After initially reaching a verbal agreement with Brandon Roy way back on July 5th, the Timberwolves finally made the two-year deal official today. During his introductory press conference, Roy spoke to the media about last year's "retirement," his decision to return, and his role with the T-Wolves. Here are a few of the highlights, courtesy of Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld….
On his retirement last winter:
"It never really was officially my decision to retire. With the process in Portland, I met with the team doctor, we talked for awhile. We have a really, really good relationship. He’s a guy that’s been working with me for five years with my knees. It was a situation where I went in for the physical, and he thought it would be in my best interest to stop playing basketball because of my knees. We pretty much left it up to the team to decide if they wanted to pursue the medical retirement route. After a week, they decided to use the amnesty. For me, it was never that I was retired…. It’s never a situation where I said, ‘I’m done forever.’ It was more of a pause."
On deciding to return to the NBA and preparing for his comeback:
"It was a tough season to sit out but after thinking about it, I wanted to start preparing myself to make a comeback. I didn’t want it to be an overnight decision so I decided to start working out for about two months before I would make my official decision to come back. After two months of pushing myself, my body felt really great. It responded really well."
On his free agency and the Timberwolves' interest:
"It was a weird process. I never really said ‘I’m coming back.’ It was, ‘I’m thinking about coming back’ just to kind of put feelers out there to see what teams were really excited and believed in me. Minnesota was that team, along with some other ones. They continued to call and watch me workout. When they said, ‘Hey Brandon, the sky’s the limit here,’ that really made me feel good. I thought some teams maybe wanted me to play a small role, but Minnesota said you can come in and earn as big of a role as you want. That was really important for me."
On any limitations he may face in Minnesota:
"I would still love to be around that 35-minute mark. It’s whatever the team needs. I don’t want those situations where coach has to say, ‘We’re in a tough game, but you’re at your minute limit.’ That was something I had to deal with in my last season in Portland. That was really hard. Physically, I feel good. I want to play as much as possible, but at the same time be smart because it’s a long season and we want to be at our best down the stretch."