on." And now, eight months later, his hat is officially hung.
Teaming up with LaMarcus Aldridge, Roy and Portland became a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. When Portland drafted Greg Oden in 2007, there wasn't a front office in the league that didn't think the Trail Blazers would be the next great team. But nobody could have envisioned how things would look just a few years later.
Now, with 2011 coming to a close, Greg Oden has played the equivalent of one full NBA season (and he's expected to miss all of the '11-'12 season,) Brandon Roy has retired, and LaMarcus Aldridge is the last one standing - and the best player of the three.
Roy now walks away from the game that he loves, but he does so on his own terms, rather than letting the organization use the Amnesty clause to waive his contract from the books or let his knees finally break down completely and force him to leave in agony. From the moment Roy signed with the Blazers in 2006, he was a man that completely intended to play for one, and only one, franchise throughout his entire career. This week, he completed that dream.
He is as dedicated to Portland as any one player is dedicated to any city in sports, and the love that the city holds for Roy is equally as impressive. There is no doubt that Roy jerseys will remain the most worn uniform in the Rose Garden for the next five to ten years, and none of it will have happened by accident.
Roy was meant to play in Portland. In a place with no other major professional sports team, the Rose City held on to Roy and embraced him for the amazing player and person he was and is. All of that had to make this decision as difficult as anyone could imagine.
Remember that this is a guy with a lot of pride. This is a guy who had no problem telling Portland management that he and Andre Miller couldn't exist on the same court. This is a guy who publicly complained about not playing enough when he returned from injury last year. And this is a guy who put the team on his back in game four of the 2011 playoffs - in one of the most amazing performances Portland fans have ever seen.
This is a guy who was being told by the media, by his team, and by a city that loves him that he could never be the player he once was, let alone a player worth the $15 million he is set to receive each of the next few years.
This is a guy who was primed to let his pride take over and prove all of the doubters wrong.
Instead, this is a guy who realized what is truly important - family and health. Reports are that Roy was told he may never walk again if he continued to play. And there's nobody in the NBA who is so publicly supportive of his family.
"My family and health are most important to me and in the end this decision was about them and my quality of life," Roy said.
There was no way that Roy was going to risk his future for a game. So he made the tough call, the right call.
He walked away.
Portland will love him for turning the team around. Portland will love him for his dedication to the city. And Portland will love him for walking away, for not forcing the team to waive him, for not making fans see him in another uniform, for not subjecting Portland to watching his body suffer on the court.
Portland will love him for being Brandon Roy, the Natural.
© 2011 Max Price - All Rights Reserved.
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