After a summer of negotiational back and forth during which both sides indicated at various points that they were far apart and then making progress, the Portland Trailblazers have inked All Star shooting guard Brandon Roy to a five year contract extension. Roy will be in the final year of his rookie contract in the forthcoming NBA season, and securing the services of a player that did no less than turn around the franchise was the teams top summer priority.
Brandon Roy may have saved the Portland NBA franchise thanks to his on-court talent and off the court class. The Blazers slumped from their glory years of the 1970's and 1980's as the 1990's progressed, eventually pulling together a roster consisting of character challenged reprobates that earned the moniker JailBlazers for their frequent legal transgressions.
With the Blazers fans staying away from the arena in droves, owner Paul Allen finally had enough and cleaned house. The new management was given the challenge to put together a roster that would not only win games, but win back the Rose City fans. The acquisition of Roy will likely be looked at as the turning point for this effort. The Blazers acquired Roy on draft day 2006 for Randy Foye, and would go on to win the NBAs rookie of the year award.
Since that point, Roy has become the face of the franchise. The Blazers"who were 21-61 the year before Roy arrived"posted a 54-28 record last season. Roy has become the centerpiece of a talented young team had has not only become a force in the NBAs Western Conference but has gone a long way to winning back the Portland fan base. The current crop of Blazers is more likely to be found in the aisles at Home Depot or at Starbucks than in the police blotter, and the team seldom puts forth a substandard effort on the court.
The first four years of Roy's 5 year $84 million deal are guaranteed, while the fifth is at the players option. Roys agent Bob Myers strongly suggested that Roy wanted to remain with the Blazers for his entire career, noting that he "is one of the unique players to have a chance to have that sort of relationship with one team."
The team will now turn its attention to signing a long term deal with forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is also in the final year of his rookie contract and a key component to the teams recent success. At last report, talks between the two sides are progressing.
Author Resource:
Ross Everett is a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook as well as a freelance writer specializing in fight sports, investing strategy and how to bet on NFL football. He is a well known authority on Internet sports betting , cigars and fencing. He lives in southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet wallaby.
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