# Darius Miles, hang it up



## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

An interesting approach to rehab by Darius Miles. I would also find Dennis Dixon's choices after surgery troubling if I were an NFL GM.

It's time for the fans to start pressuring this doofball into retiring so the team can get relief from his contract. Thank you for another spot-on column, John Canzano. :clap:

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/or...ex.ssf?/base/sports/12030495299790.xml&coll=7



> _The high-priced, rehabbing forward might love the NBA lifestyle, but his days as a productive player are over _
> 
> Friday, February 15, 2008
> 
> ...


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

Canzano has an axe to grind, and can be an insufferable as *do not mask your cursing*, but I think he is actually probably spot on here.

I couldn't care less if Miles likes going to strip clubs -- Jesus, this is Portland, TONS of people go to strip clubs without being labeled as degenerate, anti-social reprobates. For god's sake who here hasn't done a pub crawl along the eastside only to find yourself at Union Jack's at 1:30 in the morning?

But, if Miles is truly incapable of passing basic fitness drills then he does need to hang it up; at worst the team still gets to cash in that insurance policy on him which covers something like 80% of salary this year if he doesn't play due to injury, so it's not like he's impoverishing the team with his presence, he's just mucking up their plans to clear cap space.

I admit I lost a ton of respect for Darius when he kind of quit on the team a year and a half ago, but somehow I had hoped he'd get his head screwed on straight and would knuckle down on his rehab and come back strong ... even if the effect was only to increase his trade value.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Great column. I've always enjoyed Canzano's reporting and found his insights to be extremely accurate. He calls it like it is and is unafraid to point out the transgressions of Trail Blazers like Miles and Wallace and Wells. Darius Miles is a horrible joke on professional sports and the Trail Blazers in particular. He's been getting a free ride on the gravy train for way too long, and it's way past time for him to go.

Let him tool around in that absurd car of his and toss stacks of money to the hookers on the corner . . .


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## Ukrainefan (Aug 1, 2003)

Hmmm, what was Canzano doing at a strip club?


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

If Miles is overweight, out of shape, unable to pass fitness drills, his contract should be bought out. He will not return to the NBA like that.

But IMO Canzano raises all this strip club as a red herring. It reminds me of what passes for politics where we hear more about Hillary Clinton's clothes than her proposals and Giuliani's wives than his record. If Miles should not be on this team it is not because he throws money around in a strip club. And I say this as a woman who finds this frankly disgusting. I wonder what the hell his wife is doing at home with the baby while he frolics. However, since it is not illegal and so far as I know all participants are consenting adults, I have to say that it is their private business. If I were straight and he was my man the relationship would end. But I'm not and he's not.



> Miles has a great sense of humor. People love to be around him. He's a pleasant enough guy to have a conversation with, or talk about custom automobiles, which he loves. But the more you understand Miles, the more you understand that when he tells you, "I love basketball," what he really means is, "I love the NBA lifestyle."
> 
> Women, money, cars, clubs and fame are the things that keep Miles going when he talks about trying to come back from his November 2006 knee surgery.


I'm sorry, but I really doubt that Miles confides in Canzano. And I REALLY doubt Canzano is a thought reader. Miles has enough money to get the cars, clubs, fancy clothes, and that means women, at least if he likes shallow women. 

So let's talk about how, if Miles really loved basketball, he'd be rehabbing like Oden does. Maybe he's lazy, egotistical, I don't know. But dragging in strip clubs, which I think a lot of NBA players go to even if they have wives/girlfriends, is irrelevant and designed to make people dislike Miles and want him out based on that, not on his ability/inability to play.


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

crandc said:


> If Miles is overweight, out of shape, unable to pass fitness drills, his contract should be bought out. He will not return to the NBA like that.
> 
> But IMO Canzano raises all this strip club as a red herring. It reminds me of what passes for politics where we hear more about Hillary Clinton's clothes than her proposals and Giuliani's wives than his record. If Miles should not be on this team it is not because he throws money around in a strip club. And I say this as a woman who finds this frankly disgusting. I wonder what the hell his wife is doing at home with the baby while he frolics. However, since it is not illegal and so far as I know all participants are consenting adults, I have to say that it is their private business. If I were straight and he was my man the relationship would end. But I'm not and he's not.
> 
> ...


