[VIDEO] The "Real" Darius Miles

These kids need to calm down a bit--not like its Kobe or T-Mac

 

1. Here's the Interview he did with Jason Quick:

http://www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/b...tlogs/olive_blazersbeat/archives/2006_04.html

Some here seems to have mis-read what he said. He never said he showed up drunk. He talked about smelling of alcohol. He said he was drinking the night before with his wife. Hardly thinks he'd still be drunk the next day. And apparently he's not the only guy who does it...

Really, you don't think Sura ever smelled of alcohol in the morning?

I'm care less about that than I do about him going off on Mo Cheeks after being criticised during a film session and calling Mo "the N word" (at least one can presume that he won't be calling Van Gundy that) and him changing into his suit at half time after McMillan didn't play him. That's the kind of crap that doesn't happen often..

Of course he's very immature, but then again, with his talent, if he wasn't immature, would the Rockets have a shot at getting him at all? Sometimes, you gotta take some chances, especially when the cost is reasonable.

2. His problems probably isn't with the city as much as it is with the team. Portland is an OK city (a favorite of teenage runaways, by the way, just in case any of you are teenagers planning on running away from home), and I doubt any city is gonna be that bad to live in when you make $8 mil a year.

The organization, though, has been all screwed up. I mean, how many rebuilding plans have they been through already? Zach Randolph was supposed to take over for Sheed, Miles was supposed to be their star, Travis Outlaw was the future at SF, Telfair was supposed to be their stud PG, then Blake and Jack got brought in, Przybilla got inked to a long term deal, then they bring in Magloire...

I mean... Jesus... how long will it take them to give up on the Aldridge/Roy plan?

Specifically to Miles... they signed him to a long term deal, then cut his minutes-- not because he sucked (his +/- was always positive in Portland), but because they wanted to (unsuccessfully) showcase SAR... then they wanted to look at Khryapa and Outlaw, then later because Ruben Patterson was pouting.

Look, the least they can do is to give players minutes as they earn them, not hand out minutes for random bull**** reasons.

Not that it excuses his behavior, but I'd be pretty unhappy about it, too, if I were in his shoes.

3. If you look at his contract, it really isn't bad.. it goes somethign like 7.7, 8.2, 9, and 9 mil over the next 4 years. It's like 1.3-1.7 mil a year more than Juwan's. It's smaller than Thugleavy's, too. Al Harrington, a worse player, is getting paid more on a longer contract.

4. Let's straightenout the history of the HOU/POR draftday trade involving Juwan and Miles... According to draftexpress.com, POR offered 30th+31st picks and Miles for Juwan and the 8th. Houston countered with Juwan and 8th for Miles and 4th. Boith proposals were rejected. At least it seems, at the time, each team is willing to take on the other team's "problem contract", they just disagree about the price for doing so.

I think Miles is more valuable than Howard, so it would make sense for the Rockets to add something of value (lotto protecd 1st rounder?) to Howard to make the deal happen, if Blazers are still interested in takign Howard for Miles.

 

my sentiments exactly.

 

lol, that was entertaining. Darius sure has a tolerance for annoying kids tho. I dont know how anyone could've sat through that.

 

Miles is much more efficient than Juwan offensively. He's just as good from 17 feet as Juwan and he has the ability to get to the hole and finish. Not only that, but he brings a whole different dimension offensively with his ability to board the ball and dribble the length of the court and make the pass or the dunk. Can you see it, Miles with the board, and flying up the court with McGrady, Battier, and Snyder, with big ole King Kong trailing the play thundering down the boulevard? Can you see it, Miles, Snyder, McGrady, Battier, and Yao on the floor at the same time? With Miles' ability to defend the perimeter and defend point guards, that "long" lineup would create defensive HE__ for most teams. And those guys could get up and down the floor with anybody........and finish.

Defensively, he is night and day better than Juwan. He can defend power forwards on the perimeter and is quick enough to provide great weakside help. Not to mention locking down with 1s, 2s, and 3s.

The only drawback is his attitude. It's not even his contract that is the drawback, for if his attitude was right and he was hustling, he'd be worth every penny of his contract. It's his attitude that kills his value.

Remember the Titans: Attitude reflects leadership.

Yeah, I know. A catch phrase from a movie. But the reason we all remember it is because we have all been in situations where our attitude was bad.....and we felt it was bad because of the bad leadership that we were working with. You cannot ignore the fact that Portland's management has been a farce for the last 10 years or so. They've even undermined their own coaches.

While Darius is no choir boy, nor will ever be, I can't help but feel that if he was on a strong team, with strong leadership, that his attitude would improve immensely and he would be a great piece on a championship team. I think he could make a team like ours with obviously great leadership in 111 not to mention tremendous leadership with the addition of Battier, a championship juggernaut for multiple seasons.

I just don't think it will happen though.

 

I've been there several times and would very much like to live there.

 

i just don't see it. He's a notch above Swift to me.

 

I think it would be to cool to miles playing back up center. What he may lack in size he makes up for in length and athletic abillity.

