Portland Trail Blazers: Brandon Roy Decision Will Define Blazers' Season

The Portland Trail Blazers have a decision to make on franchise guard Brandon Roy.

At 27 years old, and remembering Roy's dominant fourth-quarter performance in the postseason last year against the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks, it would seem like an easy decision.

But Roy's knees aren't that of a 27-year-old. And the four-year, $68 million contract he has remaining with the team can be cleared away with the amnesty clause.

According to John Canzano of The Oregonian that is exactly what the Blazers plan on doing:

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The whisper at One Center Court is that Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen won't bother to take one last look at Brandon Roy before he goes amnesty clause on the guy who won all those games for him. 

"Brandon's out," a league executive told me Monday. "Don't know the exact details, but everyone around the league knows it's way, way done. Paul and Bert (Kolde) are calling the shots on this one." 

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The feelings in Portland are mixed on this, as they should be. Some on the staff want to see what Roy looks like before making a final decision. After all, they have two years before the harsher luxury tax rules kick in and waiving Roy won't put them under the cap immediately according to Howard Beck of the New York Times.

Yesterday I wrote that the Blazers' best choice is to sever ties with Roy. Not for the money and not because I don't believe he can be good in the short term, but because this team has been stuck in "neutral" for three straight years.

Ultimately, if the rumors are true out of Portland, this decision will define the Blazers' season.

If they win and get past the first round of the playoffs, it will be heralded as the right move.

If they take a dip and Roy plays well elsewhere, the decision will be criticized mercilessly.

The season hasn't started, but what the Blazers decide to do with Roy will be a season-defining move. As things go now, they'll be without him very, very soon.