Is Portland trying to sabotage Miles'...

[SabasRevenge!]

I think this post on the Blazers forum says it all:

I think it is hilarious that this is put out like an accusation that the Blazers would have to lie about Darius because he's such a good kid. Let's see, what are all the "good" things Darius has done?

1) Suspended from the team for "conduct detrimental" and insubordination for belittling his coach in a film session. According to Kerry Eggers, the Blazers wanted a longer suspension but advice from NBA and team attornies suggested that the independent arbitrators the players union requires wouldn't go along.

2) Tested positive for a banned substance that earned him a 10 game suspension for violating league drug policy. According to league rules, Miles would have had to fail three previous drug tests in order to get a 10 game suspension.

3) He was accused of throwing a bottle during a bar fight (whatever happened to that?)

4) Was traded immediately to Portland following missing a practice in Cleveland, another in a long line of team rules violations.

5) Was involved ina brawl outside a Portland strip club with Qyntel Woods in 2004.

6) Came to practice hung over and smelling of alcohol right before Portland was blown out in a game against the Pacers.

7) In another strip club incident, Miles and Randolph were involved in a "gathering" where a shot was fired.

8) His friend was busted for drugs while riding in Miles' SUV. (Not bad in itself, but Miles was "uncooperative and combative" to arresting officers. Plus, isn't it strange that there were three guys in a car owned by a pro athlete, two who were arrested in the incident for possession of drugs and one threw a gun under a car while this was all going down? Is it possible that maybe they were taking the fall for their rich, famous friend who could reward them generously for doing so? I don't know--maybe I'm turning into a conspiracy theorist After all, see #2 of this list and see what you think the odds might be of Darius getting lucky he was with the right friends who didn't squawk that night)

Yeah, I know a lot of folks think that most of these incidents, since no charges were files, were just Canzano and Quick looking to tarnish the Blazers' image. They may be right, and it may be a conspiracy. But there are certainly enough close calls in there, and with the knowledge that Miles' suspension meant at least three other drug test failures it seems like there's at least enough of a shadow of a doubt to say there's a pattern of behavior here that you just don't want near a team. And if this is what the Blazers are broadcasting--that a lot of these incidents not only happened but were dropped not because there were no charges to be filed but instead because the Blazers asked to keep it quiet (the Nash/Patterson front office had a pattern with that--remember the whole thing with paying for Zach's charity contributions because the checks kept bouncing, and the side deal to pay Miles when he was suspended for the Cheeks incident?), then they're simply providing the sort of information that would be required in due dilligence for any team thinking about signing Miles. All in all, Miles might be "a good kid," but damned if he doesn't have enough of a bad kid in him to at least make you think thrice.

I don't know who this anonymous source said was bad-mouthing Darius, but it's obvious to me that simply telling the truth about Darius' behavior could be considered bad-mouthing because there isn't really anything positive to say about the guy. A good guy doesn't berate his coach and call him a "house N-----" in front of him teammates.

[BlazertheGreek]

Amen to the above post.

[ParticleMan]

The blazer fans really seem to be missing the point. Nobody is saying Miles wasn't a douche. His history is well known. But if folks around the league are surprised at the Blazers continuing to bad-mouth Miles, it seems a bit fishy. Obviously they're not telling folks things they already know, things that are already well-documented. And it's pretty clear it's not just in response to questions; I mean, nobody expects the Blazers to say anything nice about Darius when asked.

Miles clearly has a long way to go to re-establish his reputation. But think about it- if the Blazers didn't have 9mil on the line, why would they care? Why would they say anything? Wouldn't the high road be to say "look, it didn't work out here, he has some troubles, but we wish him best of luck going forward"? But no. The Blazers have 9mil on the line here, along with serious cap flexibility at stake. So they're continuing to badmouth him, which just makes them look petty and transparently cheap.

[BballFanAddict]

Lets try this with intelligence.

Look at the title of the story. It reads exactly like the hogwash Bynum asking for 17 million a year story. It has a "?" mark at the end. That is a CYA move. It means, the article is 100% speculative. There are no sources to back up the story, otherwise it would read: "Portland is bad mouthing Miles around the league." The period being the operative part of that new sentence.

At least with the Bynum article one only has to possess a rudimentry understanding of the league to know it is not possible for Bynum to even make $17 million a year on his second contract; and, even if it were possible via some outlandish incentives, the idea that he'd actually get that money is ludicrous. That article is thrown out on those facts alone.

The Blazers article takes a little bit more congnitive reasoning. I think one of the Boston fans in here said it best, although I think they were ridiculing Portland and did not realize they actually made the best argument to defend Portland. Why would Portland have to say anything negative about Miles when everyone in the league has already heard the stories?

