Brandon Roy: Trail Blazers All-Star Retires After Medical Health Reasons

Well, what do you know?  There's another shock coming from the NBA, although this time, it's bad news for Portland Trail Blazers fans. 

Brandon Roy has said he will retire due to continuous knee problems.

In a story first posted by ESPN, Roy made a decision after a meeting with doctors in which he was told that he has very little, if any, cartilage in his knees. 

As cartilage is one of the biggest factors in having comfort in your body to do strenuous activities, such as playing professional basketball, Roy had no choice but to hang up his high-tops and realize he has sunk the last jump shot of his career.

As Friday came, so did the news.  The Blazers were set to open up their training camps, along with the rest of the NBA, and looking to celebrate the return of their players as they kept their No. 1 draft pick, Greg Oden, in their grasp.

But for many Blazers fans who have stuck around through the roller coaster ride, they weren't sure just what to expect yet.  Will they see a healthy team come into training camp, or will they see the team that has struggled to stay healthy through the past few years? 

As these questions lingered overhead, the fans and organization were curious as to what they were going to do with Roy. 

Did the team want to use the amnesty clause that is included in the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement that would waive the franchise's star player from the roster? 

The Blazers had to focus on the ability and athleticism that made Roy the multiple All-Star that he is, even after having six surgeries and playing a role off the bench last season. 

So now with Roy's decision and his new lucrative contract, the Blazers will have to pay him $63 million, but there is still good news out there. 

The team will now be able to receive a salary cap relief because Roy's condition is a career-ender.  The league states that Roy's salary will come off the Blazers' salary cap after he misses a full season.

One of Roy's most memorable games came against Dallas in game four of the Western Conference playoffs during the 2010-11 season. 

In well-known fashion, Roy almost single-handedly brought the Blazers back from the dead, erasing an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit, which was the greatest postseason comeback in franchise history. 

In that game, Roy sunk eight of his 10 field goals and supplied four assists, all coming in the fourth quarter.  He also was responsible for 12 of the team's 15 field goals during that marvelous fourth quarter comeback. 

Roy played for the Blazers for five years, averaging 19 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds.

This is a sad way for the great fans of an organization that has battled through many ups and downs in recent years, working everyday to change their reputation from the "Jail Blazers" era. 

Yet, there is a lot of hope and anticipation to come out of this seemingly bad news. 

Will the new boys step up?  Will LaMarcus Aldridge continue being a key player?  Will we get to see Oden make his much anticipated return to the city of roses? 

Only time will tell as we continue to tear off the calendar days one-by-one, waiting for that Christmas tipoff.