The Vertical - JJ Redick Interviews Brandon Roy

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Blazer Freak

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JJ with a ton of love for the city of Portland!
 
Love B Roy. Wish the organization loved him too. It's like he's an unwanted ghost around here. Weird.
 
Good to hear Brandon's voice again. He's such a big part of the Trail Blazers' history in rebuilding after the Jail Blazers era. I would have loved for him to be able to play 10-15 years as a Blazer, but his knees just wouldn't let that happen. I hope the Blazers will invite him to come to a playoff game and do a bit of a game with Mike & Mike.
 
Love B Roy. Wish the organization loved him too. It's like he's an unwanted ghost around here. Weird.

I wonder if there's some bad blood because of his comeback attempt with the TWolves.
 
Absolutely; he kinda cost Paul Allen some major dough.

It felt like there was some resentment initially from both sides. Roy always felt like he could still play, even after receiving news from the Blazers doctor that he should retire. He definitely felt like they were trying to push for him to retire so they could amnesty him. He actually talks about that specific situation in the podcast. However, after that comeback with Minnesota, it seems like Roy realized the doctor was right. (He also talks about this in the podcast) It probably took him awhile to come to terms with the whole situation. This is probably his first or second public interview after fading into retirement, which is probably partially because he wasn't at peace yet with his retirement.

The idea that he intentionally came back because he wanted to cost Paul Allen more money is ludicrous. He was going to get his 80 million one way or another. This was just a guy who still wanted to play, and didn't feel like his time was up. I'm not saying Paul Allen doesn't have a right to be angry, but Roy didn't come back to screw the Blazers.

Good interview.
 
There's also the small matter of his complete disinterest in the Blazers and their fans. He seems to have forgotten us the minute the paychecks stopped.
I actually don't hold that against him as strongly as some others do. I think it has more to do with management telling him to stay away than any disinterest.
 
This thread has started several rumors, so let me try. I think he has stayed away because Lillard is jealous. I read it somewhere.
 
Apparently it has something to do with their drinking capabilities.
 
Yeah, being mad at someone for screwing them out of tens of millions of dollars by trying to play again, that's just weird...

I'm confused. Roy was getting his money no matter what right? He gets a max deal from us and then the amnesty clause was used. PA knew about Roy's knees before they offered that contract. So Paul Allen knew full well that he would be paying all of that money. How did he screw him out of extra money by making a comeback with Minnesota? Minnesota paid him for that right? I think you are confusing his situation with Darius miles and Memphis.
 
I'm confused. Roy was getting his money no matter what right? He gets a max deal from us and then the amnesty clause was used. PA knew about Roy's knees before they offered that contract. So Paul Allen knew full well that he would be paying all of that money. How did he screw him out of extra money by making a comeback with Minnesota? Minnesota paid him for that right? I think you are confusing his situation with Darius miles and Memphis.
Insurance was going to pick up at least some of Roy's contract -> at least until he played in Minny.
 
The blazers always seem to get the short end of the stick on medical retirements: Darius Miles and Brandon Roy.
 
I'm confused. Roy was getting his money no matter what right? He gets a max deal from us and then the amnesty clause was used. PA knew about Roy's knees before they offered that contract. So Paul Allen knew full well that he would be paying all of that money. How did he screw him out of extra money by making a comeback with Minnesota? Minnesota paid him for that right? I think you are confusing his situation with Darius miles and Memphis.

I'm not an expert on the salary cap, but I believe the gist of it is this.

Roy would either take medical retirement, or the Blazers would have to use the one-time-only "amnesty clause". Either way, Roy got his money. Retirement meant the Blazers' insurance company was on the hook. IIRC it also had a more favorable impact on the team's salary cap.

By refusing to retire, Roy cost PA the insurance money and left the team with less cap space. Given that his "career" with the TWolves was a complete farce, I can see why PA wasn't real happy with him.
 
Love B Roy. Wish the organization loved him too. It's like he's an unwanted ghost around here. Weird.

Its because he cost the Blazers $80 million by playing those games in Minnesota. Insurance didn't cover his contract because he played there.

The team got the cap space from amnesty; so it didn't effect the Blazers roster. But it effected the Blazers business. I'm sure Paul Allen would've understood paying it if Roy had a significant playing career after Portland. But when he admits to knowing his career was over in the preseason as he did in this podcast I don't blame Paul for being annoyed at all.
 
I'm not an expert on the salary cap, but I believe the gist of it is this.

Roy would either take medical retirement, or the Blazers would have to use the one-time-only "amnesty clause". Either way, Roy got his money. Retirement meant the Blazers' insurance company was on the hook. IIRC it also had a more favorable impact on the team's salary cap.

By refusing to retire, Roy cost PA the insurance money and left the team with less cap space. Given that his "career" with the TWolves was a complete farce, I can see why PA wasn't real happy with him.

no
 
Great interview. Glad to hear Brandon's perspective. Was interesting how he talked about being hurt his whole time here even when he was an all-star. What would he have been like if he never had those injuries? Would have changed everything; he probably doesn't drop to us in the draft though.

I was trying to get ready to hate JJ for our playoff battle but he comes across excellent in the interview and starts if off saying Portland has the best restuarants of any NBA city; best in the country after Austin where I live now?
 
Allen gets really pissed when he loses pocket change. To pay for Roy's contract, Allen rents out his yachts for various purposes. Every time a tenant takes his ship, he has to wait on his scratchy lawn chair in downtown Tacoma and gaze at Puget Sound.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_(yacht)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatoosh_(yacht)

Add that last parenthesis yourself.

Yeah I'm sure Paul will be fine. One story I heard recently about Paul Allen. Paul flew to Argentina because he was gonna take his yacht on a voyage to Antartica. How do you get from the airport to your yacht? Of course you have your personal helicopter sitting on your yacht come and pick you up at the airport. But unexpectedly there was a big problem with the helicopter on the way to the airport; it goes down. Nobody is hurt thankfully. But the helicopter can't get to the airport. Paul is sitting at the airport with no way to get to his yacht. What will he do? Will someone have to find a helicopter service in town to pick him up? Will he have to take a limo out to a dock and a boat to his yacht?

Not to fear; the yacht just sends out the second helicopter they have on board to pick him up.
 
I just got educated on the Brandon issue. I'd be pissed if I were PA. :smiley-195517897341
 
Its because he cost the Blazers $80 million by playing those games in Minnesota. Insurance didn't cover his contract because he played there.

The team got the cap space from amnesty; so it didn't effect the Blazers roster. But it effected the Blazers business. I'm sure Paul Allen would've understood paying it if Roy had a significant playing career after Portland. But when he admits to knowing his career was over in the preseason as he did in this podcast I don't blame Paul for being annoyed at all.

Yeah, I forgot about the loss of the insurance money. According to Dwight Jaynes, it cost the team around $17 million in lost insurance money that would have covered part of Roy's salary.

http://www.csnnw.com/article/brandon-roys-return-nba-would-cost-trail-blazers-17-million
 
If PA really is salty about losing insurance money then screw him. Roy played his heart out for him and brought his franchise out of its darkest era.
 
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