D-Miles, Anyone?

by Steve Perrin on Dec 10, 2008 2:58 PM PST in News Comment 16 comments

According to Lisa Dillman's post in the Fabulous Forum blog, the Clippers worked out former Clipper Darius Miles on Tuesday.

When Miles was the last cut in Boston, I think many of us entertained the thought of having him back in LA. But amid the horrific start to the season, something as mundane as signing a veteran free agent has taken a back seat to other concerns. Concerns like, should I watch the game tonight or put a bullet in my temple?

Still, with the choice at backup small forward down to Mardy Collins or Steve Novak, it makes some sense. Doc Rivers said some nice things about him after the Celtics camp. He always had talent - who knows how much athleticism he has left after all of his injuries, but he had a lot to begin with, so even a diminished D-Miles could still be something relatively special.

Here's what MDsr had to say about it: "We have an extra roster spot. He is starting to work out for teams. And so, we're just looking into the situation." So there you have it.

Unfortunately, Miles is facing a 10 game suspension if and when he signs somewhere, so he would not provide the Clippers with any immediate depth. By the time he is allowed to play, Ricky Davis should be back on the court, hopefully making the small forward position less of an issue. Of course, Miles hasn't actually played an NBA game in literally years, so he's bound to be rusty and out of shape. Sitting out 10 games while attending practice will be the least of his worries.

The other reason to sign the guy is simply to mess with Portland a little. Not that any GM who wants to work with Kevin Pritchard in the future would admit to it being a motivation, but if Miles plays 10 games this season, his 08-09 salary goes back against Portland's cap. That has value, as it takes the Blazers out of the free agent market next summer. (Admittedly, it has more value to other teams like the Thunder or the Grizzlies - teams who actually have cap space in summer 09. If you're one of those teams and no one has signed Miles by March, don't you pretty much have to snap him up and get him on the court?)

Not sure D-Miles is the answer to the 4-17 Clippers problems. But it couldn't really hurt at this point.

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Re:

He could run and dunk. He never progressed beyond that did he? What a terrible draft that was, as usual we picked the wrong year to be really bad.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Dec 10, 2008 3:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

True of this year as well

2009 draft is looking like one of the worst in years, and we’ve got the second worst record.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Dec 10, 2008 3:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

d miles back in LA

couldn’t hurt at this point, and ive always thought he had something left

by MarekTheBrave on Dec 10, 2008 3:16 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

maybe we could trade our pick?

by bestclipfan on Dec 10, 2008 3:44 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

D Miles? They can't be serious

by Jax on Dec 10, 2008 3:45 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

why not?

at least it would cause trouble for the trail blazers.

by bestclipfan on Dec 10, 2008 3:47 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

It would shore up the bench

If we have an open roster spot, why not? Not sure how mobile he is at this point, but if he could limit Thornton’s playing time to about 35 min a night, I think Thornton would be a much more effective player. No more running out of gas in the 4th quarter.

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Dec 10, 2008 7:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Meh!

I guess it’s worth taking a look at D-Miles to see if he has any game left, but he’s not going to make a big difference at this point. And I don’t see him becoming a long term part of the Clippers future. We could probably find a D-League prospect that could back up Thornton just as well. Bring back Marcus Williams!

I hope this isn’t just about causing trouble for Portland. I respect the way Pritchard has restored Portland’s good name and turned them into an up and coming contender since the Jailblazer days. Wish we had someone like that running the show here. We don’t need to play the spoiler just because we’re frustrated about losing. We do need to focus on getting better and finding a little hope for the future. Otherwise why even bother playing out the rest of the season.

by ClipCat on Dec 11, 2008 7:14 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

We're Bitter

“We don’t need to play the spoiler just because we’re frustrated about losing.” Yes we do! We’re very, very bitter, and we need to make other teams suffer as well!

By the way, I think you misused ‘Meh’ there. As an expression of indifference, it’s hard to imagine a situation in which it would deserve an exclamation point. “I’m very, very excited about my indifference! I’m enthusiastically indifferent! Meh!”

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Dec 11, 2008 8:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Good Catch on the "Meh!"

I thought of that after I posted, but maybe I am emotional and indifferent at the same time. Not that excited about or interested in signing Miles but definitely frustrated with the state of affairs for both the Clippers and Bobcats. I guess we’re all waiting for Dunleavy, Baron or someone to show some leadership, shake things up (in a good way) and make an honest effort at changing the way our season is going.

by ClipCat on Dec 11, 2008 9:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He'll be a great influence on the youngsters

We always need veterans like Ricky Davis, ZBo, Formerly Tim Thomas and Now D Miles. We are really setting our youth to fail

by Qlippers on Dec 11, 2008 8:44 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I know he has a rep

But Miles was, by most accounts, a good citizen in Portland. He worked hard to try to get back on the court, he was involved in the community, etc.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Dec 11, 2008 9:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I just don't get the point of bringing D Miles back

by Jax on Dec 11, 2008 9:50 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, it doesn't take the Blazers out of the FA market next year.

It just means they have $16 million in space instead of $25 million. Plenty of money to sign a big name or a couple of complementary guys if they want. Plus, being under the cap they can make a trade like you guys did with Camby. So that’s just wishful thinking.

You’d lose Portland as a potential trading partner – and maybe you don’t see that happening anyway, or don’t care. But if you’re going to sign a guy that hasn’t played in over 2 years, that has to serve a 10 game suspension…are you telling me that’s better than the best player in the D league? Or someone you could trade Ricky Davis for?

Koponen - PG of the future. For Italy, that is. Book it.

by Blazerholic on Dec 11, 2008 9:20 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I stand corrected

It doesn’t really seem to matter much if other GMs are in Pritchard’s good graces. Has anyone actually ‘won’ a trade with the Blazers? Roy for Foye? Rudy Fernandez for a check? Probably best to just avoid the guy. I think he has hypnotized Steve Kerr into giving him every Suns draft pick ever. He’s like Rasputin.

The 10 game suspension is a red herring, isn’t it? If Miles can play (and I have no idea if he can), then holding out the 12th guy on your roster for 10 days is no big deal. MDsr has not been keen on the D-League in the past. I’d love to see Nick Fazekas back in town, but he doesn’t really help the wing spot.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Dec 11, 2008 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs