Roy has missed 52 games over the past two seasons but the team was hopeful that the extra rest he got from the lockout out would help him this season. Even last week the team said they were not going to use the amnesty clause on him and planned for him to be a starter. It is very sad to see the 3 time all-star done after only 5 seasons in the NBA. In his last full season 3 years ago, Roy was 7th in the league in PER and looked like he would be a star for years to come.
The Blazers have been mostly without Roy and have still be successful so this shouldn't change their projections for this year too much. Last year Portland was the 6 seed in the West and while I am not sure they will be able to duplicate that this year, they should be close. This was a borderline playoff team with Roy on one leg and they are still a borderline playoff team.
If the news about Roy wasn't enough, Portland also got news that Greg Oden has suffered a setback with his knee and might miss another season. Portland was ready to resign him when they found out and decided to still resign him but for much less and for only one year. The former 1st overall pick hasn't played since December 1, 2009 and it doesn't look like he will be back any time soon. Oden is still only 23 but it doesn't look like he will ever get his career back on track. Oden has only played in 82 games over his 4 year career.
I was looking through some Oden videos on youtube and came across one from the 2007 NBA lottery. Brandon Roy was actually the team representative when they won the 1st overall pick which they then used on Greg Oden. Eerie that Roy was the team rep that day. Now just 4 years later and it looks like neither will play basketball every again.
Losing star players to injuries is nothing new for Portland. While most people consider 1984 #2 overall pick Sam Bowie a bust, it was actually injuries that really set him back. In his 1st season he averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds and looked like a solid NBA player. After this rookie season, Bowie was in and out of the lineup. In his next 3 years in Portland he only played in 63 games and was out of Portland after only 4 years.
The 1st time Portland lost a star player might have been the worst of them all. In 1974, Portland used the #1 overall pick on college superstar Bill Walton. Walton was an instant star and lead the Trailblazers to the 1977 NBA title. In 1978, Walton won the NBA MVP but broke his foot towards the end of the season. He tried to return in the playoffs but re injured his foot and couldn't return that season. After that season Walton demanded a trade because he claimed that the Blazers medical staff was incompetent. Walton never played again for the Blazers.
That's 4 star players in the past 25 years they have lost to career changing injuries. No other team has suffered from this kind of bad luck and hopefully at some point the great fans of Portland can finally have a great player around for more than 5 years. It might take a while but eventually their luck has to turn around. They cant actually be cursed...right?
Here is a video of Brandon Roy's epic performance in game 4 of the playoffs last season against the Mavs. This was Roy's 3rd to last game of his career and shows off how truly great he was. Enjoy.
Also here is a video of Greg Oden in college to remind you of how great he looked as a young player.
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