Let me ask you this. Did all of you, as general fans, know the stories about Miles even BEFORE he was cut from Portland's team? My guess is Yes. Now, do you think maybe the GM's and FO's in the league know more about individual players and the on-goings of players than most normal fans? That question is rhetorical.

Simply put. Why would Portland need to say ANYTHING about Miles? Especially unsolicited? I guarantee you every GM in the league has heard the stories about Miles. Also, every single GM knows Portland has extra incentive to not see Miles on a team, so who would listen to them?

Do you really think Portland's GM and FO have time to spend spinning BS about Miles when the guy clearly made a name for himself by his lonesome? Do you really think the other GMs do not know about Miles?

Lastly, if Miles is such a great kid, and if he really does have a lot to offer, how is it he was unable to make it on the team that made these boasts?

Did you all know that he also tried out in PHX? Kerr was on a call here in Portland and he could not come right out with it, but he basically said that Miles' knee was still prohibiting him from contributing for an NBA season.

No one needs to spin for this kid. Everyone knows his past.

The article has as much credability as Bynum making 17 million does.

None.

[Wizenheimer]

The blazer fans really seem to be missing the point. Nobody is saying Miles wasn't a douche. His history is well known. But if folks around the league are surprised at the Blazers continuing to bad-mouth Miles, it seems a bit fishy. Obviously they're not telling folks things they already know, things that are already well-documented. And it's pretty clear it's not just in response to questions; I mean, nobody expects the Blazers to say anything nice about Darius when asked.

Miles clearly has a long way to go to re-establish his reputation. But think about it- if the Blazers didn't have 9mil on the line, why would they care? Why would they say anything? Wouldn't the high road be to say "look, it didn't work out here, he has some troubles, but we wish him best of luck going forward"? But no. The Blazers have 9mil on the line here, along with serious cap flexibility at stake. So they're continuing to badmouth him, which just makes them look petty and transparently cheap.

you're assuming the 'article', which is not really an article, but a sports gossip column is accurate, and so you're assuming it as fact that the blazers are "bad-mouthing" miles.

setting aside the general sliminess of a columnist citing anonymous sources talking about unnamed blazer 'representatives' saying something, none of which is known... the layers of hearsay are too hard to keep track of, after all...

the subjective term "badmouth" is interesting. There is no context whatsoever, so it's impossible to judge (if you were inclined to believe unsourced gossip) if the badmouthing in this case was really as such. The unnamed blazer representative could have said plenty of things that were completely truthful and factual and would have been very unflattering to Miles. So, is telling the truth and stating facts actually "badmouthing"? The story, not only doesn't name a single source, but also doesn't give a single example of what supposedly has been said.

In other words, there is absolutely no basis or context to make any reasonable judgment on what actually happened, yet many are apparently willing to do so.

[Brandon-Clyde]

On another point.In the general NBA section there is a thread asking why the NBA has a worse reputation than the NFL.Well guess what sort of image Miles projects.He's a troublemaker.He's the guy who brings down the image of the NBA and those who defend his actions should ask themselves why

[Nonstop]

...chances to sign-on elsewhere?

If true, that's low... I mean to what lengths will Portland go to prevent him from joining another team? Are they that hell bent on not taking on the remainder of his salary? Damn.

Adding insult to injury?: While the Celtics have been praising Darius Miles, two NBA general managers said the Blazers have been bad-mouthing the free agent forward to potential suitors. Miles was hampered by injuries and off-the-court problems during his five seasons in Portland and was waived April 14. But if he plays in 10 games over the next two seasons, the Blazers will be on the hook for $18 million in salary. Miles was cut by the Celtics last week in his bid to return after missing two seasons but he is getting inquiries from other teams. "He can still play and he also hasn't played in two years, so you have to understand that he will get better," one NBA GM said. "Too bad Portland is putting out bad information that he is not a good kid. Anything and everything they can say bad they are. It's too bad. He's a nice kid with a bad injury who has fought back. Right now, he's still an NBA player and he's going to get better. He's going to improve. It will be a smart pick-up for someone." The Blazers declined comment on the accusation. When asked about Miles being waived by the Celtics, Blazers coach Nate McMillan said, "That situation, it's behind us. What he was doing in Boston, that's behind us. He's no longer with us."

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball ... ap/?page=2

First of all you are going by one stupid ass article. When Miles was in Portland, he was embraced by the team and the fans. Then he started getting in trouble, smoking weed and calling your coach a "N*gger to his face" yeah bro, thats real classy. If that is a model citizen to you, I would hate to see what a criminal is. He was with your organization for what, a couple of months, try him for 3 or 4 years and then get back to me. Its so funny to see some (not all) Boston fans talk about things they know nothing about. I witnessed first hand the whole "Jailblazer" era and Miles was a big part of that. Its funny people dog the Blazers for being a bunch of thugs calling us the "Jailblazers" but when we turn things around getting rid of thugs like Miles we get called "reprehensible" and A**holes. Yeah, poor Darius.....gimme a break Boston fans. By the way Brandon Roy is "a good kid" not Darius Miles.

