Blazers Brandon Roy to take Medical Retirement

Portland Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy will take a medical retirement due to degenerative knees that he has had multiple surgeries on the past few years.

Thunder Sputter, Lose To The Rockets

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both had big nights, but in the end it wasn’t enough, as the Rockets, sparked by Trevor Ariza, went on a run midway through the fourth and never looked back, winning handily 105-94.  The game was close through three quarters and much of the fourth, but the Thunder couldn’t get any stops on the defensive end when they needed them.  The Rockets ran their offense with ease, seemingly getting any look they wanted.  Ariza–who has become the focal point of Houston’s offense this season after essentially swapping teams with Ron Artest–drove uncontested to the basket on a number of possessions down the stretch.

And that is real story: the Thunder, despite playing well offensively, appeared out of sorts for much of the game on the other end of the court.  Aside from the fact that Jeff Green is undersized for the power forward position, the team also lacks a reliable shot blocker, an interior presence to, at the very least, contest shots around the basket.  For proof, look no further than what Carl Landry was able to do in thirty minutes off the Rockets bench: 21 points and 9 rebounds, most of which came in the second half.

The Thunder have played pretty well so far this season, but if they hope to improve upon last year’s 23 wins, they’ll need to find some answers defensively.  Otherwise, it’s going to be long, disappointing season for what could be one of the more promising young teams in the league.