Fair points, all of them. I just found the correlation between Miles' night-time activities (Dolphin II, The City club incident last fall) and his stunning lack of fitness to be relevant.

I also find some irony in the Roys, Odens, and Fryes going to MLK's first gym in Atlanta while the 'mature and veteran' Miles continues to act like he's 21 years old.


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## Mr. Chuck Taylor (Aug 2, 2004)

This article is ridiculous. Canzano is turning the Oregonian into a tabloid. The only useful information in this article is that Miles declared himself "99.5% healthy", yet he is doing poorly in his conditioning tests. The rest is almost all assumptions and generalizations (and its a pretty long article). And the whole thing about the strip club? What does that prove? I guess Canzano should retract the numerous articles he wrote about how great Dixon is, and that he should have won the Heisman. Listen, I want Miles to retire as much as the next guy. But this type of journalism is pathetic.


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

I have no doubt that Roy et. al. are more professional and mature than miles, but before we anoint them as saints for going to a gymnasium in Atlanta to commemorate MLK day, I think it would be wise to remember that they are all at some point going to make "mistakes" off the court.

No wonder this team has trouble attracting FA's in the offseason, when the local media and fan base are still so provincial and puts these players under such a microscope.


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

I could care less what folks do in their own time that is their own business. That is the problem with this country, is a lot of folks expect people else to live their life as they would theirs, according to their morals. People should try minding their own business, and and as long as somebody isn't violating somebody else's rights, they really shouldn't care. 

As far as Darius conditioning goes, that is his problem. If he doesn't want to play ball again, great. I can't blame him for riding the contract he signed as far as he can. Wouldn't you? If I had to hang out on IR for 6 million bucks, I would do it. That is why they sign those guaranteed contracts folks. So if they are injured, they don't lose everything.


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## Foulzilla (Jan 11, 2005)

Oh my god. A strip club! Burn the heretic!

Seriously, this is completely irrelevant and not worth discussing. Nor should it have ever made it to a full fledged article.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

The part about the strip club is garbage, for all of the reasons listed. Just Canzano stooping to yellow journalism to bolster his case that Miles should retire.

On the other hand, this whole Miles comeback schtick is getting pretty old. If the guy is as out of shape and unable to meet basic fitness tests as Canzano says, then the team needs to get more aggressive in pushing Darius to shape up or ship out.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

hasoos said:


> As far as Darius conditioning goes, that is his problem. If he doesn't want to play ball again, great. I can't blame him for riding the contract he signed as far as he can. Wouldn't you? If I had to hang out on IR for 6 million bucks, I would do it. That is why they sign those guaranteed contracts folks. So if they are injured, they don't lose everything.


Nobody's asking him to leave any money on the table, as far as I can tell. If he takes medical retirement, he still gets paid, but it doesn't count against the Blazers cap space.


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

Who the hell cares? It's a strip club, people.

While we're at it, can you BELIEVE Brandon Roy had a child out of WEDLOCK???? :azdaja:

-Pop


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

e_blazer1 said:


> Just Canzano stooping to yellow journalism to bolster his case that Miles should retire.


Yellow journalism is a step up for Canzano. 

Next up: sick-kid-tearjerker-some-things-in-life-are-more-important-than-sports "sports" column.



e_blazer1 said:


> On the other hand, this whole Miles comeback schtick is getting pretty old. If the guy is as out of shape and unable to meet basic fitness tests as Canzano says, then the team needs to get more aggressive in pushing Darius to shape up or ship out.


Next up: Shawn Kemp Comeback Rev. 8.0 - He's lost 50 pounds, is off drugs and in the best shape of his life.

Next Up: Shawn Kemp Comeback Rev. 8.1 - Former NBA star arrested for drug possession.

BNM


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Another hate piece by Crapzano, based 100% on hearsay because the author has not personally seen any of Darius's workouts.

Since when is being an active donor to the local performance arts community a BAD thing for an athlete, or any other citizen to do? I applaud Darius's philanthropy. Helping those who need it most, right at the street level of society.

Miles says he can play. Of course he can, and will, play in the league again. There are at least a hundred players in this diluted league that Miles could beat at both ends of the court even if he played on crutches.