I had a long response, but closed my browser on my phone on accident, but anyway he never called him a ****... It was something along ths lines of an uncle tom. they both called each other nigg(a), but A black man calling another black man a ****, is like u calling ur friend bro, dude, etc.

I'm mixed, and I can tell u first hand, that if I was called a **** or uncle tom, I wouldn't blink.

Anyways, I know darius personally, and he's not as bad as he's painted. He is trying to comeback, did want to contribute to the blazers, but his body was saying otherwise. Its unfortunate but it will unfold the way god intends it.

And I've been around both brandon and the bad bay darius at the same time, they were together a lot, so either brandon not as good as we think or DARIUS ISNT THE DEVIL! Lol, its entertaining seeing so many people on a message board (not singling u out BTG) talk about people as if they know them personally. Darius isn't a choir boy, but he's no criminal.

[Nonstop]

honestly, the only thing u can convict darius of, is having poor judgement in his associates. He has some good, and some not so good. He himself is an easy target. If someone he befriended commits a crime, he's guilty by association. Which to me is bulls*** anyway

[DaVoiceMaster]

Blazer fans....

If you haven't noticed, you're the only one's posting in this thread anymore. Let's just leave it alone. People will believe what they want to believe, especially when they're not open to hearing other ideas (and I'm referring to both Portland and Boston fans). You've said your peace, come on back home to the Portland board.

[ParticleMan]

The blazer fans really seem to be missing the point. Nobody is saying Miles wasn't a douche. His history is well known. But if folks around the league are surprised at the Blazers continuing to bad-mouth Miles, it seems a bit fishy. Obviously they're not telling folks things they already know, things that are already well-documented. And it's pretty clear it's not just in response to questions; I mean, nobody expects the Blazers to say anything nice about Darius when asked.

Miles clearly has a long way to go to re-establish his reputation. But think about it- if the Blazers didn't have 9mil on the line, why would they care? Why would they say anything? Wouldn't the high road be to say "look, it didn't work out here, he has some troubles, but we wish him best of luck going forward"? But no. The Blazers have 9mil on the line here, along with serious cap flexibility at stake. So they're continuing to badmouth him, which just makes them look petty and transparently cheap.

you're assuming the 'article', which is not really an article, but a sports gossip column is accurate, and so you're assuming it as fact that the blazers are "bad-mouthing" miles.

setting aside the general sliminess of a columnist citing anonymous sources talking about unnamed blazer 'representatives' saying something, none of which is known... the layers of hearsay are too hard to keep track of, after all...

the subjective term "badmouth" is interesting. There is no context whatsoever, so it's impossible to judge (if you were inclined to believe unsourced gossip) if the badmouthing in this case was really as such. The unnamed blazer representative could have said plenty of things that were completely truthful and factual and would have been very unflattering to Miles. So, is telling the truth and stating facts actually "badmouthing"? The story, not only doesn't name a single source, but also doesn't give a single example of what supposedly has been said.

In other words, there is absolutely no basis or context to make any reasonable judgment on what actually happened, yet many are apparently willing to do so.

LMAO. you're acting like this is a court of law. yes, you're right, there is reasonable doubt about the article. you wouldn't get a conviction based on that stuff. but this isn't a court of law. in my experience, where there's smoke, there's fire. especially where there's smoke AND motive. why would someone make up stuff like that?

look, i like the portland FO. they've done a real nice job with rebuilding that team. but they're not playing the Miles thing well at all. there's even talk of formal action against them based on releasing injury information without consent.

So you can go in with your "nyah nyah you can't PROVE it therefore it's not true" argument. whatever. really, i just find it funny that so many portland fans are so defensive about this issue.

[MyInsatiableOne]

I bet this is true...I had heard about quite a bit of rumbling and plotting coming from Portland just when the C's brought Miles to camp in the summer...wouldn't surprise me a bit.

[sully00]

On another point.In the general NBA section there is a thread asking why the NBA has a worse reputation than the NFL.Well guess what sort of image Miles projects.He's a troublemaker.He's the guy who brings down the image of the NBA and those who defend his actions should ask themselves why

I don't know if I will make my way over there but if you don't understand why people have a better opinion of the NFL than the NBA then you just don't understand the deep seeded dynamics of American culture.

