Ranking the five best Portland Trail Blazers players of the last decade

Despite our prior apology to Brandon Roy, the former Rookie of the Year still manages to sneak into this list.

Roy served as the spark to get many young people interested in basketball for the first time in their lives, and who could blame them? Roy was absolutely electric when he took the court. Roy was the face of Blazers basketball at the beginning of the decade, few could have represented Portland better.

Unfortunately, Roy’s once promising career was cut short by a devastating series of knee injuries. After six operations, Roy was informed there was no cartilage left in his knee and continuing to play basketball would be a serious health risk moving forward.

It’s worth taking a trip down memory lane to remember just how great Roy truly was at his peak:

Although he may have had degenerative knees, Portland fans’ love for Roy never degenerated. His best years may have been behind him at the turn of the decade, but Roy still willed himself to an impressive performance in 2010, averaging 21.5 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Roy’s efforts earned him his second All-NBA nomination and third All-Star selection, making him one of only three Portland players to be named to the All-Star Game this decade.

To most NBA fans Brandon Roy is just another player in the pile of “What if?” stories like Derrick Rose and Grant Hill. To Portland fans however, Roy is a the face of a generation, a symbol of hope, and reason to love basketball again.