This is at odds with KP's wish for him to retire and give the Blazers a huge salary cap break. That's the real conundrum here, the Blazers don't want him due to his personality and they are stuck with him and the contract THEY gave him. They need to face their obligation and either play him or trade him, or at least stop blaming him for their change of plans/management.


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

SodaPopinski said:


> Who the hell cares? It's a strip club, people.
> 
> While we're at it, can you BELIEVE Brandon Roy had a child out of WEDLOCK???? :azdaja:
> 
> -Pop



Weddings are outdated.:biggrin:


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

I also remember about half the team initially failed the conditioning workout despite coming to camp early, and if you do the math Darius was 14 secs or less from passing it. Since the author purposely excluded the required time to pass the test we have no way of knowing if this is bad or good for a recovering player.


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## Resume (Jul 17, 2007)

I don't much care about the strip club stuff anymore... but I do want him to retire.
I don't want him to ever suit up again. He is not a Blazer.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

MARIS61 said:


> Since when is being an active donor to the local performance arts community a BAD thing for an athlete, or any other citizen to do? I applaud Darius's philanthropy. Helping those who need it most, right at the street level of society.


Heh, heh. Good one. :clap2:


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

MARIS61 said:


> Since when is being an active donor to the local performance arts community a BAD thing for an athlete, or any other citizen to do? I applaud Darius's philanthropy. Helping those who need it most, right at the street level of society.


Yeah, give the guy a break. He's a regular Albert Schweitzer.

BNM


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## ProudBFan (Apr 29, 2003)

The strip-club stuff is irrelevant to the real issue.

But it paints an interesting picture.

PBf


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## yuyuza1 (May 24, 2006)

ProudBFan said:


> But it paints an interesting picture.
> 
> PBf


Yeah. That Canzano is a stalker.


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

Some of you guys need to step away from your internet porn for a while and actually go to a strip joint. They actually have LIVE naked women. Cold beer and Naked women. It's not a bad combination. And it's completely legal! Of course most of us really can't afford $25.00 every 3 minutes for a lap dance, but these guys can. Don't hate them for it. Lucky *******s


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

chairman said:


> Some of you guys need to step away from your internet porn for a while and actually go to a strip joint. They actually have LIVE naked women. Cold beer and Naked women. It's not a bad combination. And it's completely legal! Of course most of us really can't afford $25.00 every 3 minutes for a lap dance, but these guys can. Don't hate them for it. Lucky *******s



Exactly.:biggrin:


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## ProudBFan (Apr 29, 2003)

chairman said:


> Some of you guys need to step away from your internet porn for a while and actually go to a strip joint. They actually have LIVE naked women. Cold beer and Naked women. It's not a bad combination. And it's completely legal! Of course most of us really can't afford $25.00 every 3 minutes for a lap dance, but these guys can. Don't hate them for it. Lucky *******s


So... um... are we still on for Starz tonight?



PBF


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

LOL. I would if I lived in Portland. In Utah they still make them wear pasties! That ain't right. No wonder all the players hang out at the mall.


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

chairman said:


> Some of you guys need to step away from your internet porn for a while and actually go to a strip joint. They actually have LIVE naked women. Cold beer and Naked women. It's not a bad combination. And it's completely legal! Of course most of us really can't afford $25.00 every 3 minutes for a lap dance, but these guys can. Don't hate them for it. Lucky Bas$%^&s


I don't read internet porn or go to strip clubs.

I know better places to find live naked women that I like a lot better.


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## Zybot (Jul 22, 2004)

Ukrainefan said:


> Hmmm, what was Canzano doing at a strip club?


He learned from Jason Quick. He was probably hiding in a trash can with a periscope.


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

crandc said:


> I don't read internet porn


All the German stuff I've seen wasn't subtitled anyway... maybe you're trying too hard? :biggrin:


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

BlazerCaravan said:


> All the German stuff I've seen wasn't subtitled anyway... maybe you're trying too hard? :biggrin:


I'll try this again. I don't look at internet porn. Or non-internet porn. I find porn boring. And actually anti-sex since it generally has so little to do with the real activities of real humans.


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

Did someone say Starz up above?  I'm down, lets hook up a trip =)


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

crandc said:


> I'll try this again. I don't look at internet porn. Or non-internet porn. I find porn boring. And actually anti-sex since it generally has so little to do with the real activities of real humans.


