Carmelo Anthony is back after officially signing with the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. However, the Blazers did not make his jersey number 7 available to Melo.
No. 7 hasn't been sported since Brandon Roy last wore it in 2011.
Trail Blazers faithful believe and hope that Roy’s No. 7 will eventually be retired by Portland.
In the latest edition of the Talkin' Blazers Podcast with Channing Frye and Dan Sheldon, the two discussed B-Roy’s legacy.
Frye raises the question: “How do you tell the history of the Blazers without Brandon Roy?”
“Injuries aside, that guy was one of the best players," Frye said on the latest Talkin’ Blazers Podcast. “I’ve played with Hall of Fame guys, and his injury out of all the injuries I’ve seen in the NBA, cut one of the best careers short. That guy was a constant professional, he knew basketball, he was a great teammate, and great leader, and he was a winner. When it came down to winning time, he wanted the ball and he knew how to score and he knew how to make plays.”
There’s no doubt that both Frye and Roy are two fan-favorites in Rip City in different ways.
But for Frye, he had a lot of praise for how B-Roy fought through pain.
“I seen him in a game where he drained his knee,” Frye said. “It was disgusting how much stuff came out of his knee. And he went and gave Phoenix 52 points. At that point, I knew he was the real deal Holyfield.”
If a player is ‘the real deal Holyfield’ it would be hard to believe his jersey number would not get retired.
Listen to the full Talkin' Blazers podcast below: