Send an Blazers-wide email that reads to the effect: 'Don't you dare make Miles an under-the-table hush-and-sit offer that will keep him from playing for another team. And don't forget to sue the tooth-fairy when he leaves you foreign money under your pillow. Thank you very much.' ...
1. Offer a trade to the Blazers and threaten to sign Miles. 2. If they refuse, sign Miles to a 10 day contract and play him 1 game to pressure them. 3. If they still refuse, play him the second game and screw them. It's a win-win for the Rockets.
That's who MIles was compared to mainly back then - Tmac. Similar body-type and game potential. STraight from high school, etc.
this is the part I keep re-reading to me, this is an issue Portland needs to take up with the Players Union or else they should get Stern involved. There's no reason to threaten every other team because a league appointed doctor made a bad assessment of Miles' career. clearly his career hasn't ended, he suited up with Boston and Memphis this season and pre-season.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-blazersthreat010809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns It's getting really interesting.
NEW YORK -- Darius Miles cleared waivers and became a free agent. That much was clear Friday. Yet everything surrounding the Miles affair -- the possibility of him returning to the NBA this season, and the negative salary-cap ramifications he would cause for the Portland Trail Blazers -- took a complicated and controversial turn Friday after the club sent a memo to the 29 other NBA teams threatening litigation against anyone who signs Miles or claims his contract off waivers if it is solely for the purpose of burdening the Blazers' cap. TrueHoop: The Miles mess Before Henry Abbott gets to cap space and e-mail missives, he makes the point that Darius Miles is not, and should not be, medically retired. Blog The matter has been added to this afternoon's agenda at a previously scheduled meeting between NBA and players' union attorneys, ESPN.com has learned. In a memo sent to its 30 teams Friday that announced Miles had cleared waivers, the league office acknowledged it received the e-mail Portland distributed. The NBA in its statement also seemed to indicate that it would support any club wishing to sign the veteran forward. Numerous league executives contacted by ESPN.com suggested Friday that a line in the memo confirming that "teams are free to sign Darius Miles to a Uniform Player Contract" and that "any such contract would be approved by the NBA" are a first in a league-issued waiver notice. If Miles plays two more games, then his Blazers contract, worth $18 million total for this season and next, would count against Portland's salary cap and force the team to pay the NBA's luxury tax next summer. The contract had been removed from salary-cap and tax considerations when the Blazers deemed Miles medically unable to play and released him. lastname Miles "Darius Miles is focused on one thing -- that's returning to play basketball. That's it. He's not focusing on any of those other issues," said agent Jeff Wechsler, who was on the phone Friday morning with union attorneys trying to devise a strategy to confront what many around the league were describing as an unprecedented situation. The Blazers' e-mail, signed by team president Larry Miller, states that if any team were to sign the free-agent forward "for the purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers' Salary Cap and tax positions ... the Portland Trail Blazers will take all necessary steps to safeguard its rights, including, without limitation, litigation." The full text of the e-mail, according to reports by SI.com and Yahoo! Sports, reads: "'Team Presidents and General Managers, 'The Portland Trail Blazers are aware that certain teams may be contemplating signing Darius Miles to a contract for the purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers Salary Cap and tax positions. Such conduct from a team would violate its fiduciary duty as an NBA joint venturer. In addition, persons or entities involved in such conduct may be individually liable to the Portland Trail Blazers for tortuously interfering with the Portland Trail Blazers' contract rights and perspective economic opportunities. 'Please be aware that if a team engages in such conduct, the Portland Trail Blazers will take all necessary steps to safeguard its rights, including, without limitation, litigation.'" Teams had believed the collective bargaining agreement said Miles must play 10 regular-season or postseason games in a season for the $18 million to count against the Blazers. But six preseason games Miles played for the Boston Celtics counted toward the 10. Before the Memphis Grizzlies waived him on Tuesday night to avoid guaranteeing his contract for the rest of the season, Miles served a 10-game drug-related suspension and then played two regular-season games, pushing his total games played to eight. Had they not waived him, Miles' contract with Memphis would have become guaranteed for the remainder of the season. It was not clear whether the Grizzlies had planned to re-sign Miles to a 10-day contract after he cleared waivers. Senior writer Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN.com.
Obviously his career wasn't ended. It wasn't a "bad assessment." That's the assessment Portland wanted, thus allowing them to opportunity to keep his salary off the books and presumably let insurance cover part of or the remainder of his contract. The assessment was the guy probably shouldn't play anymore, yet he attempted a comeback. It's all on Portland, as they knew there was always a possibility he would come back. Where Portland is wrong is attacking the rest of the league and essentially daring a team to sign him. If Portland has a right to be mad at anyone, it's only with Miles, if they all came to the conclusion that his career was "over." Nevertheless, it's Portland's fault for this mess. They knew this was a possibility and should shut up/man up and accept the LT hit from the horrendous contract they gave the guy years ago. They had no problem buying out Francis last year. Simply put: whatever happens, move on.
Some may not realize but the Blazers don't really care about luxury tax/or money. They do however care about their cap space.
It's a moot point; they (LT and available cap space) are tied together in this particular scenario. Question: Do D-League games count against the 10? Is it even possible for a team to sign him (10-day or remainder of the season guaranteed) and play him in the D-League to allow him playing time?
As much trouble as we're in now, we don't need to deal with another problem child in Darius Miles. This Rocket team needs more stability and hustling on defense. Darius Miles is known for neither.
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=4150878&postcount=51 He was signed by the Grizzlies ....AGAIN. LMAO.
hell no, we don't need DM!!! we already have a roster full of people that can play the 4 position!!!!
You just don't get it do you.... The point is to get him and play him for two games to 1. get $250,000 from Portland for going over luxury tax, 2. hurt Portland by making them go over salary cap and make them unable to sign other free agent. Anyway Grizzles got him and it will be wise/dick move to play him 2 more games.