 

Players like Darius Miles and Stromile Swift are fools gold. Even though they have very few skills or have severe problems that would scare off most people and have done zippo in 6 NBA seasons, they still have some imaginary value if they were only placed in the "right conditions". Guys like these never find perfect conditions because they don't exist.

Six year NBA vets who have never improved their game are just running in place on a treadmill going nowhere. I hope Miles gets traded to his 4th team so everyone will finally see it's on him, not on the Cavs, Clippers or Blazers.

 

Same bologna was said about Rasheed when he was in Portland and worse things were said about Latrell after the choking incident.

There has been many a player that turned it around and made a significant contribution, just as many as there has been very good players that went in the toilet. The NBA is almost as big a crap shoot as the NFL.

 

i would like to see what miles could do given good playing time with a superstar lvl player. People had alot of the same bad feelings about q-rich till he played with nash. miles to me is a good support player when givin a clear role to fill. he will never be a center piece type of player.

 

Are you really serious? Comparing Rasheed to Miles? This is among your biggest stretches ever. Rasheed developed into a very very talented player, no matter how big a jerk he seemed to be. He has always followed gameplans and teammates have only complimented his lockroom behavior. He just couldn't keep his head on straight during games sometimes and would blow up at referees. When did he EVER explode on a coach like Miles has? NEVER!

Rasheed improved every aspect of his game in his first few years and showed superstar potential (which he never achieved. That is another discussion). Miles hasn't done anything of the sort.

Sprewell is another completely different story. He also developed and improved. He played basketball the right way, with heart and passion. He cared about winning. He averaged 20+ ppg early on in his career. He was an asset on the floor.

No, the "same bologna" wasn't said about Rasheed. Worse things were said about Sprewell but his case is also different from Miles. Rasheed and Sprewell were talented players who got better and helped their teams win. It's a testament to Sprewell's value that teams STILL WANTED HIM after the choking incident. Nobody wants Miles (except Zeke). What does that tell you?

The NBA draft is a crapshoot (as you call it). But after 6 NBA seasons, the guesswork is gone. A player is what he is, or at least you can see where he is going. Miles has flatlined it from Day 1 to Year 6. You make good points on other topics, but when discussing Miles you make no sense at all, IMO. But we are all entitled to our opinions. If you want a comparison for Miles, try J.R. Rider, who doesn't compare entirely because he did at least have some game. Miles is like an Isiah Rider with no game at all.

 

Can we please stop trying to trade underachievers for underachievers. OK I will change my statement from another thread. I would much rather have JHo than Swift or Miles.

Atleast I know JHo tries 90% of the time but is just physically inept. I bet his basketball IQ is higher than Swift and Miles combined.

 

You don't develop into a very talented player. You either have talent or you don't. Rasheed and Darius both had talent from day one it was obvious. Darius still has loads of talent. That's why most people hate him because he has underachieved given his talent.

Rasheed, good teammate?? Please. While in Portland,.....threw towel in Sabonis' face, heaved a basketball 100 feet right into the back of Ruben Boumtje Boumtje and then ran out of the gym with Bonzi snickering while his teammate is writhing in pain on the court, got caught smoking dope in a car with Damon driving around Portland, and led the league in technical fouls.....there were plenty of teammates on Portland's team who thought he was a jerk. He may never have exploded on a coach. So what. Plenty of very good NBA players have, including Vince Carter and Latrell for starters.

Miles showed plenty of superstar potential his first couple years in L.A. And he is still plenty young enough to be able to improve his game and get much better. He is still Miles away from fulfilling his potential; he's still only 24, the same age as a college player just completing his 2nd year in the NBA.

You can try to separate these guys but there really is no difference and there is no way of knowing which ones are going to turn it around and which ones won't. Miles could be a cross between Eddie Griffin, and Vernon Maxwell, whose careers both nosedived and never recoverd. Or he could be a cross between Latrell and Rasheed who both recovered their career from the toilet bowl that they allowed themselves to drift into. Because they all have guaranteed contracts, they can use that contract as leverage to get themselves into a different situation. It was no coincidence that Rasheed and Vince, just to name a couple, started playing their tails off as soon as they got traded. Darius is no different. He showed enough potential to warrant Portland handing him a very large contract. But he has failed to improve since then, just as Rasheed reached a point of diminishing returns in Portland.

Teams still want Darius. They just don't want to give up anything for him except players with worse contracts. That's why NY is a player. They've got so many guys with bad contracts that they could actually help their cap situation by trading for him. BTW, teams were trying to trade for Latrell, yes. Because he only had 2 years left on his deal following the suspension and they still couldn't get a deal done on him until midseason the next year. He essentially had 1 1/2 years left on his deal when they finally moved him to New York for 3 washed up players.

