Why won't Darius Miles tell himself to retire?

[campybatman]

With all the names at small forward in free agency more and more coming off the table. I wouldn't be surprised if Miles is signed now. I'm not in favor of this signing, but what's left out there? Not a whole lot now that Barnes is no longer an option. Rats, I hate when you've to settle and I feel like Ainge is settling here. But, of course, he'll proclaim that Miles was "his guy" from the start. Which I won't buy.

[bruno sundov]

Give me Bonzi wells over this kid. You know exactly what you are getting with Bonzi. Man I bet that 5yr $35 mill from sacramento looks good now Bonzi.

[campybatman]

More on Miles...

The Trail Blazers, specifically General Manager Kevin Pritchard, may be in violation of federal regulations in regard to public comments about the medical condition of former player Darius Miles.

Miles underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee and has not played since April 15, 2006. After a long rehabilitation period, the team first ruled him unfit to play and then sought an independent physician’s examination of the knee. That physician ruled Miles’ injury was career ending – which was important to the Blazers on two fronts that have to do with finances.

First, the $18 million over two seasons left on Miles contract would not count against the team’s salary cap.

Second, insurance would cover much of the cost of Miles’ remaining salary.

The problem for Pritchard and the Blazers is that those statements could be a violation of the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Availability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Since the HIPAA privacy rule went into effect on April 14, 2003, pro and college teams in all sports have been very reluctant to reveal specific details of player injuries without the permission of the player.

Miles’ agent, Jeffrey Wechsler, refused comment. It is believed nothing will come of this if Miles lands a job with another NBA team. And it’s likely he will, given that teams will need to pay him only the minimum salary and, in spite of the local perception of his character, many of his former teammates and coaches believe him to be relatively harmless to team harmony.

However, if he does not sign with another team, there is an expectation that Miles could file a grievance with the league and also file a suit against the Blazers for attempting to restrict the player’s ability to find a job.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/sto ... 3261551200

[buckner1976]

todays globe says were supposedly still interested:

" Bits and pieces: An NBA source said the Celtics remain interested in free agent forward Darius Miles, who hasn't played the last two seasons because of a knee injury . . ."

i still wonder just how healthy he is and how ready he is for anything even resembling serious minutes.

[Truthiracy]

Sign Bonzi before you sign this bum Miles.. can he contribute in any positive way? Highly doubtful.

[TheCelticTruth]

Give me Bonzi wells over this kid. You know exactly what you are getting with Bonzi. Man I bet that 5yr $35 mill from sacramento looks good now Bonzi.

lol, thats true.

however, i think id give a sight edge to dmiles out of the two. my reasoning is that bonzi is more likely to give a consistent contribution, but is more of a bad egg and attitude issue, plus will need more money from us.

i think miles is more dumb than a bad guy, and will only command the vet min, plus if he is in good health can give you more than bonzi can

[canman1971]

Unless there is a trade or Walker does indeed go to Europe, I don't see Danny bringing anyone else in, unless it is a non-guaranteed invite to camp. Danny loves flexibility and no way he goes into the season with 15 players on the roster IMO.

[bruno sundov]

Give me Bonzi wells over this kid. You know exactly what you are getting with Bonzi. Man I bet that 5yr $35 mill from sacramento looks good now Bonzi.

lol, thats true.

however, i think id give a sight edge to dmiles out of the two. my reasoning is that bonzi is more likely to give a consistent contribution, but is more of a bad egg and attitude issue, plus will need more money from us.

i think miles is more dumb than a bad guy, and will only command the vet min, plus if he is in good health can give you more than bonzi can

yeah those are good points. At this point we are essentially talking about the last man on our rotation being Bonzi or Dmiles. That is pretty cool spot to be in. We aren't expecting either to contribute a huge amount.

[TheCelticTruth]

Unless there is a trade or Walker does indeed go to Europe, I don't see Danny bringing anyone else in, unless it is a non-guaranteed invite to camp. Danny loves flexibility and no way he goes into the season with 15 players on the roster IMO.

whats is the penalty for cutting a vet min player? anyone know?

[Spin Move]

Unless there is a trade or Walker does indeed go to Europe, I don't see Danny bringing anyone else in, unless it is a non-guaranteed invite to camp. Danny loves flexibility and no way he goes into the season with 15 players on the roster IMO.

whats is the penalty for cutting a vet min player? anyone know?

Other then having to pay the rest of their salary (about 500 grand) no penalty.

[GreenMachine]

There is a very good chance we sign Miles.

Not only can we pay him the Vet Min - It does not count against the cap! DA sees this as a Ricky Davis move - but we have to give up Nothing to get him - not even cap room!

