Darius Miles Watch

[m33p0]

Memphis will be playing Cleveland on the 13th. Let's see if the Grizz field Miles in this game.

didn't see this posted or mentioned before. portland did try to acquire miles but league officials prevented them from doing so.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ApChlo6eZ6DADFuNbxJvXpG8vLYF?slug=aw-milesupdate011209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

League blocked Blazers’ bid to claim Miles

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports 41 minutes ago

Yahoo! Sports

Before the Portland Trail Blazers resorted to a threatening email to frighten rival NBA teams from signing Darius Miles, team officials late last week made a brazen bid to claim the forward off waivers only to be stopped by the league, multiple front-office sources told Yahoo! Sports.

So determined to salvage the salary cap space that would come with the foiling of Miles’ comeback from a devastating knee injury, Portland president Larry Miller and general manager Kevin Pritchard apparently were willing to stash Miles on the sideline and keep him away from other NBA teams.

In denying the Blazers’ move to control Miles, NBA front-office sources say that league executives in New York denied the waiver claim because they believed the Blazers were merely trying to circumvent league salary cap rules.

Once the NBA rejected Portland’s waiver claim, Miller sent an unprecedented threat of legal action for any team that signed Miles as a free agent. Several league executives were aware of the bid on Miles and reacted angrily over what they considered hypocrisy.

After playing two games for Memphis this month, the Grizzlies had waived Miles to avoid guaranteeing his contract for the rest of the season. Nevertheless, an undeterred Memphis promptly signed Miles, a 6-foot-9 forward, to a 10-day contract Saturday.

Portland wanted to prevent Miles from playing an additional two games that would’ve nullified the benefit of salary cap relief, the Blazers’ main retirement-injury benefit. Miles’ return to the Blazers’ cap could cost Portland owner Paul Allen as much as $8 million in luxury tax payments to non-tax paying teams.

Once Miles plays 10 games this season, the $18 million left on his contract returns to the Blazers’ books over the next two years and severely punctures Portland’s opportunity to sign a star player to complement its good young core of players.

After Yahoo! Sports reported last week that Miles’ six preseason games with the Boston Celtics counted toward the 10, Portland was frantic to derail a rush of teams who wanted to sign Miles and potentially damage the Blazers’ free-agency plans. Miles has played eight games toward the total of 10, and could reach nine Tuesday night when Memphis plays Cleveland.

The NBA Players Association has already blasted the Blazers’ email with Miles and promised to file a grievance with the league, and executive director Billy Hunter called Portland’s email an “attempt to intimidate the other 29 teams” and a “clear violation of the anti-collusion” provision of the collective-bargaining agreement.

When reached Monday night, the agent for Miles, Jeff Wechsler, said, “Once again, all we’re concerned with is Darius continuing his playing career. He’s shown he can play and we just want to make sure he has the right to work.”

The Blazers’ email to rival team executives and owners late Thursday night threatened legal action to any franchise that signs Miles for the “purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers’ salary cap and tax positions.” The email cited Wednesday’s Yahoo! Sports report that revealed Miles was just two games – not eight, as previously believed – from returning to Portland’s cap.

“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,” Miller wrote in the email to representatives of every NBA team.

“Such conduct by 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.”

Miller told reporters in Portland on Friday that the team was not trying to block Miles’ return to the NBA but sending a message to rivals who wanted to intentionally hurt their financial interests.

“We were hearing a lot of rumblings and rumors that there were teams out there planning to sign Darius Miles specifically and maliciously to hurt our organization,” Miller said. “This was our way of responding to that and letting folks know that we were not going to take it sitting down.”

Portland signed Miles to a $48 million contract in 2004, a move that Pritchard had regretted when he took over the franchise. After Miles suffered a micro-fracture injury to his right knee in 2006, missing seasons, doctors representing the Blazers and NBA agreed that the damage was too severe for Miles to return. Still, Miles had insisted that he would try to come back to the NBA if the knee ever healed, and that’s exactly what happened.

