- Jun 6, 2006
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I hope someone signs him.
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I'm interpreting it that way as well. The first time I read in to the situation, this is the first way I assumed things would go. Who knowsthough? I wish Miles the best, but I want Portland to win.Originally Posted by LazyJ10
I think I'm interpreting it differently...I think the Blazer's only sent that email under the idea...a team that has NO business signing DMiles, meaning the position he would play for that team is already 4 deep...SOLELY to hurt the Blazer's, they'd take issue with that.
They'd be stupid to fire off that email otherwise. Look at the wording "purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers' salary cap and tax positions." Would be hard to prove, but depth chart could help.
Originally Posted by Immortal C
You realize Portland still will have the ability to have a large amount of cap space even if Darius Miles is back on the books, yes? And that Portland has the right to appeal to keep the money off the books, right?
Originally Posted by CP1708
Yes, I know this. Instead of quoting part of a sentence, quote the whole thing so you see what I was talking about.
In the sentence, I was saying that they regretted the deal they gave him. Soon as he signed it, every penny was going to be paid, one way or another. They went after insurance money and cap relief, now it's biting them in the butt if he makes it back for 2 more games.
Originally Posted by CP1708
From minute one, the SECOND he got hurt, they were pushing for his contract to be voided any way they friggin could. They wanted no part of his contract any more. I'm not sayin they are wrong in that part, the dude sucks, I don't blame them, but THEY signed the contract. It was owed to him from that point forward, EVERY PENNY.
and its also based on contractual obligationsOriginally Posted by G0 PRE
yes its a competitive league, but the nba is a joint venture
That's just evil. Miles looked like he had game in the preseason. We only didn't keep him because we were so deep at his position in termsof contracts.Originally Posted by aubstuh86
miles better not play.... or at least he gets a career ending injury during practice. this dude does not belong in the nba after receiving that 48 mil contract and not owing to expectations. %%#* miles!
Originally Posted by aubstuh86
miles better not play.... or at least he gets a career ending injury during practice. this dude does not belong in the nba after receiving that 48 mil contract and not owing to expectations. %%#* miles!
Said one Western Conference GM of Pritchard on Saturday: "(Bleep) that guy, he's walking around rubbing everyone's nose in the deals he's made and even with all those lottery players his team is still not in the playoffs. "There was a line of guys in the league waiting to sign D. Miles if Memphis didn't." Oregonian
Originally Posted by lnMyMind
Said one Western Conference GM of Pritchard on Saturday: "(Bleep) that guy, he's walking around rubbing everyone's nose in the deals he's made and even with all those lottery players his team is still not in the playoffs. "There was a line of guys in the league waiting to sign D. Miles if Memphis didn't." Oregonian
Originally Posted by lnMyMind
Said one Western Conference GM of Pritchard on Saturday: "(Bleep) that guy, he's walking around rubbing everyone's nose in the deals he's made and even with all those lottery players his team is still not in the playoffs. "There was a line of guys in the league waiting to sign D. Miles if Memphis didn't." Oregonian
[h1]Grizzlies stick it to Blazers, trot out Miles[/h1]
Jan 14, 6:35 am EST
[size=-1]By Anthony Olivieri
PA SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor[/size]
The Memphis Grizzlies gave the Portland Trail Blazers a definitive salute.
Antennas up, Portland.
The Grizzlies, who signed Darius Miles to a 10-day contract last Saturday, sent their Western Conference foe another message in the process.
Without getting too graphic, it normally ends with the recipient taking a long walk off a short pier. In this case, salary cap purgatory was Portland's watery grave.
The Trail Blazers became public enemy No. 1 last week, when they gave the league an ultimatum - don't sign Miles, or else.
It's an interesting story to say the least, considering that it was more likely that Miles would have to beg clubs to take him on.
Miles was waived by the Blazers last season when an independent doctor deemed his knee injury career-ending. Portland, as a result, was allowed to remove his contract from its salary cap.
And then the drama started with Miles, who perhaps is best known for the antenna gesture he and former Los Angeles Clippers teammate Quentin Richardson performed after nearly every positive play on the court.
Miles started a comeback with the Boston Celtics in the preseason but was cut by the defending champs. He eventually caught on for a short stint with the Grizzlies before he again was sent packing.
To many, the move signaled the end of a once-promising career for the former third overall pick in the 2000 draft.
Not so fast.
His return from a potential career-ending injury still could have ramifications on the salary cap of the Trail Blazers, who would have to assume $18 million over the next two seasons if Miles plays 10 games this season.
His six preseason contests with Boston and three limited-minutes appearances with Memphis - after Tuesday's action - put Miles dangerously close to the threshold, which would levy a heavy financial punishment on Portland with the much-anticipated summer of 2010 on the horizon.
In other words, it's a chance for other teams to crush the financial flexibility of the Blazers, who have become one of the NBA's emerging young clubs.
Yahoo! Sports, which has first reported all the developments in the story, said the NBA Players' Association accused the Blazers of collusion for trying to block other teams from signing Miles.
The web site reported that Portland had threatened litigation against any team that signed the free agent, sending all clubs a stern letter of warning.
Bad move.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal last Friday, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley took offense to the message from the Blazers. The newspaper said Heisley would not comment publicly but "reacted with outrage to the tone of Portland's note regarding Miles."
Citing other sources, the newspaper said that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver each sent "disapproving" responses.
Just one day later, Miles was re-signed by Memphis, which wasted no time in playing the athletic forward in Tuesday's 102-87 loss to the Cavaliers - leaving him one game short of sinking the Blazers.
Maybe, Miles can prove that he isn't just a cumbersome contract who can be manipulated like a pawn in a game of chess.
That likely will be a futile effort, however, when so much is at stake. So, what is it that is hanging in the balance?
See if you can follow along.
Portland signed Miles to a six-year, $48 million deal in 2004. His remaining salary would make the Blazers a luxury tax payer and leave them a lot less room for free-agent signings like …
LeBron James.
The Blazers have been harboring a feeling that James could be wooed to the Pacific Northwest for a few reasons.
Portland boasts a talented young supporting cast, which includes Brandon Roy, Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. That group would give LeBron a great chance to win and move the megastar closer to Nike's Oregon headquarters.
Truthfully, the Blazers don't have a great chance at signing James. But there are a boatload of other available free agents to hit the market in the coming seasons, making cap space a valued commodity in the NBA.
So, it's hard to blame the Blazers for protecting their future. But threatening legal action? That seems a bit much.
The NBA, for its part, agreed.
According to a separate report by Yahoo! over the last week, the league notified all teams that any signing of Miles would be approved.
But the Blazers would not be deterred. Yahoo! reported that the league blocked Portland's attempt to stash Miles on its roster and not play him, so that other teams would not be able to snatch him up.
The web site said that the NBA denied the Blazers' waiver claim on Miles because "they believed the Blazers were merely trying to circumvent league salary cap rules."
Got 'em there.
The Blazers would have circumvented, subpoenaed, threatened, litigated … and whatever else they could have gotten away with.
So, who's right?
It says here that both sides had their reasons. Memphis was using some business strategy, while Portland was protecting any advantage it had in the cutthroat world of professional sports.
But maybe, this financial fight is a blessing in disguise for Miles, who once was supposed to be the next big thing to hit the league out of high school.
"I think the league has seen today that I can play," Miles said after scoring 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from the line on Tuesday.