The truth is, Darius has just as much chance of being Latrell Sprewell as he has of being J.R. Rider. And you can't say a player is a player just because he averages 20. Miles' scoring has improved over his career, by the way, but scoring does not define Miles' game. Miles is a complementary player with the defensive ability to change a game along the lines of Dennis Rodman, with the ability to run the floor, finish on anybody, and handle the basketball, along the lines of Lamar Odom, with an average to decent midrange jump shot in the halfcourt, who can go one on one with anybody in the NBA and be a mismatch problem. Put him on the free agent market and there will be plenty of teams lined up to give him another opportunity to play ball for a couple mill a season. Or make his contract a deal with less than 2 years left on it and somebody will eventually step to the plate with some expiring deals to give Portland for him. And then watch how motivated he is. Latrell's situation was the ideal situation. He knew he had to play his .... off after he went to NY to get back in the big bucks because his contract was coming up again.

The guy is a jerk. He's a jerk just like Rasheed was, just like Latrell was, just like Rodman was and he is a jerk just like Rider was, just like Maxwell was, just like Eddie Griffin was. I have said all along and I do maintain still that Darius could go either way. He's at a crossroads in his career. He still has the opportunity to be a huge difference maker in this league. Or he could go the way of a lot of others and just milk his $50 million deal and smoke dope the rest of his life. But the talent is there and he has shown that on the basketball court, he is not a selfish player. In other words, he has shown the ability to do what he is asked to do, such as defer to Zach Randolph offensively. That's a small sign that lets you know there is the possibility that he can be coached and he doesn't have to be the first option offensively.

I just think that if he could be acquired for Howard's contract that there is very little risk in that acquisition because Juwan is a net negative ON THE COURT and will only get worse from here on out. Darius could get much better or he could get worse. If he did get worse, it wouldn't be much different, having him riding the bench than having Juwan on the court for 30 minutes a night. That's why I am FOR acquiring Darius, because we have a $6.3 million dollar player that costs us wins on our team now and he is playing 30 minutes a night in the rotation. Just removing him from the rotation would be a plus for us. Miles' contract is less than $1.4 million more per year. That's very little to pay for the chance to rehab a guy that has more talent in his right pinkie than Juwan has in his whole body. Forget all the off court stuff. It is about on court ability. And Darius has tons more talent and ability than Juwan has.

You want to talk about how nobody wants Miles. How many teams want Juwan Howard at $6.4 million per season??? Zeke is not even that dumb. That's why we all should have been excited about the possibility of the Lakers wanting Juwan for some of their expiring contracts. If we can get that deal, we should jump on it in a heartbeat, even if we have to throw in Luther and take back injured players. Because at least expiring contracts have value.

I just hope if Miles is moved that he is moved to NY or some team in the East. The last thing I want to see is Miles go to some team like the Lakers and turn his career around and we have to face said team in the playoffs. Because if Miles does turn it around, he is exactly the type of defender that can deal Tracy fits. And if he did turn it around with the Lakers, all of a sudden you are looking at a team with Kobe, Lamar, and Darius....3 guys that can run you out the gym and shut you down defensively. If Darius goes to any playoff calibur team in the West that already has established superstars as their primary offensive options, and he applies himself and makes a comeback, he is going to make that team a serious threat. Darius has the potential to turn a team like the Rockets, Lakers, Suns, Mavericks, Clippers, Kings into a championship winning team.

 

OMG he´s black!??!?

 

jopatmc, I'm about ready to give up on the discussion. OK, Sheed and Spree had lots of talent. Agreed! So does Lamer Odom. What "loads of talent" does Miles have? Almost none. Just when did he ever show "superstar" potential? Never. I cannot see where in the world you get this from. You seem to see something that isn't there.

Also, when it comes to production, Sheed and Spree's careers were never in the "toilet bowl" to begin with. Spree was a tough, hard nosed defensive player who averaged 20ppg four out of his six seasons with GS before choking Carlesimo. Miles hasn't accomplished ANYTHING. Why you can't see that is beyond me. There is no comparison. I won't even bother posting Sheed's numbers or explaining how his skills grew or how his career never approached the "toilet" as you call it. The Blazers held on to him for 7 1/2 years because he was a very good player, not because other teams wouldn't take him.

Oh yeah, lots of teams want Miles, it's just there aren't enough bad contracts to trade for him, right? The Blazers would hand him to the first team asking if someone would ask. They would probably take A-Rod's contract in return but nobody with an IQ north of 50 wants the guy.

His turning point was two years ago when he signed the guaranteed contract. With the money in the bank, his character was freed to come out without financial consequences. What you see is what he is. I also realize scoring doesn't define his game. We agree on that. Apathy and a sorry attitude defines it.

If you honestly think he has an even chance of becoming either Sprewell or Rider then OK. Logic and reason have no place in the debate. He passed the fork in the road 2 years ago. It isn't a matter of him going either way because he's already made his choice. It wouldn't surprise me if he did OK in the 09/10 season when his contract is up. I'm open to the concept on getting him 3 seasons from now and paying him a one year tryout.

Fools gold is really persuasive sometimes. I want him traded to anybody so people will stop blaming the Blazers for all his problems. It would be a dream of mine for the Lakers to take him. We know how patient Kobe is with air-headed players who bring their "A" games every couple of weeks or so. I wonder what would happen the first time he showed up for practice smelling like alcohol.