I do have a question for those of you saying Brandon had this super impact on the franchise. What did he do that was so special? 3 one-and-done playoff appearances? A massive contract that they were only able to get out of because of some lucky timing with the new CBA? I know he was a fan favorite and he provided some very memorable moments, but in the grand scheme what will be his legacy in twenty years?
So Oden and Bowie get retired as well? All the things being said about Brandon apply to the other two
Gimme a break. I didn't see GO coming back from double knee arthroscopic surgeries in 6 days to play a playoff game.
So that's the requirement. Coming back early to win 1 playoff game in a series you lost the next game.
I appreciate Brandon's competitive spirit, but that doesn't elevate him to "jersey retirement" level ... even with this team's ridiculously low bar they set after the 77 championship.
It is hard to quantify heart at times but Roy had it is spades. I have said that I think Roy just misses out on retirement but I agree that he has a special place in our history. He should be remembered publicly forever. How? I am not exactly sure.
First ROY since 1976 for one. His Legacy is bringing the team back from the JailBlazers era, but more importantly bringing the fans back. Without a doubt he has had as much impact on the franchise of anyone since Bill Walton.
Roy took the Blazers out of the Jail Blazer era and back into the era of the Trail Blazers. He brought back a lot of fans with his play on the court and his demeanor off the court. He was just what this city needed at the time and I think he gets a lot of respect for it. Brandon was the face of the franchise from the day he came till the day he left . . . and I for one am happy the Blazers got him, even if it was a short career.
Maybe not. He still would have been the face of the face of the franchise during the most positive years of the Blazers in the last decade, but the fact the Blazers could not shake off the jail balzer label till he came seems to increase his impact. But it should . . . I don't think many talented players could have come here and change the image the way Roy did. And maybe that alone is what gets your number retiured. What other player has had such an impact on the Blazers?
I guess my thoughts are this Portland has 10 players retired in the rafters The only team who has more is Boston. Think about that. The only other NBA team to have as many or more than Portland is the Celtics, who have 20. No one else even has 10. The fucking New York Yankees only have 14 numbers retired
The thing is, the roster turnover started with Steve Patterson's regime, by the time Roy got here the only hold-overs were Zach and an absent Miles. There's a bunch of people that helped rehab that image, not just Roy. I guess my point is, when you start talking about jersey retirement players need to be part of a serious hall-of-fame discussion in my opinion, otherwise the whole act of jersey retirement is cheapened and turned into a sort of meritorious service award, when it should be reserved for generational talents.
No, Walton didn't win ROY and especially not in '76. Petrie '71, Wicks '72 are the others. It is a special award.