Cannot they just spend a little money and hire someone to break Miles' leg? that's not hard. If you want things quiet, car accident or drug overdosing would do the wonder. Also, they should have sent the email to Miles, "one game one leg'.....that's clear enough...
Can't you let the guy down easy? Come on, he spent 7 years in school so he could pompously brag that he's a lawyer. Give him a break!
Tell you what, the Blazers must have lost their mind to send this out. It was already likely but now it's guaranteed someone will pick up Miles. Now the Blazers will be despised by a lot of people from now on after so recently recovering from their Jailblazers era. Just stupid.
I see this as a sort of blackmail in that they are trying to make teams do what they want in an attempt to make profit on their end which I"m pretty sure constitutes blackmail. If this is true, you will either see someone sign Miles out of spite or you will see Portland get a heavy fine or might just get hit with the tax anyway for thier actions. This should be interesting though to say the least.
Oh I don't think it's blackmail... I think for it to be blackmail, it would have to be a formal letter. Oh, wait...
I don't think you're right. The threat of litigation was meant to chill consideration of hiring Miles. Owners who might sign Miles for basketball reasons might think picking him up isn't worth the legal hassle of fighting with the Blazers (even if they would win) and sign someone else of equal or lesser quality. Lawsuits aren't cheap or easy, even if you succeed in defending yourself. If Miles was a superstar, you'd take the cost; but since he's a bubble player, a team not looking for trouble would go to another player and Miles would be left in the cold. It's a blacklist.
The fact is the Trailblazers shouldn't get anything here. They said Darius Miles career was over - that's how they got the exception. Clearly his career is not over - therefore they should not benefit from the salary being taken off their books.
portland has F@#ked us over twice, (roy and fernandez) and we're past due on payback. morey should be all over miles.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3822392 Code: Union vows to hit Blazers with grievance Comment Email Print The NBA players' association plans to file a grievance against the Portland Trail Blazers, who have threatened litigation against any NBA club considering signing Darius Miles. The former Trail Blazers forward is attempting a comeback -- a potentially very expensive one for the Blazers -- from major knee surgery. lastname Miles If Miles plays in two more games this season, Portland would be on the hook for $18 million -- the amount remaining on Miles' contract, which would count against Portland's salary cap and force the team to pay luxury tax. "We are shocked at the brazen attempt by the Portland Trail Blazers to try to prevent Darius Miles from continuing his NBA career," players' association director Billy Hunter said in a statement. "Their attempt to intimidate the other 29 NBA teams by threatening frivolous litigation merely for signing this capable NBA veteran is a clear violation of the anti-collusion and other provisions of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. We will vigorously defend Darius' rights." Hours before Miles cleared waivers Friday, Portland team president Larry Miller sent an e-mail to the other 29 NBA teams warning of legal action if a team were to take Miles simply to adversely impact Portland's salary cap. "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," Miller's e-mail reads, according to SI.com and Yahoo.com, which obtained it. "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." The matter was added to Friday's agenda at a previously scheduled meeting between NBA and players' union attorneys. 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 -- which confirms that "teams are free to sign Darius Miles to a Uniform Player Contract" and that "any such contract would be approved by the NBA" -- is the first of its kind in a league-issued waiver notice. Although the Blazers have exposed themselves to censure from the league office for the tone of their note to fellow teams regarding Miles -- as well as the hostile reaction from the players' union -- one team did express some sympathy for their position Friday. "It's a lot of money," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told ESPN.com on Friday, referring to millions in future salary-cap space that the Blazers could lose if Miles' contract is restored to Portland's payroll. "For that much, I would be sending e-mails, too." But that was not the reaction from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who, according to Yahoo! Sports, responded to Miller in an e-mail circulated to all 30 teams questioning whether "legal threats through a mass e-mail" are the best way for the Blazers to respond to the potential cap implications of Miles signing with another team. Gilbert wrote: "I fully understand the frustration you and your team's ownership must be feeling in regards to this situation, but a preemptive threat of 'litigation' directed at all of your partners through a group e-mail does not sit well with me and seems to be incongruent with the spirit of keeping a 'fiduciary duty'' and good 'partner-like duty' to your 'NBA joint venturers.' " League sources told ESPN.com that the Phoenix Suns' Robert Sarver is the only other owner so far who has continued the leaguewide e-mail discussion. Following up Gilbert's note with a brief question directed at the Blazers, Sarver wrote, "Are you saying we're not allowed to sign him?" 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. "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. Miles, the third overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2000 NBA draft, was on the Blazers' roster from 2004-08. He signed a six-year, $48 million deal with the team in September 2004. In 414 career games, he has averaged 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.15 blocks.
...PROSPECTIVE man! PROSPECTIVE! Morons. And, of course, there's ZERO chance of this BS holding up in court.
Glad the union sticking up for this due. I was never a big fan but he has been pretty much screwed over here... the dude just wants to play basketball. Those who say he should give the money back that is plain stupid.... he signed a contract and deserves it... the Blazers sought the medical waiver on him to get it off the books.... while his contract was a pretty bad decision by the Blazers that is their fault not Darius. They tried to scam the system and now its coming back to haunt them they are trying to bully their way out of it. I hope because of this he is signed and he sues them
Certainly a novel way to post an article... How about doing it like this? http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3822392 By the way, I thought this response by the Cavs owner was very well-written.
Intentional Interference w/ an Economic Expectancy would be the torts civil action that they will attempt to bring.
I think what he meant was that Portland would not have a legal cause of action to bring a lawsuit. You're right in that suing another team would not be illegal, but there are consequences for bringing frivolous lawsuts I have no idea what contratual obligations NBA teams have to each other but I have never of any type of company threatening to sue another company for hiring a former employee that they dismissed (unless it was in the employer/employee contract, but then the suit would be against Miles).
, as well as collecting on the insurance policy on Miles' guraranteed contract. . so, if Miles is deem able to perform, Blazer, in addition to paying the luxury tax, also would not be able to recover insurance proceed from the insurance policy on Miles' guranteed contract.
hahaha this is all hilarious. comedy gold. bout time someone got the blazers back at screwing us over in the draft. To top it off.. we get paid for it. Thanks MEMPHIS!!!
Its great that he has been signed I'm tired of all this talk about can you imagine how good the Blazers are going to be... Screw the Blazers
