Roy is done

[Shooter]

Stick a fork in him.

I know we've had this discussion before, but after tonight it seems painfully obvious. He is a shell of his former self. He can't beat his man off the dribble, can't get to the hoop, and can't play defense. Tonight, in a game we desperately needed to win, he couldn't hit a single field goal in the second half. In crunch time, when he used to shine, all he could do was pass the ball and hope that someone else would make the big play.

It's gotten to the point that I can barely watch this.

If this is the Brandon Roy we get after he sits out a week to rest his knees, then we've got nothing at all. He's now basically a decoy.

The NBA history of Brandon Roy has been written, it would seem. He had 4 brilliant years and then he fell off the cliff. If you didn't seem him play in those four years, you'll never see him again the way he was. I saw him play and I'm glad I did. He was sensational, a joy to watch. A money player with the game on the line.

Today he is just an average or under-average player, and that's a real tragedy.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Thank you for not crowing about being right. I agree with you for the most part; He's basically Sabonis now... one of the best in the game from the waist up, hampered by a lack of legs. In a pantheon of unique and flawed players who flamed out with us, Roy is probably #2 on the list. It's a melancholy list, sure, but one that will make you smile a little too in the future when you look back on it.

That said, i think that, as a bench player for 10-15 minutes a game, he can play out his contract, and might even be a pleasant surprise.

 

[Nikolokolus]

what is it? 4 3/4 years left?

 

[BlazerCaravan]

what is it? 4 3/4 years left?

Someone should make a website with an egg timer for his contract.

 

[RedHotRollin]

Make him a 6th man.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Make him a 6th man.

Agreed. He can sub in at any position and play 18 minutes. He's still a good shooter, after all.

 

[RedHotRollin]

Agreed. He can sub in at any position and play 18 minutes. He's still a good shooter, after all.

Yep

 

[Nikolokolus]

This season is depressing the hell out of me. Seems there's no light at the end of the tunnel any time soon. If we can somehow get the #1 pick and get Harrison Barnes, I'd be pumped again.

Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Jones, Perry Jones, Enes Kanter, Donatas Motiejunas ... any number of players in the upcoming draft might be able to help us.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Jones, Perry Jones, Enes Kanter, Donatas Motiejunas ... any number of players in the upcoming draft might be able to help us.

But, remember that the lockout might keep these guys in school another year (unless these kids are preps this year)... though I think we might be plenty bad for more than one year...

 

[craigehlo]

He needs to sit for at least a couple weeks. If that doesn't help his game, he needs to consider microfracture in both knees.

 

[Nikolokolus]

But, remember that the lockout might keep these guys in school another year (unless these kids are preps this year)... though I think we might be plenty bad for more than one year...

I've thought the same thing too, but at least according to a couple of draft experts (like Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony) the potential of a partially lost season because of a lockout probably won't keep most guys away, unless they really love college; they seem to think that agents will likely cover their expenses in the short term and that by waiting another year they could put themselves in a more crowded draft class, which means fewer of them get drafted overall or drafted as highly as they might this year. I guess we'll see.

 

[Nikolokolus]

He needs to sit for at least a couple weeks. If that doesn't help his game, he needs to consider microfracture in both knees.

This has already been gone over before, it wouldn't help him; Brandon has no meniscii, MF is for regenerating articular cartilage.

 

[KingSpeed]

Harrison Barnes sucks.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Grant hill role.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

He'll adapt. He's a smart player and he'll figure it out. He's still a high level player.

[/Larry Miller]

 

[MickZagger]

This season is depressing the hell out of me. Seems there's no light at the end of the tunnel any time soon. If we can somehow get the #1 pick and get Harrison Barnes, I'd be pumped again.

Barnes won't be the #1 pick. After his performance at UNC so far this year, he'd be better off staying in school. Terrence Jones is the #1 pick right now, maybe even Irving or Kemba Walker.

 

[mikeg]

What I wonder is: in retrospect, can the Matthews signing be viewed as proof that management knew this was coming? At the time, I thought it was Rudy insurance in case he totally flaked. But I wonder if they didn't know that they needed to find a new starting 2 pronto. I thought we overpaid by quite a bit for Matthews, but it makes a lot more sense now...

