What Does Darius Miles Really Bring to this Team?

[nickagneta]

Apparently, from the initial reports of the first practice, a guy that was seriously sucking wind before practice was even half over. If his game was built around his athleticism and not his BBIQ, this does not bode well for Darius Miles. The guy has had two plus years to try to get back into NBA shape and he became worthless before the first practice was half over because he still isn't in NBA shape? Not good!

[crownsy]

the real question to me is "what the risk to the celitcs?"

and the awnser is:zero.

They get the preseason + the 10 game suspension worth of practices to Evaluate him. As roy said, if he's healthy and shows some drive and maturity, he's a beast who can help. If he doesn't, then we cut him.

I'd be more worried about this if it had any downside that i can see. To me this is bartolo colon redux. He came in for no money, won 5 games, turned out to not be worth it, and left.

He even had the decency to cut himself once his usefullness was outlived, mabey miles will do the same 

to sum it up;

He turns out to be really useful to team: celtics win

He turns out to suck and be taking up a roster spot, we cut him: celtics lose nothing except a minimum contract

[feckless]

Roy hits what Miles offers as well as his flaws--the hope is that playing with a leader like KG who makes demands of his teammates, along with a little humbling, last opportunity and maturity- that Darius can consistently be the significant weapon that he has occasionally shown in the past.

[GroverTheClover]

Miles gives the Celtics a chance to really screw the Trailblazers off the court. Other than that, I don't know. My expectations are low for him.

[jgod213]

the real question to me is "what the risk to the celitcs?"

and the awnser is:zero.

They get the preseason + the 10 game suspension worth of practices to Evaluate him. As roy said, if he's healthy and shows some drive and maturity, he's a beast who can help. If he doesn't, then we cut him.

I'd be more worried about this if it had any downside that i can see. To me this is bartolo colon redux. He came in for no money, won 5 games, turned out to not be worth it, and left.

He even had the decency to cut himself once his usefullness was outlived, mabey miles will do the same 

to sum it up;

He turns out to be really useful to team: celtics win

He turns out to suck and be taking up a roster spot, we cut him: celtics lose nothing except a minimum contract

Agreed that the minimal risk is good enough to give him a try, but i don't see how he could help this team this year, honestly.

Miles hasn't played more than a half season since '04-'05, he hasn't played since his horrific injury, he's still extremely out of shape (as nickagneta mentioned), and he'll be sitting on a suspension for the first several weeks of the season...i mean, best case scenario he's back into game shape nearing the second half of the season.  Basically, at that point, he'll have 3 months to get his butt in gear for the playoffs, of which he's never seen before.

I just don't see him being a contributing member to a playoff team, he's just been out of it for too long.  He's such a situational player at this point as well; you cannot put him on the court at the same time as Rondo - there would be a rugby scrum down in the paint.  He may of improved his shot a bit in 2004, but he hasn't taken a meaningful one since then.  Sorry, but i'll take TA 10 times out of 10 over Miles.

[BballTim]

Apparently, from the initial reports of the first practice, a guy that was seriously sucking wind before practice was even half over. If his game was built around his athleticism and not his BBIQ, this does not bode well for Darius Miles. The guy has had two plus years to try to get back into NBA shape and he became worthless before the first practice was half over because he still isn't in NBA shape? Not good!

  I think it's more than a little unfair to expect him to use the two years when he's trying to get his knee to a state where he can even get onto a court getting back into nba shape. If you're Miles, on what's probably your last chance, I'm not sure that you risk a setback in an attempt to be in perfect nba shape at the first practice.

[Hoops]

Apparently, from the initial reports of the first practice, a guy that was seriously sucking wind before practice was even half over. If his game was built around his athleticism and not his BBIQ, this does not bode well for Darius Miles. The guy has had two plus years to try to get back into NBA shape and he became worthless before the first practice was half over because he still isn't in NBA shape? Not good!

  I think it's more than a little unfair to expect him to use the two years when he's trying to get his knee to a state where he can even get onto a court getting back into nba shape. If you're Miles, on what's probably your last chance, I'm not sure that you risk a setback in an attempt to be in perfect nba shape at the first practice.

Yeah, over the next month, he shouldn't have a problem getting the conditioning he needs to give the team a handful of minutes every night. By the end of the season, it seems reasonable that he'll have the conditioning necessary to play 20-25 minutes/night, if needed. Playing it safe up to this point was probably a really smart idea.

[Hardcore Fan]

ONE THING:  Fists to the Head Baby, Fists to the Head !

