Yeah, I didn't believe that headline either, even as I typed it with my own basketball-loving fingers.
The news broke this morning from inside sources who have it on good authority that the Blazers' franchise player (and former rookie of the year), Brandon Roy, would be retiring do to knee injuries. An article published this morning on ESPN.com cites Roy's "degenerative knees" as the reason he'll be ending his NBA career after just five seasons.
Roy, who was injured frequently during his time with the Blazers, averaged 19 points per game and a respectable 4.7 assists, but anyone who saw him play knows his intangible ability to take games into his own hands down the stretch was far and away his greatest asset.
Also, he holds a special spot in the hearts of many given that he has spent the entirety of his basketball career in the Northwest, having played high school ball in Seattle, then playing four years at the University of Washington before making the short trek down I-5 to make an immediate impact with the Blazers.
And what's with the Blazers and knee injuries? First it was Sam Bowie, then Greg Oden and now the beloved Brandon Roy. Is there something in Portland that degenerates the knees?