[tp2021]

Go Grizz Go!

[024]

hahah blazers actually tried to acquire miles? how sad.

[Rogue]

I really think the blazers should have signed Miles before other teams sign him, sign him and throw him into the inactive list. What the blazers would pay miles is just LLE or 2m/yr at most, but they could defend their 9m salary space.

Why the hell didn't the blazers just sign him instead of shouting about other teams?

[m33p0]

I really think the blazers should have signed Miles before other teams sign him, sign him and throw him into the inactive list. What the blazers would pay miles is just LLE or 2m/yr at most, but they could defend their 9m salary space.

Why the hell didn't the blazers just sign him instead of shouting about other teams?
they did. the league blocked their attempt to acquire miles.

Before the Portland Trail Blazers resorted to a threatening email to frighten rival NBA teams from signing Darius Miles, team officials late last week made a brazen bid to claim the forward off waivers only to be stopped by the league, multiple front-office sources told Yahoo! Sports.

So determined to salvage the salary cap space that would come with the foiling of Miles’ comeback from a devastating knee injury, Portland president Larry Miller and general manager Kevin Pritchard apparently were willing to stash Miles on the sideline and keep him away from other NBA teams.

In denying the Blazers’ move to control Miles, NBA front-office sources say that league executives in New York denied the waiver claim because they believed the Blazers were merely trying to circumvent league salary cap rules.
read before you post.

[DaDakota]

This is awesome...teams that cheat and try to skirt the cap get screwed...so sorry.

DD

[DANILO DRASKOVIC]

Portland sent Jeff Gillooly to Memphis

[Bruno]

This story is getting better and better. Let's sum up :

Blazers tried to pick Miles for waivers with the obvious goal of keeping him away from basketball courts until the end of the season.
A couple of days later and after a threat email, Blazers president said : "Our purpose here was not in any way to keep Darius from being able to play".

Blazers front office and ownership is looking really really bad. I wouldn't be surprised to see them being heavily sanctioned by the NBA. Future free agents should also wonder if they want to play for that kind of franchise. The Dariusgate could significantly hurt Blazers in the future and it will be well deserved.

[TheProfessor]

The Blazers are fortunate the NBA has not taken further action against them.

[pawe]

They should punish the Blazers like what they did with the Wolves and the Joe Smith fiasco.

[Allanon]

Can't really blame the Blazers for trying to beat the system, every one of us would have done the same thing.

They were stupid in a few things:

1) They didn't sign Miles first. Miles was available all summer, they should have just picked him up then and given him some DNP-CD's for two years at a veteran's minimum.

2) They should have asked nicely instead of threatening other teams.

Blazers are obviously screwed. No more free agents this summer. Now, they'll have to change their plans and start trading their young talent for some veterans.

And I can guarantee you 28 teams will be lining up to get them, except Memphis who also has too much young talent and that's why they're willing to piss off Portland.

Nuggets GM should probably go suck the Grizz's dick now for screwing their main NorthWest rival.

[2Cleva]

No way Miles was going to sign with Portland. And it was a PR-mess for them to have him in the first place.

Asking nicely wouldn't change anything at all.

Portland's problem is they underestimated Miles' desire to play. They thought he'd take his check and be happy. Instead he put in the work to come back.

They got screwed in thinking the buyout of a younger player would be the same as the buyout for the old guys around the league in recent years.

[BWS-1994]

They should punish the Blazers like what they did with the Wolves and the Joe Smith fiasco.

I don't think preventing future first round picks in the next few years would hurt the Blazers, as they have stock piled on young talent.

But should Miles play two more games, I think the consequences would be enough punishment for the Blazers.

[baseline bum]

Can't really blame the Blazers for trying to beat the system, every one of us would have done the same thing.

They were stupid in a few things:

1) They didn't sign Miles first. Miles was available all summer, they should have just picked him up then and given him some DNP-CD's for two years at a veteran's minimum.

2) They should have asked nicely instead of threatening other teams.

