This came out of nowhere. Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Royis expected to announce his retirement due to degenerative knees, perhaps as soon as Friday, sources have told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard.
The Blazers had said earlier in the week they were expecting Roy to be ready for training camp Friday.
Roy, who has had trouble with his knees, met with team executives Monday to discuss his future. He told them he felt great and wanted to help the team in any way he could.
It’s kind of hard to play basketball without cartilage in your knees. Your knees are kind of important in the game of basketball.
We are being robbed. We are being robbed of a special player who just a couple of years ago looked like he was going to be one of the leagues elite. He had a flair for the dramatic, culminating in an 18 point fourth quarter to beat the Dallas Mavericks in game four of their playoff series this past season.
But a guy with Roy’s fire can’t sit forever. I wouldn’t be shocked if he tried to come back. The Blazers can get some cap relief for his medical retirement, but it goes away if he comes back. I don’t think the Brandon Roy story is over.