Good to see you still have your sense of humor intact.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

crandc said:


> I know better places to find live naked women that I like a lot better.


Something tells me you'll be the subject of a Canzano article in the near future.:biggrin:


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## ThatBlazerGuy (May 1, 2003)

Why is it a story when a grown man goes to a strip club?


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

Pacman Miles, makin' it rain!

I'm sure he was just drinking water.

I find the strip club info totally relevant. I don't care if he's in them, but he's out of shape and will never again be worth a crud. He's holding this team hostage by not just retiring.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

The article, as with almost everything else Canzano has ever written, is crap.

Miles claims he's 99.5% ready. Ok, that is a direct contradiction to the sprint timing data. Did Canzano ask Miles to explain it? No. Did Canzano ask the team to explain it? No. Did Canzano just make up a bunch of nonsense about what Miles thinks? Yes.

barfo


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

I think I've finally figured out the hatred on this board toward pretty much any local writer, and I can't believe it took me this long.

I think we have a bunch of people here who think that they could do what Canzano or Quick do for a living. Even better, probably.

Myself? I have no illusions of being a sportswriter. I take what they write, judge it accordingly, pick out the info that fits into my own paradigm, and then forget about the article.

Really, some of the Canzano hate on here is just plain weird. Sometimes his writing angers me, but to say it is all crap is the simpleton's way out, IMO.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

PapaG said:


> I think I've finally figured out the hatred on this board toward pretty much any local writer, and I can't believe it took me this long.
> 
> I think we have a bunch of people here who think that they could do what Canzano or Quick do for a living. Even better, probably.
> 
> ...


Since you seem to be responding to me... I don't "hate" Canzano. I just think his columns are crap. They are crap because they ignore, or make up, facts, and consist merely of his own surprisingly uninformed opinions. 

There are some people on this board who probably could do what Canzano and Quick do for a living. Canzano, certainly. That job merely requires having an opinion and being able to form complete sentences. Quick's job is a little tougher since it requires actually forming relationships with the team and management. Quick isn't especially good at that, but lots of people wouldn't be good at that. Hard to judge posters here on that since we don't see them face to face.

However, if you mean me, I don't fancy myself a sportswriter, and I've never wanted to be one. 

I'm not sure what you mean by saying that calling his stuff crap is the 'simpleton's way out'. Out of what? 

His stuff is crap, IMO. 

barfo


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## toutlaw25 (Aug 7, 2005)

So let me get this straight. Miles was reported to be 225 no more than a month ago. He has still been active in workouts and now he has gained 15 pounds back in the last month. A little hard to believe. Canzano sucks. If he could separate his facts and personal feelings from his articles we would all be better off.


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## toutlaw25 (Aug 7, 2005)

I can't wait until they write an article on Oden to imply that he isn't taking his rehab seriously by going to a strip club at night. Give me a break.


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

I don't know why people would make a big deal out of Miles being at a strip club.

I mean, those places aren't really my cup of tea, but I don't find fault with people that go to them.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

PapaG said:


> Really, some of the Canzano hate on here is just plain weird.


Most people here reject the idea that personal responsibility, ethical behavior, or morality have any relevance at all in a discussion of sports. Canzano actually expects players to behave professionally and ethically, and he criticizes them when they don't. That's why he is hated on this board.


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## toutlaw25 (Aug 7, 2005)

Talkhard said:


> Most people here reject the idea that personal responsibility, ethical behavior, or morality have any relevance at all in a discussion of sports. Canzano actually expects players to behave professionally and ethically, and he criticizes them when they don't. That's why he is hated on this board.


No its called being a hypocrite. Miles is partaking in legal activity, and although some may perceive as unethical, he is not breaking any laws. Where is the story about Roy having a child out of wedlock? Or the time(s) Roy actually accompanied Roy to the strip clubs? Just more hate spewing from Canzano.


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

toutlaw25 said:


> So let me get this straight. *Miles was reported to be 225 no more than a month ago.* He has still been active in workouts and now he has gained 15 pounds back in the last month. A little hard to believe. Canzano sucks. If he could separate his facts and personal feelings from his articles we would all be better off.


Then he got injured again and now he's out late at clubs.

