I get the impression they are investigating treatment options. Thus the uncertainty of how long he will be out. It doesn't look like he is a candidate for Meniscal Transplant Surgery, but maybe they are hearing about other options. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00381 Either way it doesn't matter, he is out for a while. So they need to get another offensive weapon that will be here next year too. No short term fixes obviously and no panic moves either. keep the core group and add a few pieces at a time. All they can do.
We couldn't make it out of the first round with him, so it doesn't matter. The offense is much more playoff friendly without Roy, so if we do make it, I think we have a better chance of winning a series
I don't buy the 'lose the vets for nothing if there's a lockout' argument. First, it's extremely unlikely that there's NO season next year. Second, the risk only applies to Joel since his contract ends this year. The Blazers could extend him if they want to avoid that concern. Canby and Andre, if the Blazers pick up his option, will be under contract through next season. I also don't buy the argument that it's better to miss the playoffs on the minuscule chance of getting a reasonably high lottery pick than to play as the 7th or 8th seed. If you make the playoffs, at a minimum you gain experience. You never know what happens if you get a shot. Maybe the opposing team has a major injury. Maybe Brandon is able to contribute more by then and the Blazers are able to steal a series. In my opinion, it's always better to get a shot at the playoffs.