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Is Roy--with no cartilage--any less athletic than Miller? IMO, no. He's younger, bigger, faster, a better shooter...but less effective. Why? Maybe Miller is exactly the player we need here right now; not to mentor a young point guard, but to show Roy how to be effective as a ground-based player.

 

[Haakzilla]

Is Roy--with no cartilage--any less athletic than Miller? IMO, no. He's younger, bigger, faster, a better shooter...but less effective. Why? Maybe Miller is exactly the player we need here right now; not to mentor a young point guard, but to show Roy how to be effective as a ground-based player.

...interesting take, I can see how he might be able to add some insight. However, Miller can still drive to the hoop and draw fouls while Roy can barely get out of first gear. Maybe Miller can pass the torch of the NBA's Iron Man to Roy...that way Roy will start every single game until 2020 and be able to play at a high level.

 

[MARIS61]

His average stats for the year in my Yahoo Fantasy league are 34th best in the league.

 

[Phatguysrule]

His average stats for the year in my Yahoo Fantasy league are 34th best in the league.

In other words, a little lower than the worst #1 option in the league...

 

[Chuck Taylor]

He didn't look great tonight by any means, but neither did most of the team. I was actually pretty pleased with how well he looked the previous two games. Tonight he was double-teamed almost every time, and we all know that no one on the Blazers knows how to exploit double teams.

 

[STOMP]

it's been painful to see Brandon tonight and much of this season. If this is the new reality for him physically, this year's club needs to reassign roles in crunch time and maybe at the starting SG spot as well. I can understand letting things play out a little bit longer to further evaluate things before making a big lineup move... dude has been the franchise. But it seems limiting BR's minutes by him coming off the bench would help him be more consistent in what he can bring. He could still finish games but he's probably more of a facilitator then he's been... those who didn't want to see any more 4th quarter ISO with Roy must be thrilled

STOMP

 

[Drttimmy]

Agreed. He can sub in at any position and play 18 minutes. He's still a good shooter, after all.

I'm starting to wonder how great a shooter he really is. He's starting to reveal himself to be a volume shooter who needs multiple looks to be effective. Not sure it's to the benefit of the team to allow him to shoot that much. Not now, since half his arsenal has been stolen from him. Not sure how effective he would be coming in and out as a bench player then.

 

[Drttimmy]

What I wonder is: in retrospect, can the Matthews signing be viewed as proof that management knew this was coming? At the time, I thought it was Rudy insurance in case he totally flaked. But I wonder if they didn't know that they needed to find a new starting 2 pronto. I thought we overpaid by quite a bit for Matthews, but it makes a lot more sense now...

I've wondered that too....and maybe it coincides with Allen's choice in Cho over Phund and Ferry. The latter two more reputed as closer GM's for teams already established and looking for finishing pieces. Cho just helped engineer one of the league's best rebuild jobs, so maybe they chose him over the others knowing they needed wholesale rebuilding and not tinkering over the next few years.

 

[MickZagger]

I remember from the get-go when they started searching for a GM they were dead set in looking for someone with experience. That was the #1 thing they were looking for. A week or two later, they hired Cho.

Didn't make any sense to me.

 

[BlayZa]

guaranteed contracts *sigh*

 

[Shooter]

His average stats for the year in my Yahoo Fantasy league are 34th best in the league.

. . . and going down every game.

 

[Blazinaway]

keep in mind guys that the new CBA might have some type of "out" (one-time or perhaps something else) for bad contracts, there is precedent when new CBA's have been implemented.

 

[craigehlo]

keep in mind guys that the new CBA might have some type of "out" (one-time or perhaps something else) for bad contracts, there is precedent when new CBA's have been implemented.

From Wikipedia:

In the summer of 2005, the new CBA provided an amnesty clause: a one-time opportunity for each team to waive one, and only one, player and avoid having him count against the team's luxury tax calculation. The amnesty provision only affected the team's luxury tax status, though. The waiving team must continue to pay the player, his salary continues to count against their salary cap, and all other salary calculations are unaffected. However, the team may not re-sign or re-acquire the player for the length of the terminated contract. In all other respects, the player is treated just like any other waived player.

That salary of the waived player only comes off the luxury tax number, but not the rest of the cap. Maybe the teams can negotiate a better one-time amnesty deal with the next CBA.