Blazers are obviously screwed. No more free agents this summer. Now, they'll have to change their plans and start trading their young talent for some veterans.

And I can guarantee you 28 teams will be lining up to get them, except Memphis who also has too much young talent and that's why they're willing to piss off Portland.

Nuggets GM should probably go suck the Grizz's dick now for screwing their main NorthWest rival.

There can't possibly be any way the CBA would have ever allowed them to sign a player they have a retirement exception on. Of course they would have just signed him to a minimum deal for the next two years if they could have, and saved themselves a guaranteed $25 million.

[tlongII]

We'll still have about $8M available even if we have to absorb Miles' contract. We won't get a superstar, but we'll be able to get a solid veteran FA. This really isn't as big a deal as people are making it out to be.

[ploto]

There can't possibly be any way the CBA would have ever allowed them to sign a player they have a retirement exception on. Of course they would have just signed him to a minimum deal for the next two years if they could have, and saved themselves a guaranteed $25 million.

Seems to me- if Miles no longer has a career ending injury (that was determined by the NBA chosen doctor), and the Blazers have to hold his salary against their cap, then they should get to have him and use him or trade him, etc... How come the NBA holds no responsibility for what the doctor they chose determined?

[m33p0]

Can't really blame the Blazers for trying to beat the system, every one of us would have done the same thing.

They were stupid in a few things:

1) They didn't sign Miles first. Miles was available all summer, they should have just picked him up then and given him some DNP-CD's for two years at a veteran's minimum.

they did. the league didn't allow it as it was clear what their intent was.

[m33p0]

We'll still have about $8M available even if we have to absorb Miles' contract. We won't get a superstar, but we'll be able to get a solid veteran FA. This really isn't as big a deal as people are making it out to be.
trailblazers don't need a superstar. they already have 3 in roy, aldridge and oden.

[m33p0]

Come On, Grizz! Don't Wuss Out Now!

[m33p0]

Darius Miles In The Ballgame!!!!

[MaNuMaNiAc]

We'll still have about $8M available even if we have to absorb Miles' contract. We won't get a superstar, but we'll be able to get a solid veteran FA. This really isn't as big a deal as people are making it out to be.

its not about actual loss. Its about potential. Imagine what the Blazers could have had with all that cap space. Now they'll have to settle for a minor role player addition. Ain't life grand?

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Darius Miles In The Ballgame!!!!

:lmao :lmao :lmao

[dirk4mvp]

with the bucket! eat shit tlong.

[m33p0]

100% shooting percentage for the season. :lol

[dirk4mvp]

100% shooting percentage for the season. :lol


He just blew a fast break dunk :lol

[m33p0]

He just blew a fast break dunk :lol
ah, well. the point is memphis had the balls to play him today.

[dirk4mvp]

ah, well. the point is memphis had the balls to play him today.


Yeah, but besides that missed dunk, he hasn't looked that bad.

[m33p0]

with every darius miles point, portland's argument sinks even deeper in the muck.

[Bartleby]

with every darius miles point, portland's argument sinks even deeper in the muck.

Along with their chances of getting anywhere near the salary cap without some big sacrifices.

[baseline bum]

LMAO! Miles has 11 points in 11 minutes. Pretty hard to buy Portland's evaluation of him. :lol

[AnotherArgie]

I miss SpursDynasty in these moments :depressed

[pawe]

Spurs shoulda signed him. He's KG lite and he can be the long athletic 3 they're looking for.

[tlongII]

Miles will play only a couple more games this season. Book it.

[21_Blessings]

Portland is a despicable franchise. They tried to prematurely end the poor guy's career so Mr. Billionaire Allen can save a few dollars. Kill yourself Portland. You'll never win anything that overrated squad anyhow.

[ClingingMars]

Portland is a despicable franchise. They tried to prematurely end the poor guy's career so Mr. Billionaire Allen can save a few dollars. Kill yourself Portland. You'll never win anything that overrated squad anyhow.

:tu

-Mars

[turiaf for president]

Miles will play only a couple more games this season. Book it.