On a serious note, I am trying to keep an open mind on Miles but the first time I see that stupid %*$#@$# fists to the head thing, I cut him. ( OK maybe I let him play 10 games first, then cut him !)

[nickagneta]

Apparently, from the initial reports of the first practice, a guy that was seriously sucking wind before practice was even half over. If his game was built around his athleticism and not his BBIQ, this does not bode well for Darius Miles. The guy has had two plus years to try to get back into NBA shape and he became worthless before the first practice was half over because he still isn't in NBA shape? Not good!

  I think it's more than a little unfair to expect him to use the two years when he's trying to get his knee to a state where he can even get onto a court getting back into nba shape. If you're Miles, on what's probably your last chance, I'm not sure that you risk a setback in an attempt to be in perfect nba shape at the first practice.

It's unfair, after two and a half years to expect him to come into camp in NBA shape, but it's reasonable to expect a knee doctors have proclaimed will never be in good enough condition to play NBA basketball again, to be able to hold out over a year of NBA basketball when the person using it clearly hasn't used the knee to the degree he will have to to make this team?

If he stood a chance of making this roster, IMHO, he should already have been in excellent cardio-vascular shape and the only question should have been whether the knee would hold up to the stress that NBA level basketball would put on it. Now, instead, we might have to cut someone and suck up paying their contract while they play for someone else, wait until the season is 12% over just to see if he will not only ever be in good enough shape to play but also to see if the knee will last.

I would have preferred, if Danny ends up keeping him on this team, that the only question coming into camp was the long term health and stability of the knee. Now we have to worry if the knee will ever allow him to get in good enough shape as well.

[LarBrd33]

Miles has dominated games in the past.  Never consistently, but he definitely had game.

Check out his line on opening night against KG in his last active season.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200511020MIN.html

He showed signs.  Having him healthy off the bench might be great. 

[Chris]

The question for Miles is whether he will play D.  He has shown both incredible laziness in the past as well as incredible potential on that side of the ball.  There were times when he looked like he was going to be an absolute game changer on defense in the Kirilenko mould, and other times where he made Wally Sczerbiak look like Ron Artest.

The question with him was never ability, it was always hustle, desire and maturity.  He showed more of all of those things in his last year before he got injured, but still had a little ways to go.  But now that he is back to square one, it will be interesting to see in which direction he goes. 

When you look at the players and influences around him now, and the fact that he is older, and potentially more humbled by his experiences, one could definitely come to the conclusion that he could have turned the corner.  But until we see the consistent hustle on the floor, we have to assume the old, lazy Miles is the one we will be seeing.

[guava_wrench]

Apparently, from the initial reports of the first practice, a guy that was seriously sucking wind before practice was even half over. If his game was built around his athleticism and not his BBIQ, this does not bode well for Darius Miles. The guy has had two plus years to try to get back into NBA shape and he became worthless before the first practice was half over because he still isn't in NBA shape? Not good!

  I think it's more than a little unfair to expect him to use the two years when he's trying to get his knee to a state where he can even get onto a court getting back into nba shape. If you're Miles, on what's probably your last chance, I'm not sure that you risk a setback in an attempt to be in perfect nba shape at the first practice.

It's unfair, after two and a half years to expect him to come into camp in NBA shape, but it's reasonable to expect a knee doctors have proclaimed will never be in good enough condition to play NBA basketball again, to be able to hold out over a year of NBA basketball when the person using it clearly hasn't used the knee to the degree he will have to to make this team?

If he stood a chance of making this roster, IMHO, he should already have been in excellent cardio-vascular shape and the only question should have been whether the knee would hold up to the stress that NBA level basketball would put on it. Now, instead, we might have to cut someone and suck up paying their contract while they play for someone else, wait until the season is 12% over just to see if he will not only ever be in good enough shape to play but also to see if the knee will last.

I would have preferred, if Danny ends up keeping him on this team, that the only question coming into camp was the long term health and stability of the knee. Now we have to worry if the knee will ever allow him to get in good enough shape as well.

The guy couldn't practice on consecutive days in January. Don't read too much into his conditioning. Basketball conditioning is difficult unless you can play regularly with NBA level talent.

Let's try to avoid getting carried away with being judgmental when we lack the information to draw reasonable conclusions. The speculation gets bizarre at times.

[moiso]

I like the Bartolo Colon reference.  The only difference is that Colon had previously established himself as a consistently very good/great player.

[Champzilla]

The conditioning was a problem for everyone not just Miles.

[Celtic]

Weed.