Portland Trail Blazers Suffer Another Heart-Breaking Loss: Fabricio Oberto Retires

By Sharmaine Jones

It appears that the Portland Trail Blazers' bad luck just keeps on rearing its ugly head. We're well aware of Rudy Fernandez's position of flat-out not wanting to play for the organization, they lost their 2007 number one draft pick Greg Oden for a third straight season due to an injury,  their high-flying rookie guard Elliot Williams must undergo season ending surgery on his right knee, but probably the most disturbing news is the announced retirement of Fabricio Oberto – an intricate part of their dwindling front court.

Image : Getty Images

The 6'10 Center recently announced his decision to retire due to recurrent palpitations related to a prior cardiac condition. The symptoms were visible during the Blazers' game against the Milwaukee Bucks last Tuesday (November 2). Oberto experienced light-headedness and dizziness during the first half.  Oberto initially decided to take a few games off but after speaking to friends and family members decided to put his health first:

"I made this decision to put my health and my family in front of basketball," Oberto said in a statement "It was a tough decision to make after playing for so many years, but it was the right one."

The Trail Blazers organization are well aware that this is a tough blow to recover from but they respect and understand Oberto's decision:

“We want to thank Fabricio for his professionalism and hard work during his short time here,” said Trail Blazers General Manager Rich Cho in the release. “It's unfortunate to lose him, but we respect his decision to do what's best for his health and his family.”

Oberto was signed one day before the start of the season to fill the void that the injuries of Oden and Joel Przybilla – their other injured center – presented by coming off the bench for starting center Marcus Camby. The Trailblazers definitely have the offensive firepower in “lights out” shooting guard Brandon Roy, the post-up play of LeMarcus Aldridge (PF) and the “slashing” Andre Miller (PG) but aside from his size (6'10, 245 lbs), Oberto provided was leadership and experience that this young team needed. The Argentinian center was a part of Argentina's 2004 Olympic Gold Medal Team as well as starting center for the San Antonio Spurs' 2007 NBA Championship Team.

We wish Fabricio the best and we must say, the Trail Blazers would be fools not to keep the veteran on staff in some sort of mentoring or consulting capacity. After all, the man knows how to win. Just saying.

Do you agree with Fabricio's decision to retire? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Argentina, basketball, Fabricio Oberto, NBA, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez