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Go Grizz Go!
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;_yl...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 cir vent 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 en ies 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.
Go Grizz Go!
hahah blazers actually tried to acquire miles? how sad.
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 didn't the blazers just sign him instead of shouting about other teams?
they did. the league blocked their attempt to acquire miles.
read before you post.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 cir vent league salary cap rules.
This is awesome...teams that cheat and try to skirt the cap get screwed...so sorry.
DD
Portland sent Jeff Gillooly to Memphis
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.
The Blazers are fortunate the NBA has not taken further action against them.
They should punish the Blazers like what they did with the Wolves and the Joe Smith fiasco.
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 now for screwing their main NorthWest rival.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
they did. the league didn't allow it as it was clear what their intent was.
trailblazers don't need a superstar. they already have 3 in roy, aldridge and oden.
Come On, Grizz! Don't Wuss Out Now!
Darius Miles In The Ballgame!!!!
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?
with the bucket! eat tlong.
100% shooting percentage for the season.
100% shooting percentage for the season.
He just blew a fast break dunk
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