Reports: Blazers G Brandon Roy Expected Out Via Amnesty Clause

Reports: Blazers G Brandon Roy Expected Out Via Amnesty Clause

John Canzano of The Oregonian reports that Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen and his adviser Bert Kolde are expected to use the Amnesty Clause on guard Brandon Roy.
-----------------------
"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."
...
I join the faction of Blazers front-office employees who believe Allen should take a longer look at Roy before making any move regarding his future. And so here's hoping Allen will reconsider.
-----------------------

Update: Katy Brown of KATU.com has a similar report...
-----------------------
The Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly planning to part ways with Brandon Roy. An NBA league source told KATU’s Katy Brown that Roy has likely played his last game in a Blazers uniform and the word is out around the league that Roy will soon be on the market. The team plans to waive Roy under the "amnesty clause" that is part of the new NBA labor agreement, which is expected to be passed later this week.

A league executive from another NBA team told Brown the decision came straight from Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen.
-----------------------

Thanks to TorridJoe in the FanShots for that link.

Update: Jason Quick of The Oregonian plays good cop to the bad cop reports.
-----------------------
Blazers guard Brandon Roy has been working out mornings at UW with other NBA players and has reported no setbacks w/knees. Why would GM from another team say he knows the Blazers' plans on Roy? Probably b/c it's the same GM who has long tried to sabotage the team. I'm not buying that the Blazers have already made a decision on Roy. It may end up being the wise business move, but why not take a look?
-----------------------

Marc Stein of ESPN.com kicked off this most recent, intensifying round of Amnesty Clause chatter last night.

A few notes: If Roy is waived, Portland would be left with seven players on the roster -- including Earl Barron -- who have played more than 82 NBA games.

Their projected bench rotation would be: Nicolas Batum, whoever they sign with the Mid-Level Exception, Nolan Smith, Chris Johnson and... stop me when this gets too painful.

Update: It's worth mentioning that waiving Roy would take the Blazers below the luxury tax line and, under the new rules, would allow them to use a full $5 million Mid-Level Exception rather than the $3 million mini-Mid-Level that's available to taxpaying teams.

Some of the free agent big men available who might be available for all or part of a Mid-Level: Carl Landry, Kwame Brown, Glen Davis, Chuck Hayes, Spencer Hawes, Reggie Evans, Craig Smith, Josh McRoberts.

Some free agent two guards who might be available for all or part of a Mid-Level Exception: Jamal Crawford (maybe), J.J. Barea, Marcus Thornton, Arron Afflalo, Nick Young and Marco Belinelli.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/11/...-to-use-amnesty-clause-on-brandon-roy-is-done
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Life Without Brandon Roy?

Kitten_tiny by Dave on Nov 28, 2011 10:00 PM PST in News

By Dave,

If the reports about Brandon Roy being an amnesty clause victim are true what's your take? It will be a sad day for me.

I have such mixed feelings about this. I understand in a cold, logical sense why this needs to happen. Max contracts are the kiss of death under this new system unless that guy is a bona fide superstar. Old Brandon Roy was a bona fide superstar. New Brandon Roy? Not so much. The opportunity cost for the Blazers in keeping Roy will be steep...not so much because of the cap but because his numbers would make acquiring new talent expensive under the luxury tax provisions. The left side of my brain understands that this is the most likely move, maybe the only move.

That said, I don't know about you but my heart is crying over this. Roy symbolized so much for this team in his short tenure. He was the embodiment of the 2006 resurrection. He was the face of the post-Jailblazer renewal. He was the hope of a new generation, not just for decency but for greatness. The game-winner against Houston, the quarter against Dallas, the performances against Phoenix...these are historical events every bit as memorable as those provided by Drexler, Porter, and Lucas. When's the last time you heard opponents scream about a Blazer, "Keep the ball away from him!!!" in last-second situations? Roy made big shots seem like sure things. He's been easy to like, easy to root for. What more could you possibly have asked from a young player?

To have his Portland tenure, and quite possibly the most productive part of his career, cut short at 27 is a shame. If he were healthy we'd be talking about the potential for titles in the Rose City. His absence, coupled with harsh fiscal realities, will probably lead to the next round of rebuilding talk. The distance between Points A and B there is vast. So many dreams were wrapped up in him as the figurehead of this new generation. Losing him is like being left at the altar. It's not even always the bridesmaid and never the bride. It's like getting fitted for a bridal gown and now they won't even let you in the church. I'm no neophyte. After the letdown of the 1991 Western Conference Finals I knew I'd never cry over this team again except tears of joy if they won a championship. But if I sat down and really thought about the difference between how I felt in 2007 and how I feel upon hearing these reports, I think I'd come close. At the very least I can say that if I ever do get to shed tears over a title, part of the emotion flowing out will be the release of sadness that the Roy-Aldridge-Oden edition of the Blazers never got the chance.

Sometimes, though, you have to do things you don't want to do. Holding on past the point of good returns only makes everybody bitter. If the Blazers have determined that said point is here, I can't argue. That doesn't mean I have to celebrate it. I'll surely run into the arms of Aldridge, Matthews, Wallace, Batum, et al this winter trying to find comfort. Somehow I doubt it will be quite the same though.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/11/28/2595125/life-without-brandon-roy

 

750 the Game: To amnesty or not to amnesty Brandon Roy Podcasts

http://www.750thegame.com/pages/lan...sty-Brandon-Roy=1&blockID=569966&feedID=10154

 

^ Podcasts: To amnesty or not to amnesty Brandon Roy