11 points in 11 minutes???? id trade luke, vlad, mihm, powell, mbenga, and yue for him.

[ChumpDumper]

We'll still have about $8M available even if we have to absorb Miles' contract. We won't get a superstar, but we'll be able to get a solid veteran FA. This really isn't as big a deal as people are making it out to be.The Blazers sure made a big deal out of it. Trying to circumvent the cap three times over one player is a big deal.

[JoeTait75]

D-Miles looked pretty good tonight, other than that hilariously botched dunk. I kind of like Portland, but I sure as hell don't feel sorry for them. I hope D-Miles fucks up their salary cap good and proper.

[m33p0]

one more game and you can flush this turd down the toilet.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3195327255_dd3d7c818b_o.jpg

[m33p0]

Item number 2 on today' Daily Dime
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-090114

Next Time Miles Plays, Blazers Lose Big
By Andrew Ayres | ESPN.com

Cancel that order for a Hoveround power chair. And move all those threatening emails from [email protected] to the spam folder.

Darius Miles is clearly no longer "medically unable to play."

The former Trail Blazer had 13 points in 12 minutes of action in the Memphis Grizzlies' 102-87 loss Tuesday at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made 4 of 6 field goal attempts and sank 5 of 7 free throws.

Most importantly, if the 27-year-old forward plays Friday against the visiting Jazz (or any other game, for that matter), he'll hit the magic threshold -- 10 games played -- that revokes his status as "medically unable to play."

That means his $9 million salary for this season and next will go back on Portland's salary cap, making them a luxury tax paying team this season and depriving them of $9 million in cap flexibility they would have had next summer.

Miles has played in nine games -- six preseason games for the Boston Celtics, then three regular-season games for the Grizzlies. Miles has not played for Portland since surgery on his right knee in November 2006. Blazers president Larry Miller emailed the other 29 teams last week and threatened legal action if Miles was signed.

Memphis did anyway. The Grizzlies visit Portland on Feb. 18.

[endrity]

one more game and you can flush this turd down the toilet.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3195327255_dd3d7c818b_o.jpg

that is absolutely hilarious

[sonic21]

one more game and you can flush this turd down the toilet.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3195327255_dd3d7c818b_o.jpg

:lmao

[Indazone]

I think Darius Miles is going to be a factor for them and I think Franchise will be as well eventually. Word has it that he's very motivated to play.

[m33p0]

utah game. to be or not to be.

[urunobili]

Karma is a bitch...

[stxspurs]

play darius feb 13 when they are at portland.......that would be soooo sweet!

[DaDakota]

play darius feb 13 when they are at portland.......that would be soooo sweet!
They should do that, but go ahead and play him tonight to get it over with....

DD

[hater]

Blazers organization look like a bunch of dicks and they got owned on top of it. love it

[m33p0]

Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It. Do. It.

[Indazone]

Darius Miles scored 13 off the bench Tuesday in his first game since signing a 10-day contract with Memphis on Saturday. If he plays Friday, Portland will be on the hook for the $18 million and two years remaining on his deal. The Trail Blazers sent out an e-mail warning of possible legal action against any team that signed the free agent, but the Grizzlies added the 6-foot-9 swingman anyway.

http://www.nba.com/games/20090116/UTAMEM/preview.html

lol..the Blazers are getting torpedoed tonight

[turiaf for president]

Miles will play only a couple more games this season. Book it.

wanna bet?

[m33p0]

just checked the box score. the deed is done. :clap

[urunobili]

Karma is a bitch indeed... :wakeup

[m33p0]

he looks like a keeper. wish the spurs had picked him up.

[Indazone]

just checked the box score. the deed is done. :clap


lol everyone waiting around like it's a life event. He lost his virginity or ooohh she just had her baby! Cigars!!

[m33p0]

lol everyone waiting around like it's a life event. He lost his virginity or ooohh she just had her baby! Cigars!!
yup. now miles can go back to being obscure and the grizzlies being irrelevant again.:lol

[tp2021]

lol everyone waiting around like it's a life event. He lost his virginity or ooohh she just had her baby! Cigars!!