I love this move in all ways but one. It means No PT for Walker or Giddens and less for TA.

If he comes in and can't play or is a baby... you cut him. If he can play - he is our 6th man.

[billfromBoston]

I read that when James Posey cries -- yeah right, he would never cry -- but if he did shed even a single tear, he would cry Jelly Belly jellybeans. And not the buttered popcorn type. He is just that great of a player.

In fact, James Posey is so good that he is the reigning MVP of intergalactic man hugs. I mean, how can you argue with those intangibles?

One time James Posey had a small pebble in his shoe. He was very angry and tossed it all the way to Australia. Wouldn't you know it, that simple act formed Ayers Rock. He is truly a spectactular, magnificent, extraordinary player of ginormous proportions and never ending skill. All praise the Pos.

James Posey has quickly become the Derek Jeter of Celtic-Nation. Please, someone stop the flippin' insanity.

...this coming from the guy that pretty much takes intangibles out of the picture in his analysis of a player...

Seriously though, I agree with the premise of this point, Posey is being glorified beyond his utility...but to say a few posts earlier that it was the Clippers and Cavs fault for Miles lack of development and not a reflection of the selfish, lazy, and difficult person Miles was to deal with for all three organizations is equally as preposterous as the glorifying of Posey...

Miles may be a changed man after facing his own mortality, but he was a victim of his own self-opinion, not a victim of others acting against his best interests...Miles had a **** work ethic and lacked coach-ability...his current status in the league is his own doing...

[sweatdog]

i skimmed through the previous posts so my apologies for repeating any information but i just want to share some figures from the last season miles played, which are all found here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/s ... 06&sType=4

note that particularly during the 05-06 season miles was able to put up some unique stat lines during his games where he got the PT. i remember because i had him on my fantasy team before he fell off the radar due to his injury. in November '06 (14 games) he averaged (rounded) 19pts 5.5reb 2.5ast 1.5stl 1.5blk on 49% shooting. i wont leave out the significant 3.5 TO's per game or the sickly 57% FT because thats very relevent when considering miles as a celtic. Hes had alot of big games in his career but as far as i know that is his best NBA month statistically.

Considering that, how can anyone call DM a poor player? Arent all you Tony Allen fans quick to defend your man with his impressive performances and stat lines of the past? If DM should be skipped for anything it should be injury-recovery concern, and we are only toying with the idea of signing him if his leg is indeed mended. Forget about the drug suspension, thats so small time it shouldnt be a factor when choosing him for a 15th man role. Forget about him not playing for a few years because rust can be scraped and polished, he still has young legs in terms of years of wear and tear. And forget about his immaturity because that is cureable, conquerable. There are many great players who endured their immature years.

DM now knows what its like to NOT play NBA ball after years of making a fat paycheck - and that my friends is serious motivation. I dont know what his motivations actually are and i wont assume anything, but if it is just money that is plenty of incentive to get your mind right. Hes a few years older, a little more humble, a little more mature and i imagine seriously anxious to show what hes still capable of.

We cant forget were talking about an end of the bench role here. I disagree with the posters who proclaim our 2nd unit has plenty of scoring punch, i say it could use some O and i think DM would bring an experienced athletic dynamic to our bench that only TA is capable of right now. And on the flip side how many players do you know that can average over 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks during a month+ of the NBA season? He did amazing things on defense with just his athleticism, if he had put his head and heart into his defense he could have achieved some mind boggling stat lines those few years ago. Dont talk to me about Giddens and Walker just yet, they are still prospects and we cant pin any hopes on prospects. Am i saying get DM now now now? certainly not. but if pro talent evaluators are saying DM is ready for NBA action and danny is in agreement then lets consider him a great potential vet min signing and hope for some fireworks like he brought to the L just a few years ago.

- sweatdog

[campybatman]

Keep the fifteenth roster opening open until the trade deadline at least. There's no rush by anyone team to sign Miles. Still, I believe Ainge would be motived to sign him if for any reason that insurance covers him and/or he's only asking for a minimum salary.

[sully00]

I don't think this team can bring Bonzi Wells in not for training camp and a full season. I mean if you want to take a shot with him from the trade deadline and the postseason maybe but he really is a total A-Hole. I mean he doesn't leave anything but bitterness in his wake. People will try and explain away Sheed, or Artest and even Z-Bo's issues and tell you he is a good guy. Nobody does that for Bonzi because he isn't. I love the player talented and tough but nothing but plants dying and children crying everywhere he goes.

I couldn't really stand Darius Miles as a player but he is only 26 years old and has a lot of talent and just prior to the injury he started to be a half decent ball player. I like the idea of a guy like Livingston more as far as an injury rehab kind of guy but it isn't terrible.

