Darius Miles - Squad player possibility?

[CelicaLuva]

Before anyone starts looking around for rumors just wanted to clarify that this is pure speculation on my part based on the positive DM report on the frontpage, but this scenario makes some sense and is one which we can potentially reap benefits from. Several people mentioned in another thread that we now have a need to fill (depth at the 3 & 4) with the inevitable Maggette departure - can the former #21 be a low-risk option for us? Realistically can he fit under our scheme for rounding out the roster with bargain contracts? Would we even want him back in the fold with various negative sentiments surrounding him?

Will put out my take on it later today...

[shrink]

POR got an injury exception for the guy.

If the docs clear him and you signed him for 10 games, they would not be pleased.

[mj_shoefanatic]

I'd gladly welcome DMiles back into Clipper Nation

[NYCF]

I only have one problem with signing D Miles: he is (and always has been) a lousy ballplayer. Exhibit # 1 for not drafting guys out of high school who have zero fundamentals but "unbelievable athletic ability". The guy has been a total bust (not only that but a bust with serious attitude). In addition, with his injury woes of hte last few seasons the Clipper "brain trust" would have to be crazy to sign this guy (Remind me again, when is the press conference announcing the D Miles signing scheduled for again)

[JJ LoDuca]

All good points...D.Miles is an infamous underachiever, lazy, loves the sticky-icky, and doesn't have a lot of natural ball-playing abilities to speak of. Having said all that....he's DARIUS FREAKIN' MILES. I'd have him back in a minute. Dude is the reason I became a Clipper fan in the first place. He might be terrible, but I love the guy. Bring him back baby!

[NYCF]

All good points...D.Miles is an infamous underachiever, lazy, loves the sticky-icky, and doesn't have a lot of natural ball-playing abilities to speak of. Having said all that....he's DARIUS FREAKIN' MILES. I'd have him back in a minute. Dude is the reason I became a Clipper fan in the first place. He might be terrible, but I love the guy. Bring him back baby.

You know what, having posted what I did and then having read JJ's post I totally get it. Clipper fans infatuation with D Miles goes beyond all reason but it lives on nonetheless. Clearly it is different for me (being a fan who lives clear across the country) so maybe I'll never get it completely. Having said that, it is clear that D Miles has a special place in many a Clipper fan's heart and is often cited as the reason why people became Clipper fans in the first place.

Bring him back baby!

[GuyverX]

It'll be amusing to have him back just as a novelty...but to improve this team? Nah.

Darius had a chance to improve his game between the time that he and Q.Rich were fighting for starting spots on the Clippers and when he got traded to Cleveland. He did improve a little bit when he was healthy on the Blazers but we know how that all turned out. The window for Miles' career is closed whether he or his agent will accept it or not.

[madmaxmedia]

I'm very doubtful of his current capabilities, but would love to see him in camp.

Back when he was playing for us, he had very little fundamental basketball skills (which never really improved), but was freakishly athletic. He got a lot of putback dunks, was active near the paint, and played very good defense. There might have been better draft picks in that draft, but he was not a bust by any means and allowed us to trade for what we thought was a high-impact PG. I remember him routinely energizing the Staples crowd and his teammates with his dunks. He was a LOT of fun to watch, and as a bonus you never knew what hair style he was gonna rock that night.

All that being said, he has been injured and overweight the last few years, so I don't know how much of that old spring he still has.

[GuyverX]

IThere might have been better draft picks in that draft, but he was not a bust by any means and allowed us to trade for what we thought was a high-impact PG. I remember him routinely energizing the Staples crowd and his teammates with his dunks. He was a LOT of fun to watch, and as a bonus you never knew what hair style he was gonna rock that night.

I think a lot would disagree with you about him not being a bust. He did help put the Clippers on the map again (at least by being exciting and not necessarily providing wins) but what he ultimately amounted to was an Andre Miller rental for one year (for a measly 27 wins) and that's it. Granted, the 2000 draft was pretty weak looking back. Michael Redd was the only franchise player to come out of that draft and he was a 2nd round draft pick.

