Miles has struggled so far in his career, no question. But give him the right coaching and his potential is still achievable. Just quietly some people on these boards (not mentioning names) who hate on D-Miles and say he's a headcase- have suggested we get Bonzi Wells...
Sounds like someone we aquired last season. Not mentioning a name cause it's obvious who it is. Darius provides nothing we need. This teams needs shooters/bonafide 3rd option and for that money I'd rather we save and pay for a legitimate 3rd go to guy even if he's spendy and going to put us over the max. Ex) Ray Allen type. I'd love to see Sam Cassell come back and he could be had for decent money I think.
Let me mention the name for you. If JVG cannot coach Stromile Swift, he cannot coach Darius Miles. Miles is miles worse than Stromile. And I'm dead serious. Enough said.
Clutch, you make good points. There was a time I was interested in Miles with the Rockets. I saw visions of his long arms and athleticism, coupled with Tmac, roaming the perimeter and causing havoc on the defensive end of the court. But the off the court stuff you talk about, I just dont think this team can take a chance on that stuff. You are right that Miles is probably VERY available right now, but I dont think the Rockets will bite.
Here are a few reasons why I fell DM might be a good fit with the Rockets: He is exactly the type of athletic big bodied swingman we need [6' 9" 210] -- he plays solid Def and his shooting will improve. JVG will probably be here next year and he turned Sprewell around 180 degrees. DM has played on some lousy teams -- the the Portland Jailblazers is probably the worst place an immature player could go to develop. With the Rockets he would come into a situation were he could help immediately -- winning would cure many of DM's problems. He has shown steady improvement every year [dipped in 03-04] and he's still very young [24] - the perfect age to mesh with Yao and Tracy. He is at the age when players start to get 'it' and they focus more on the team and winning. He's available and we can get him for a reasonable price. Mad Max helped us win a title and his behavior was much worse than Miles. This isn't an excuse to bring in troubled players, but IMO we could work with Darius. His mistakes have been relatively minor.
VC was terrible in Toronto, especially for a MAX contract guy. Darius has been terrible in Portland. But he's not a MAX contract guy. Vince's career a/to ratio is less than 2:1. Just because he was throwing the ball around in 20 games in Toronto does not mean he was unselfish. He was totally selfish and a loser. And Miles is not having a career year. He has stunk up the place all year. Because he is not a leader and has been placed in a leadership role, he has failed miserably. Vince being a superstar before he was bad only add to how bad he was. To think that a player with that kind of proven ability tanked it that badly. Pure disgusting. You're missing the whole point. The point is this. Players in the NBA that don't want to be on a certain team and have character flaws act this way. It doesn't matter whether they are making $13 mill or $7 mill. Everybody's down on Miles because of how he handled this and last season. Fine, he deserves it. But to say he doesn't have the chance to be a very solid player in this league is ludicrous, especially since he is only 23 years old. Darius Miles, despite all his negatives, STILL has tremendous upside. And he doesn't have much more to go on the downside. The next stop downhill will be when he gets waived and can be signed for the minimum. Would you have wanted final judgment on your career to be passed on you when you were 23 years old? Immaturity does not equate to loser.
if we got miles i wouldnt mind it. could just draft a PF then. i think miles would do well with the pressure taken off by yao and tmac.
I really don't care about salary. You're the one who brought it up trying to compare Miles to Vince Carter. I really don't think there's a comparison. Carter has much more in common with Tmac and Rasheed in that they all hated their team and self-admittedly quit. But they could all perform at a high level. Miles never has. They burned bridges with one team, Miles has burned bridges with three. Three organizations flat out didn't want him. And now you want the rockets to line up and be #4. Thanks but no thanks. There are better risks to look at. And I don't even think he's a good fit for this team. He has no outside shot. The passing isn't there. He's inconsistent, including his defense. He's basically just long, fast, and can handle the ball....for himself. We'd have to move Tmac back to SG just to incorporate him in and he'd leave Yao crowded. I'd rather just take a risk on Trevor Ariza, who plays a style similar to Miles, and not care whether or not he fit in. Ariza could be a throwaway, Miles would HAVE to be forced in.
I am not saying acquire him at any cost. I am saying that if he could be acquired for Juwan, we minimize the risk. Juwan is owed over $20 million over the next 3 years and he is going to be worse over those next 3 years than he was this year. If we bombed out with Miles, it would not be much worse than dragging Juwan through the next 3 years. That's all I'm saying. The comparison is that they both tanked it when they didn't want to be on their respective teams. Darius is 23 years old and he's putting up average numbers on a horrible team, pretty close to the same numbers Vince was putting up at a more advanced age, when he didn't want to play in Toronto. Vince was only putting up 16 ppg last year for them. Toronto then was a much better situation for players than Portland was this year. If you can't see that Miles has upside potential, you're blind. I can see his downside. I readily acknowledge it. The only reason I'm saying that we should acquire him is because we got a player with a 3 year contract that is on the slippery slope downhill and drags us down every minute he plays on the court. And we have a lot of needs on this team, one of them being length, athleticism, and perimeter defense. Miles has the ability to meet some of those needs. If.........Portland would be interested in moving him in return for Juwan, I think we have to consider it. Tell me, Mr. Buttocks, are you one of the guys that sees Juwan as a plus on this ballclub???
I just don't understand how Vince Carter one of the elite players in the league has slipped into a discussion about Darius Miles. Makes zero sense.
People like Darius Miles have a lot to do with that. Unless, of course, you like your coworkers coming in drunk. Three teams and not one person from any of those teams have ever said anything positive about him. Earl Boykins loved practically everyone from his clipper team, except for Miles. It's his sixth season, he is who he is. He's not going to explode and I think you should realize that. No. I want him off this team ASAP. I'd trade him for an expiring, for late 2nd round draft picks, for nothing, whatever. But I'm not going to trade him for a bad person with a bigger, longer contract. And I don't think there's a lot of tension between him and the rest of the team. The best thing you can about Juwan is that he doesn't make it a living hell to come and work with him. It ain't much, but it's more than Miles can offer.
Well, we'll have to agree to disagree. I will say this. If Darius goes to a team like the Knicks, the odds of him being successful are going to be very low. But, if Darius goes to a playoff type team with already established stars and leaders, look out. He will make significant contributions. And if we met that team in the playoffs, just remember this thread when he is locking horns with McGrady and dealing him fits defensively. Remember what I said. I'll be back to remind you.
I wouldn't touch Miles with a 10-foot pole. He epitomizes the "high school star who's game does not translate into the NBA but is drafted high anyways because of that magic word: potential." I can't believe he's been in the league 6 years, but I do notice that he's added very little to his game. He still can't shoot, he's not very strong, and he's lazy. Couple that with an attitude problem and possible drinking problems, and that is a recipe for disaster. I think there was a time that the Rockets would have considered adding him, but that all changed with one guy...Eddie Griffen. Anyway, I don't see the point the point of drafting him because he pretty much has to play the 3, which would make him an expensive crappy back-up as opposed to the expensive mediocre starting 4 that you so dislike.
Ha ha, so would I. My enthusiasm for Reddie is pretty low, but the fact that I have any at all is a big surprise.