Pritchard probably wants to just blaze right about now :smokin

:lol

[pawe]

Now the question is, who do we trade to get Miles?

[Ice009]

Is Miles playing that good? What did he do tonight?

[CubanMustGo]

In 05:57 so far, 6 pts (3-5), 2 reb, 2 pf, 1 stl, 1 to, 1 blk.

[CubanMustGo]

Now 10 pts and 5 reb

[TDMVPDPOY]

fuck we shouldve sign him

[Obstructed_View]

http://www.geocities.com/mwhtmlclass/basichtml/assignments/youngfrankenstein_hackman.jpg
Cigars!

[tlongII]

He sucks. And we'll kick everyone's ass anyways.

[m33p0]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AsFIq4rKRHPWOQU0GDx8TFO8vLYF?slug=aw-milespritchard011709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Miles separated Blazers GM from greatness

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports 1 hour, 34 minutes ago
Yahoo! Sports

The bully-boy bluff ends now because the Portland Trail Blazers always were without the guts to file a lawsuit over Darius Miles. Their threatening email had been a desperate final act of a franchise awash in arrogance. Blazers officials hoped the threat of Paul Allen’s riches could scare the NBA. Mostly, it made everyone laugh.

For whatever hollow intimidation they used to try to stop the signing of Miles, Blazers officials understood this: They were the last people who would’ve wanted to go under oath about the behind-the-scenes machinations of Miles’ injury retirement. Only the Blazers would’ve been on trial. Only they would’ve had to answer the most uncomfortable of questions.

From leaked drug tests and public proclamations of private medical records to trashing Miles to rival executives and daring to claim him off waivers to stash him away on the inactive list, Portland’s front office acted in bad form and bad faith. Yes, the Jail Blazers lived again.

So sure, go ahead and sue the Memphis Grizzlies for signing a player to a 10-day contract who had 13 points in a quarter on LeBron James, then 10 points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes on the Utah Jazz. Miles played his 10th game of the season on Friday night, and this saga finally is over. His $18 million goes back on Portland’s salary cap, and the Blazers deserve the return of every cap-clogging cent.

It isn’t a matter of whether Miles can play in the NBA again, but how well and how long. If he’s just a 10-day contract player, well, he’s the best of those available on the market. When his deal ends Monday, several league executives told Yahoo! Sports they’ll contact his agent about signing him.

Memphis is expected to offer Miles a second 10-day contract, but there could be better opportunities for him.

“I’m pleased with the production Darius has had, especially considering that he’s been off the court for over a year and a half,” Miles’ agent, Jeff Wechsler said by phone on Saturday. “He’s shaken the rust off, and he’s been very productive in the games that he’s played.”

The irony of it all, of course, is that Miles has turned into an improbable teacher to the Blazers, giving them some lessons on professionalism and humility. Yes, he had been immature for most of his career. He had made terrible mistakes. Only now, he has grown up. After having him with the Celtics in the preseason, the Boston Celtics’ Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers believe it. So does more and more of the league now.

Through it all, Miles never wished ill will on Portland. His comeback never has been about costing them salary-cap space on his injury retirement case. Management wanted out of his $48 million contract in Portland and found a way. All along, Miles told the Blazers he would try to play again. He honored his word.

And the better he has looked, the worse it has reflected on Portland GM Kevin Pritchard. As much as anyone, this mess has exposed him. He wanted to be the star in the good times in Portland, wanted all the bouquets and bows for his work on the job. He started to believe his own clippings, his own mythology, and he thought he could get away with anything.

From the start, Pritchard stumbled into the one rabid NBA market where a general manager can aspire to celebrity. Portland declared Pritchard the Golden Boy, the Gambler, and played songs about him on the radio. Never once did he seem embarrassed. Never did he do much but furiously feed the rush to declare him a genius.

