I went on the radio in Portland yesterday morning with Chad Doing on KXTG 750 The Game to discuss whether the Trail Blazers should waive Brandon Roy, and my opinion was : What’s the hurry? (Click here to listen to the interview).
You only get to use the amnesty clause once during the 10-year collective bargaining agreement, and it is becoming clear that several teams, such as Washington with Rashard Lewis, would prefer to keep it in their back pocket for use sometime in the future.
Roy was a non-factor in the Blazers’ final two games last postseason when they were ousted from the playoffs in six games in a first-round matchup against the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks. But it should not be forgotten that he was a machine in Portland’s record setting Game 4 victory in that series when he scored 18 fourth-quarter points to lead a comeback from a 23-point fourth-quarter deficit — an NBA playoff record for a fourth-quarter comeback — to tie that series at 2-2.
Portland president Larry Miller came out later in the day and said no decision has been made on what the team will do with Roy, or, for that matter, with their vacant general manager’s position.
From Mike Tokito of the Oregonian: In addition to (columnist John) Canzano, KATU.com and at least one national website reported that the Blazers intended to use the amnesty clause to jettison Roy’s contract from the salary cap.
Miller said interim general manager Chad Buchanan called Roy’s agent at 6 a.m. this morning — the earliest team officials could contact agents — to arrange a meeting with Roy. “With everything that Brandon has done for this organization, there’s no way we would make a decision like that without having conversation with him, without evaluating where he is,” Miller said.