Roy claims retirement wasn’t forever

Brandon Roy’s retirement from the NBA last year wasn’t intended as a final decision. The Minnesota Timberwolves were eager to help him clarify his status. “After a few months of sitting out, I decided, ‘Hey, I don’t want to stop playing basketball,’ ” Roy (pictured right) said Tuesday at a news conference in Minneapolis after signing a two-year, $10.4 million contract. The Portland Trail Blazers announced Roy’s medical-related retirement right before the start of the lockout-shortened season last year. His knees, lacking cartilage after six operations, were bothering him too much to continue. The former Washington …

Brandon Roy’s retirement from the NBA last year wasn’t intended as a final decision. The Minnesota Timberwolves were eager to help him clarify his status. “After a few months of sitting out, I decided, ‘Hey, I don’t want to stop playing basketball,’ ” Roy (pictured right) said Tuesday at a news conference in Minneapolis after signing a two-year, $10.4 million contract. The Portland Trail Blazers announced Roy’s medical-related retirement right before the start of the lockout-shortened season last year. His knees, lacking cartilage after six operations, were bothering him too much to continue. The former Washington Husky said the team doctor advised him to quit. “It was never really officially my decision to retire,” Roy said.

– Associated Press