A Chemistry Killer?: Risk Outweighs Reward In Case of Miles
What in the world is Danny Ainge thinking? First he drafts J.R. Giddens and now he’s signed free agent Darius Miles.
Miles was once-considered a potential star in the league, shortly after he was taken by the Los Angeles Clippers as the third overall pick in the 2000 draft.
However, it’s been all downhill since.
It’s not as if Miles has been guaranteed anything at all by Ainge – not financially or a spot on the roster. The lone guarantee is that Miles won’t last – just as he hasn’t in each of his previous NBA stops.
This is a guy who was dealt by the Clippers after two seasons, traded again by Cleveland less than a year and a half later and then shuttled out of Portland as general manager Kevin Prichard continued to clean up the team’s image.
It’s a little different for Giddens, whose college career included off-court incidents in which he was stabbed at a club and also an arrest for his part in a plot to steal nearly $4,000 worth of electronics from a Wal-Mart. Giddens was taken with the last pick in the first round and it guaranteed at least a two-year contract.
It may be a long shot that Miles even sticks with the Celtics, why in the world would you even put him around a team that displayed not only talent a year ago, but also chemistry?
First off, Miles hasn’t played in two years after a doctor deemed his right knee so shot that it was basically career-ending.
``Two doctors said Darius had the worst microfracture injury they had ever seen,” Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard told the Oregonian earlier this summer.
Second, if Miles somehow winds up sticking on the squad, he’ll have to miss the first 10 games after being suspended for violating the league’s anti-drug program – which means he either had four marijuana offenses or was caught with performance-enhancing drugs.
There was the time when he and coach Mo Cheeks got into it when the pair were in Portland. Miles tried to demean the head coach with a profanity-laced tirade in front of the entire team.
One positive is that the Foxy Lady down in Providence should be celebrating – as Miles has been known to frequent strip clubs and even make it rain on occasion.
Let’s try and put this thing into perspective. It’s not as if Ainge is bringing in Corey Dillon or Randy Moss. He’s not banking on the fact that Miles will be the savior of this team, but obviously he’s hoping that maybe he’d be able to fill the void left by James Posey.
Miles has been working with former Phoenix Suns strength and conditioning coach Robin Pound, who has reportedly raved to Ainge about his work ethic.
Miles is 6-foot-9 and was a talent - back in the day. In fact, he was actually on the cover of Sports Illustrated years ago and touted as the next Kevin Garnett. I remember seeing him at the McDonald’s All-American Game here in Boston nearly a decade ago and he was a raw talent with an attitude and arrogance to match.
He’s averaged 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds in his career, but it’s rare you’ll hear anyone say anything positive about him in NBA circles.
If Miles does play in 10 games in the next two years, the $18 million left on his ridiculous six-year, $48 million deal will go back on Portland’s books and the Trail Blazers will take a significant hit in terms of being able to sign one of their rising stars (Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Jerryd Bayless) to a long-term deal.
"Darius has been in twice for workouts with us and has impressed us with his progress, health, and attitude;" Ainge said. "Darius will have the next couple of months to prove to myself and Coach Rivers that he can help us win." The only thing Miles is proving is that he’s running out of chances.
Jeff Goodman is a senior basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He can be reached at goodmanonfox@aol.com