Are you saying Canzano is a liar on this? What is your source?


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

toutlaw25 said:


> No its called being a hypocrite. Miles is partaking in legal activity, and although some may perceive as unethical, he is not breaking any laws. Where is the story about Roy having a child out of wedlock? Or the time(s) Roy actually accompanied Roy to the strip clubs? Just more hate spewing from Canzano.


Again, I realize the kneejerk reaction is to say this is yet another strip club story, but the reality is that Miles is out of shape.

Which, unfortunately, makes his nightlife all the more relevant.

Oh well, it's easier to say Canzano is garbage than to face facts...


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

Canzano lost any credibility with me years ago when he inferred that we were all foolish if we didn't think that Bob Whitsitt would still be calling the shots for the Blazers AFTER he was fired. He said Bob's dismissal was just a PR stunt. I called him on it in an e-mail and to his credit he responded, but he would not back off his conspiracy theory. The man is a great writer. He just doesn't know anything about sports. So I stopped reading his articles.


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## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

Ukrainefan said:


> Hmmm, what was Canzano doing at a strip club?


So he was at a strip club big deal I was in a strip club just a cupple days ago.:cheers:


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## HispanicCausinPanic (Jul 2, 2005)

Look at my avatar! I'm at a strip club right now!


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

PapaG said:


> Then he got injured again and now he's out late at clubs.


What's the connection? Many players who are currently playing heavy minutes in the NBA are out late at clubs. Therefore, going to clubs must not prevent one from being in game shape. So, what's the problem?

barfo


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## toutlaw25 (Aug 7, 2005)

PapaG said:


> Again, I realize the kneejerk reaction is to say this is yet another strip club story, but the reality is that Miles is out of shape.
> 
> Which, unfortunately, makes his nightlife all the more relevant.
> 
> Oh well, it's easier to say Canzano is garbage than to face facts...


Funny you say face the facts, something Canzano is known for NOT reporting. His sources on Miles' current weight are as good as mine. Canzano has no more personal knowledge of the facts than I do, according to his report. I still love the fact that his articles are taken as gospel by some blind sheep on this board. If Miles is out of shape that is fine, report it, but don't make it your agenda as a journalist to bash a player because you have a personal vendetta against him.


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## KingSpeed (Oct 30, 2003)

PapaG said:


> Fair points, all of them. I just found the correlation between Miles' night-time activities (Dolphin II, The City club incident last fall) and his stunning lack of fitness to be relevant.
> 
> I also find some irony in the Roys, Odens, and Fryes going to MLK's first gym in Atlanta while the 'mature and veteran' Miles continues to act like he's 21 years old.


I bet Miles would've gone on the MLK field trip too if they allowed him to go on the road trip to begin with.


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## KingSpeed (Oct 30, 2003)

If Miles is even 80% right now, I say play him. Jones is out, so the minutes at backup SF are there. And we're in a bit of a rut, so maybe the presence of Miles could shake things up. Play him. Play him, play him, play him. Let us and the rest of the league see where he's at.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

ProudBFan said:


> The strip-club stuff is irrelevant to the real issue.
> 
> But it paints an interesting picture.
> 
> PBf


The only picture it paints is that he likes looking at naked, decent to good looking females naked.

What heterosexual guy doesn't?


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

toutlaw25 said:


> Funny you say face the facts, something Canzano is known for NOT reporting. His sources on Miles' current weight are as good as mine. Canzano has no more personal knowledge of the facts than I do, according to his report. I still love the fact that his articles are taken as gospel by some blind sheep on this board. If Miles is out of shape that is fine, report it, but don't make it your agenda as a journalist to bash a player because you have a personal vendetta against him.


What interests me is where Canzano got his information... Did he spend his time hiding out and following Miles to the strip club? Did he happen to be at the strip club at the same time? was it 3rd hand? 4th hand?....Not that really matters, because all the article is saying is that he went to a strip club. Who cares? If I had as much money as Miles does, I'd spend my Saturday nights looking at naked females as well.


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## Stevenson (Aug 23, 2003)

Canzano is a holier-than-thou as****le

*Darius Miles' wife sat next to me at the game a month* or so ago. She was pregnant and lovely. By all accounts, Darius has grown up. So what if he goes to an occasional strip club? Big deal.


