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Free-agent guard Jamal Crawford has joined the Portland Trail Blazers. Crawford, who was reportedly considering cheap shoseSacramento and the Blazers, announced his choice on Twitter, posting “Rip city!!!” The Blazers made it official a few hours later on Thursday when they announced they had signed Crawford. The terms of the two-year deal were not released. In order to make a deal with Crawford, the team used the NBA’s new amnesty clause to waive All-Star guard Brandon Roy, who announced his retirement last week because of ongoing knee problems. The Blazers also on Thursday agreed to terms with free-agent forward Craig Smith, known as “The Rhino,” who played with the Los Angeles Clippers for the past two seasons. An 11-year veteran, Crawford played for the Atlanta Hawks the last two seasons. For his career, the 31-year-old has averaged 15.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He won the NBA’s Sixth Man award in 2010. “We’ve thought highly of Jamal for a long wholesale watches time and think he’s a great fit for our team,” said Chad Buchanan, Portland’s acting general manager. “He brings a scorer’s touch and veteran leadership that will help us immediately.” Blazers guard Wesley Matthews said he spoke to Crawford on Wednesday night. “I’m excited about it,” Matthews said. “He wants to come and win and that’s what we’re about.” Crawford, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, will help the Blazers deal with the absence of Roy and former Blazer Rudy Fernandez, who was traded away on draft night in June. Matthews said he was unconcerned about potential competition for playing time. “We can coexist at the same time, similar to cheap watches what they did in Atlanta with Joe Johnson and him,” Matthews said. Terms of the deal with Smith, a five-year veteran, were not disclosed. Expected to join the team on Friday, Smith averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 48 games with the Clippers. By using amnesty to waive Roy, the Blazers freed up salary cap space that allowed the team to use a mid-level exception on Crawford. Roy, who was under a max contract, was set to make $15 million this year. “Brandon’s announcement that he is leaving the game ultimately shifted our decision to amnesty,” Buchanan said in a statement. “We’re given the immediate option to obtain additional salary cap flexibility as we will no longer be in the Luxury Tax—something that is critical to improving our team and helping us recover from the loss of a player of Brandon’s caliber.” A three-time All-Star who has played all wholesale handbags five of his NBA seasons in Portland, Roy had been dogged by pain for the past two years because he lacks cartilage between the bones in his knees. He sat for stretches of last season because of soreness and had arthroscopic surgery on both knees last January. He returned to end the season with a career-low average of 12.2 points in 47 games. Roy, a fan favorite whom many credit with turning around the team’s once-tarnished “Jail Blazers” reputation, finished his career with averages of 19 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds. Coach Nate McMillan praised Roy and his proclivity for late-game heroics. “The closer. That’s how I look at cheap handbagshim,” McMillan said. “The closer has closed.” Crawford is close to Roy, a fellow Seattle native. Buchanan told reporters Thursday afternoon that Roy will always have a place in the organization. “If there’s any role that he wanted to take on moving forward, we would love to have him in any capacity … there’s always going to be a place for Brandon in this organization,” Buchanan said. “And at some point he’ll probably consider and look into all of his options and what he wants to do now that he’s done playing. We just want to make sure that he knows he always has a home with us.” The Blazers also announced that forward LaMarcus Aldridge had been cleared to return to non-contact practice starting on Saturday. Aldridge underwent a procedure wholesale jerseys last Friday to treat for Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a condition which causes the ventricles of the heart to contract prematurely. Aldridge was diagnosed with the disorder in 2007. He had a similar procedure at the time, and missed the final nine games of the 2006-07 season.

Stoke heaped more pressure on Blackburn manager Steve replica handbags Kean with a 3-1 victory over struggling Rovers at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday. Tony Pulis's side took the lead through Rory Delap's first half header and added further goals after half-time from Glenn Whelan and Peter Crouch. Blackburn got one back through Ruben Rochina in the closing stages, but Kean's team never threatened a fightback as Stoke ended a run of four successive defeats Rovers have won just once this season and remain second bottom of the Premier League—four points from safety—and the travelling Blackburns fans vented their frustrations with chants for Kean to be sacked. It is not the first time they have turned on replica shose Kean this season, with one group of fans recently hiring a plane to fly over Ewood Park with a banner reading "Kean Out!" during a match. Blackburn's Indian owners this week "revised" the terms of Kean's contract in a move regarded as showing their support for the beleaguered boss, but he is likely to last much longer if there many repeats of this shocking performance. After a drab start, Stoke's first genuine chance to attack the Rovers goal led to their opening goal in the 28th minute. Steven Nzonzi's foul on Crouch gave Jermaine Pennant the opportunity to whip in a free-kick from the right and he did so perfectly. The ball just cleared Morten Gamst Pedersen, wholesale handbags who was the first defender inside the penalty area, and Delap got in front of Gael Givet to divert a glancing header past goalkeeper Paul Robinson and inside the far post. Five minutes before the break Stoke midfielder Whelan cleared off the line from Scott Dann's header as Blackburn finally mounted an attack of their own. Blackburn should have equalised within a minute of the second half restarting after Rochina had dribbled his way to the byline and cleverly backheeled to Mauro Formica but the Argentinian completely missed his shot from four yards. Robert Huth was then left wondering how he missed the target as he powered a header wide from Matt Etherington's far post cross in the 54th minute. But fortunately for Stoke they did not have long to rue that error as four minutes later Etherington picked out Jon Walters in the penalty area and he laid the ball off for Whelan, with the aid of a deflection from Dann, to wholesale shose drive home from 25 yards for his first goal since February 2010. Crouch sealed the win when he clinically converted Marc Wilson's long ball into the Rovers penalty area with a left-footed shot in the 72nd minute. Rochina reduced the deficit with a fine strike from distance in the 86th minute after Junior Hoilett had cut in from the left.