Thank You Brandon Roy

Today, I am a Basketball Fan. I wasn't always.

Growing up in West Linn, OR (suburb of Portland) I was pretty much destined to be a TrailBlazers' Fan. Through the 90's I enjoyed watching Clyde the Glide, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Duckworth, and friends get oh so close so many times. I remember the 16 game streak to start the season in 1990, and going on to win 63 games and be a shoe-in for the finals. I remember getting my heart broken when we lost to Michael Jordan, and he made Clyde look like a little kid. I remember the day that Clyde left for Houston to chase a ring, and feeling happy he got one.

Then I remember a lockout. And an era often referred to as "The Jailblazer's Era". I don't remember much that happened at that time because I got pretty fed up and left the NBA to do its own thing. The thug mentality did not appeal to me. I really didn't feel any connection to any of the players of that era. I even won $50 betting on the Lakers in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals when the Blazers were up by 20+ points. I had lost all interest in the NBA and really just didn't care. Until just after the start of the 2006 NBA Preseason.

I went to my girlfriend's house and there was a Blazers' preseason game on and I saw Brandon Roy play for the first time.

He made it look so damn easy. He was a fluid player, with the nickname "The Natural". It just fit. Initially I assumed he was probably another punk kid and would be another person to put a dollar on in the annual "Jailblazer's" pool at work (you pick a player, first to get arrested wins the pot). I watched a couple interviews and had no idea that I was discovering the player who would bring me back in to the fold.

This was a new team, a new era of highs and lows and it all centered around Brandon Roy. I saw a player who, even at as a rookie, was taking over games, demanding the ball, and pushing Zach Randolph, the previously established "star" out of the way. He was ushering in an era of hope and potential and it was fun to be a Blazer fan again.

The Houston game where he launched a 3 pointer with 0.8 seconds left to start a 54 win season, for a team that was way too young. That same season he became the first Blazer's all-star who could board the plane without having to worry about them finding weed in aluminum foil (really?? Aluminum foil? Nope that won't set off any METAL detectors.). Roy is a player I am proud to be a fan of. I could go on about the moments from 2008-2009 but they've already done so nicely here I'll let them state it. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Amazing stuff wasn't it? At the end of that season the Blazers were making a triumphant return to the playoffs. I was at the first game, in the far upper deck up against the top wall. It was an atmosphere like nothing I'd ever seen. Of course we got our butts kicked, but it was still great being there and cheering the team on.

The next season I was able to pick up a couple of games and watch Roy becoming the budding superstar that everyone hoped he could be. The most memorable of those, was Game 6 vs. Phoenix. It would be the last game of a season, another 1st round exit, but we felt like there was a momentum that they might be able to build on. The entire Rose Garden was on their feet and we all applauded, not for the loss, but for another great season of hope and potential.

The next year started similarly, but after about a month we had to watch Brandon start wearing down and missing time. The news wasn't good; there was no cartilage left in his knees. Local sports yaks were calling it the end of his career. We were forced to watch a career end too soon, and see all the frustration on this young man's face when his body just gave out on him. It was as though he aged 10 years overnight and was forced to become one of those aging stars who plays a couple extra years as a role player on a good team to get a ring.

Then there was the Dallas Game 4. We didn't know it at the time but this would be his swan song. In the fourth quarter he simply took over a game where the Blazers were listlessly getting stomped in to the ground by the eventual NBA champions. Brandon Roy was having none of that. He took over and destroyed the Mavericks in what would be his last great effort on the court. It's that game that I will forever remember as his goodbye to the fans.

If there is any justice at all the Blazers will retire #7. Though his time here was short, it was epic.

I wanted to put this together to simply say to B-Roy. Thank you. Thank you for bringing me back in to the fold. You've given me a great deal of joy in being able to witness a player who had the talent, desire, and heart to bring about the kind of change that you did to this city. You are an inspiration.