[Jammer]

Well, I think that Danny may be laying the ground work to do something with Darius Miles in the summer of 2009 (or even later), and not necessarily this coming season.

A couple of things about Darius Miles.

When Miles came out early back in 2000 at age 19 or so as a #3 pick,

he was misclassified by ALL as a SF,

due to his slight frame, excellent ball handling with either hand, quickness, and 6' 7+" true height.

The problem with Miles was his skillset was clearly PF all the way.

He had no shot, I mean, if a jumper hit the rim, he got all giddy and excited.

Defenders used to lay off him 8 feet and more when he was on the perimeter on offense.

Now, once Miles got his hands on the ball within 8 feet of the basket,

his ability to spin in either direction, put the ball on the floor, ELEVATE AND FLUSH;

made him a serious threat in the Lamar Odom days of the the Clippers.

The thing is, he probably doesn't have that ELEVATION and EXPLOSIVENESS anymore.

Which were two of the things that made him so effective when he caught the ball inside 8 feet of the basket.

His concentration could wane, too. On one play, he might make a stunning block; and then on the next, he might coast while an opponent drove in a for a layup.

Anyway, his skill set is definately not SF.

He CAN'T SHOOT. Meaning, you can lay 8 feet off him on the perimeter.

He doesn't handle the ball in a linear direction well. He mainly a spin near the rim kind of guy.

He has value. But on a team intent on winning a championship, it's less than it would be on a struggling team trying to finish above 0.500.

[Red Robot]

Have any of you guys heard anything from anyone in the Celtics organization about Miles? Do they typically talk openly about such things?

One theory--and I'm not sure I agree--is that Miles' agent is pushing the workout stories. Darius apparently has worked out for several teams, but the sources saying he was "impressive" are anonymous and the reports lack anything specific.

My guess, from what I've seen, is that Miles' injury really was career-ending. If he can play, I don't know whether he'd be a good pickup or not. It's definitely a low-risk move, but after watching the trajectory of his career and rehab, I don't imagine he's an effective player anymore. I don't know if he'd be a good fit on a contending team like the Cs. One good thing is that he seems to be motivated, which was IMO one of the biggest things holding him back in the past. I don't know why he's motivated though, as he's still going to get another $18 million from the Blazers no matter what happens. It seems odd to me that he's attempting a comeback at all.

[Rocky5000]

Miles is far from being a perfect player. On our team he would basically be a high energy defender that is able to play the 3/4. On offense, we shouldn't expect him to give us anything other than stuff around the basket and in the open court. It would definitely be a different role than he has played thus far in his career, but I think it could work for us. The guy is 6'9" (in shoes) with a 7'2" wingspan, those are the same measurements as Tayshaun Prince. As a result of his length he can create big problems for the other team. I think it's perfectly fine to have the 15th roster spot be used on such a utility player. Since he only wants the minimum with a team opt-out clause in case of injury, the risk is about as low as you can get. If we find that we want another guy sometime during the season, we can just cut him.

[Rocky5000]

Have any of you guys heard anything from anyone in the Celtics organization about Miles? Do they typically talk openly about such things?

One theory--and I'm not sure I agree--is that Miles' agent is pushing the workout stories. Darius apparently has worked out for several teams, but the sources saying he was "impressive" are anonymous and the reports lack anything specific.

My guess, from what I've seen, is that Miles' injury really was career-ending. If he can play, I don't know whether he'd be a good pickup or not. It's definitely a low-risk move, but after watching the trajectory of his career and rehab, I don't imagine he's an effective player anymore. I don't know if he'd be a good fit on a contending team like the Cs. One good thing is that he seems to be motivated, which was IMO one of the biggest things holding him back in the past. I don't know why he's motivated though, as he's still going to get another $18 million from the Blazers no matter what happens. It seems odd to me that he's attempting a comeback at all.

This is the sound-bite from Ainge, before Posey jumped ship.
“Darius’ talent is there, and his health is better than we were led to believe,” Ainge says. “We’re going to continue to explore that and some other options.

[campybatman]

The one thing that keeps sticking out to me regarding Miles is his own admission that he isn't in NBA shape and he would probably admit too being somewhat overweight as well. Who's to say that it won't take half the regular season for him to get into NBA shape and that's based on the assumption that he'll receive regular minutes in the rotation which I would doubt.

Personally, I don't understand why Ainge is still "exploring" if the roster is near set. Or is it? My feeling is that Ainge must have a few reservations about the small forward and center depth. There's uncertainty... And where there's uncertainty, there exist a certain level of concern. I don't believe that Ainge is all the way confident in the team right now. Hopefully, things work themselves out by the All-Star break.