[Det the Threat]

If the Clipps work him out and like him then they should invite him to training camp on a non-guaranteed contract.

Anything more would just be too much of a risk, after all the injury problems he's had over the last couple of years.

[madmaxmedia]

I think a lot would disagree with you about him not being a bust. He did help put the Clippers on the map again (at least by being exciting and not necessarily providing wins) but what he ultimately amounted to was an Andre Miller rental for one year (for a measly 27 wins) and that's it. Granted, the 2000 draft was pretty weak looking back. Michael Redd was the only franchise player to come out of that draft and he was a 2nd round draft pick.

I know where you're coming from but keep in mind that for the Clippers, Andre Miller was the bust, not Darius Miles. At the time we parted ways with Darius, we were able to use him to land a highly regarded player. Darius was already a significant contributor to the Clippers, hence his high trade value.

Of course, Darius ended up a bust for his other employers. But I what I meant was that he was not a draft bust for us. We ended up getting a bust in return in a later trade, but Darius gave us high trade value which was his ultimate value to the team (since he left).

As you say, the 2000 draft was weak overall, so in the end we made out fine in picking Darius (too bad we didn't trade him for someone better.)

[CelicaLuva]

I know where you're coming from but keep in mind that for the Clippers, Andre Miller was the bust, not Darius Miles. At the time we parted ways with Darius, we were able to use him to land a highly regarded player. Darius was already a significant contributor to the Clippers, hence his high trade value.

Of course, Darius ended up a bust for his other employers. But I what I meant was that he was not a draft bust for us. We ended up getting a bust in return in a later trade, but Darius gave us high trade value which was his ultimate value to the team (since he left).

I share that sentiment. It's true that he never came close to living up to his lofty potential with the physical gifts, and therefore from a player development perspective he was considered a bust. But try recalling being the Clipper fan that you were back in 20001-2002: While he didn't do this all by himself, he was a major catalyst of a so-called Clippers renaissance which brought tremendous interest from both media and casual fans to the team, as well as triggering the first ever signs of relatively motivated front office moves since the franchise's been in LA (the Brand trade happened after Miles' rookie season). At the time the Miles-Dre trade was made, we were getting a point guard at an age typical of someone entering his prime (we all knew how it blew up, but recent event proved that Dre was definitely more of a late-bloomer) who just led the league in assists two straight seasons and was widely considered as a promising pure point guard. We were getting someone who could've been our franchise its first legitimate star PG, and yet there were fans who were opposed to the trade and wanted DMiles to stay instead. From that standpoint you have to consider the DMiles project as a major success for the Clips, not a bust.

Regardless of what had unfolded in the past, our current concern is whether he can contribute if the team does indeed have an interest in him to fill out the squad. Based on his story over the past 2-3 yrs it appears that he could hardly get himself on the court due to a combination of injuries, character issues and the Trailblazers desperate to shed the "Jail" prefix. But check out the first 14 games of his last active season before injury and subsequently needing microfracture surgery (btw I was just reminded how awful his FT shooting was, ugh):

http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/ ... &year=2006

career numbers of 11 pts, almost 6 rebs in 27 mpg ain't eye-popping, but he also rounded it out with a steal and a block per game and the fact is that his more productive yrs came after the first couple of yrs out of HS. Yes he's been out for a while and microfracture surgeries are tough to come back from, but he is still just 26, and if there's any truth to reports saying he just had an impressive workout for the C's and that the Suns have interest as well I think he at least deserves a place in a training camp roster (in that case I would like to see him on ours unless multiple kids in our summer league team impressed). He could be a viable add depending on what our final budget is after the Brand saga.

[madmaxmedia]

Yeah, it would be fun just to get him back playing at Staples. I remember during his years here, there would be tons of Darius Miles jerseys in the stands.

I can't believe he's only 26. I guess we'll see...I wonder if this idea only exists here, and whether any Clipper FO have given him a second thought thus far...