The NBA is dominated by African Americans, not just on the court but in the front offices and on the bench, and now expanding to ownership it is a black league. The players are the league and the players are African American, the league has embraced this concept for better or worse.

In the NFL, while the majority of players are African American, not at the highest profile position and while a representative number of Head Coaches are African American not in relation to the population of the league. There is no one even in minority ownership I can think of and ownership is featured like CEO's. But most importantly the players are employees in the league. The only position that transcends the employee status is quarterbacks and they happen to mostly be white. If they **** up they can be cut, no one individual is the show, if they want to do 'roids, shoot up strip clubs, or drive drunk it reflects on them and their culture but not the league that literally masks its employees and attempts to distance themselves from their culture, it also destroys them physically and then spits them out.

Perception is reality, the NFL has had a player convicted of murdering the mother of his unborn child, an All Pro involved in a murder, players regularly shot, killed and maimed and a consistent string of arrests but the league moves on no one is bigger than the show, frankly because it does treat the good guys very well either. The NBA is a star driven league like movies, you have to put up with Kobe, AI, and Arenas because that is what makes it worth watching. Would anyone in the NFL care that TD doesn't give good interview, hell no, they probably would pay him more for keeping his mouth shut.

[Effigy]

one NBA GM said. " He's going to improve. It will be a smart pick-up for someone."

So if this mystery gm feels this way, why doesn't he pick Miles up himself? He says it would be a smart thing to do. Does this mystery gm not consider himself smart? The story doesn't add up. If a GM says he'd be a smart pick up, but won't actually pick him up then a) what he's saying does not bely his true opinon, and b) he is hoping to influence other teams to do what he personally doesn't want to do. And I'm suprised Celtic fans are backing this article up and believing it since we have no idea who this mystery gm could possibly be.

[greenbeans]

one NBA GM said. " He's going to improve. It will be a smart pick-up for someone."

So if this mystery gm feels this way, why doesn't he pick Miles up himself? He says it would be a smart thing to do. Does this mystery gm not consider himself smart? The story doesn't add up. If a GM says he'd be a smart pick up, but won't actually pick him up then a) what he's saying does not bely his true opinon, and b) he is hoping to influence other teams to do what he personally doesn't want to do. And I'm suprised Celtic fans are backing this article up and believing it since we have no idea who this mystery gm could possibly be.

Guaranteed contracts unfortunately leave some deserving players on the street in favor of a dumb mistake that was made 3 years ago

[Rocky5000]

If one GM says it, it's a rumor, if a second GM says the same thing....you've got to at least think there is something going on.
If you have guaranteed contracts or a full roster, it doesn't make sense to pick up Darius. If Scalabrine wasn't signed to a **** deal, he'd be off the team and Miles would be our 15th man. It doesn't take much detective work to realize the GM saying good things about Darius is most likely Danny Ainge.

[Effigy]

If one GM says it, it's a rumor, if a second GM says the same thing....you've got to at least think there is something going on.
If you have guaranteed contracts or a full roster, it doesn't make sense to pick up Darius. If Scalabrine wasn't signed to a **** deal, he'd be off the team and Miles would be our 15th man. It doesn't take much detective work to realize the GM saying good things about Darius is most likely Danny Ainge.

Are thre 2 GMs saying the same thing? as far as I know it's just Ainge, meaning it's just a rumor by your logic.

[Rocky5000]

While the Celtics have been praising Darius Miles, two NBA general managers said the Blazers have been bad-mouthing the free agent forward to potential suitors.

From the original post.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

I'm surprised that Portland fans would be so quick to defend an organization looking out for its best interests. That's $9 million in capspace! Why wouldn't the Blazers want to defend that? If the Celts were going to lose $9 million in capspace, because let's say, Ricky Davis or Mark Blount, wanted to play again, despite the fact that they put in a less than stellar effort while employed with the Celts, I could only hope that the Celtics did everything in their power to ensure that said player wasn't signed by another team.

I also found this to be funny:

In other words, there is absolutely no basis or context to make any reasonable judgment on what actually happened, yet many are apparently willing to do so.

However,

this will be interesting.

First of all, I'm thinking that Ainge is holding a grudge against KP and the Blazers. KP flummoxed him in the telfair trade, and then the blazers leapfrogged the Celts and landed Oden. I think Ainge has been on a slow boil about that for a couple of years. He also...IIRC...left portland on somewhat poor terms back in his playing days, and had a couple of unflattering things to say back then. So this may be his "revenge is a dish best tasted cold" moment.

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=834710&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[Celtsfan1980]

It's funny seeing Portland fans come in here and change the subject. Miles' attitude has little to do with this subject. If the article is true, Portland's management are acting like a bunch of children. Nobody should defend that.