He bragged of draining three cell-phone batteries a day. He bought high-risk stocks, and he never laid up on a par-5. He loves those little details about himself getting into the papers. True? Who knows? It sure made for a fast-rising legend, though. He wanted everyone to believe that he worked harder and longer and smarter. Maybe he thought it all portrayed a confidence, but it mostly masked an insecurity.

Photo Blazers owner Paul Allen, right, promoted Kevin Pritchard to general manager in March 2007.
(Getty)

He had taken the San Antonio Spurs’ computer scouting programs and made them bigger and better. “Kevin’s baby,” the local paper said the Blazers called it in their offices. Rip City wanted a hero to make the Jail Blazers go away, and Pritchard indulged himself in it all.

Portland owner Paul Allen gave Pritchard the biggest stack of chips to bring to the table, and Pritchard flaunted them to everyone. He stockpiled draft choices like Reagan did nuclear warheads, buying up millions of dollars worth of picks from cash-strapped teams over the past several seasons. He never has been afraid to rub that advantage into the faces of his peers. The Blazers still haven’t been to the playoffs under him, but any opposing GM on the wrong side of a deal with Portland is considered to have been Pritch-slapped.

It’s strange, but every transaction in Portland has been treated like a validation of Pritchard’s genius. Now, his apologists are blaming Paul Allen and president Larry Miller for the Miles mess, only it doesn’t work like that. Pritchard is the face of the franchise because he made it that way.

Pritchard has mismanaged the Miles situation from the beginning. Once the league doctor agreed that Miles’ knee injury was a career-ender, Pritchard’s dubious intentions came tumbling out of him.

“Two doctors said Darius had the worst microfracture injury they had ever seen,” he publicly said. “They would never have him play basketball, and the odds of having knee replacement surgery [are] high. I hear that, and as a general manager, I didn’t want it on my conscience – that I had a kid have to go through a knee replacement surgery.

“That’s a pretty major surgery. They saw [two bones] and replace [the knee]. It’s a bad deal.”

His conscience, huh? Those were words directed at the rest of the league, trying to tell every other team that Miles was too far gone for them to consider bringing back. He must have believed people were stupid. All around the NBA, it made everyone think: Pritchard sounds scared that Miles isn’t done at all. Why else would he be trying so hard to convince everyone otherwise?

Bad enough that Pritchard spoke out of turn on a player’s medical condition and possibly violated privacy laws, but it was clear that a campaign to frighten away potential teams was under way. From there, it went underground. If the Blazers couldn’t scare people on Miles’ knee, it wasn’t long, league executives say, until Portland turned to his character.

Pritchard has a great eye for talent, but that’s just the start of constructing a contender, a champion. The greats of his profession understand the humbling nature of the job – genius today, bum tomorrow – and mostly stay in the shadows, deflecting praise on coaches and players. Once you try to make yourself the star in the good times, you’re asking for trouble when they go bad. So now, his hubris has been Pritch-slapped into silence, and maybe in the long run, it’s the best thing that could’ve happened to the Blazers. Maybe they needed this sobering reminder of reality.

Portland loses cap space now, and it loses some respect. All that arrogance, all those threats and a 27-year-old that Kevin Pritchard and his posse had dismissed as character-free, as the last holdout of the Jail Blazers, taught them a lesson.

Yes, the Jail Blazers made a comeback this season.

Only this time, they wore suits.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

He sucks. And we'll kick everyone's ass anyways.

good start tonight :toast:lol

[benefactor]

We ought to see if we can sign him after his 10 day is up.

[turiaf for president]

Miles will play only a couple more games this season. Book it.

wrong again

[m33p0]

if he continues to improve, he will turn into the most lucrative 10-day player in nba's history.

[monosylab1k]

"Pritchard has a great eye for talent"

it's not so tough when you're picking in the top 5 every season.

[Indazone]

Portland should do themselves a favor this season and just tank. Get a high draft pick and trade their dead wood so they can work with that cap space of theirs.

[The Truth #6]

Great article by Adrian. He really unleashes. From past articles he seems to have huge respect for Pop, thankfully.