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## Nate Dogg (Oct 20, 2006)

John Canzano was on Sports sunday (KGW), and basically stated what he said on his Blog about Miles. That Miles is simply enjoying the NBA lifestyle and not making any progress on 15 months in rehabing. Canzano said that miles is not invited on team roadtrips and Blazer management cannot make any comment about being forced off the team for retirement. Canzano thinks that the Blazers will just merely eat up his $50 million deal instead of getting a plea bargain out of Miles for him to be waived, traded, etc. I looked up Miles on his biography and this is what Wikipedia said about him.


> During the 2004-05 season, Miles made headlines after a confrontation with then-coach Maurice Cheeks in which he reportedly insulted him with racial slurs and remarked he did not care if the team were to lose the next 20 games since Cheeks was going to be fired anyway.
> 
> Miles missed the entire 2006-07 NBA season due to microfracture surgery.
> 
> Miles has stated that he will play in the 2007-08 NBA season. He participated in Blazers' practice on December 6, 2007, but it is unknown when he will make his full return. According to SportsLine.com/NBA/Injuries, Darius will be out until at least mid-February.


Heres more info from Sports Illustrated.


> Nov 09, 2006 Right knee surgery - out indefinitely
> Apr 18, 2006 Knee
> Apr 08, 2006 Left game - right foot
> Dec 04, 2005 Cartilage damage, right knee surgery


Miles motivation to come back to the team is so dead. Look how determined Oden is and how sorry he was to Pritchard and the other players after the news of his injury. Oden is the true man with heart and Miles is a just disappointment of true talent and heart gone sour.


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

Stevenson said:


> Canzano is a holier-than-thou as****le
> 
> *Darius Miles' wife sat next to me at the game* a month or so ago. She was pregnant and lovely. By all accounts, Darius has grown up. So what if he goes to an occasional strip club? Big deal.


What's the big deal? Because he has a pregnant wife and still wants to see naked women? I think that's a little bit of a problem.. I wouldn't care if he was just a single NBA player like most and carries on with the lifestyle, but he has a wife, a pregnant one at that like you mention, and he's still going to see naked chicks.
Not cool in my book. Maybe it is for other people though...

Unless his wife is into that sort of thing, then it's up to her I guess.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

alext42083 said:


> What's the big deal? Because he has a pregnant wife and still wants to see naked women? I think that's a little bit of a problem.. I wouldn't care if he was just a single NBA player like most and carries on with the lifestyle, but he has a wife, a pregnant one at that like you mention, and he's still going to see naked chicks.
> Not cool in my book. Maybe it is for other people though...


I don't think that is highly relevant to the condition of his knee or his desire to play basketball.

Wanting to see women naked does not imply Miles is out of shape or does not want to play basketball.

Now, if you just want to condemn Miles as a bad, bad man for wanting to see nekkid women, then ok. I don't feel qualified to cast stones in that particular direction myself.

barfo


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

barfo said:


> I don't think that is highly relevant to the condition of his knee or his desire to play basketball.
> 
> Wanting to see women naked does not imply Miles is out of shape or does not want to play basketball.
> 
> ...


I agree it's got nothing to do with basketball, and just another Canzano push to get rid of Miles. And I'm sure other players wouldn't mind him leaving either, as they've repeatedly referred to the team as 14 guys rather than 15.

But anyway, I'm not condemning Miles for being a bad bad man for wanting to see naked women. Like I said before, if he was single, he's just doing what 80 percent of athletes do.
But really, he has a pregnant wife, as in he's married. He's going to have a baby coming up. And if this is true, he's going out to see naked women still.
Let's just say that wouldn't cut it with most marriages. Good morals there. It's just common sense, common decency and respect for your wife, I think. Am I wrong?

And who doesn't want Miles gone? If he were gone tomorrow, no one would be up in arms about wanting to bring him back.
It's not because he's a bad person, but because he just isn't a good player and will not lead you to a championship. And he's eating up our salary cap.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

alext42083 said:


> And I'm sure other players wouldn't mind him leaving either, as they've repeatedly referred to the team as 14 guys rather than 15.


I noticed that also and it may well be that the other players don't want him around. On the other hand, it might be that they simply don't think of him as member of the team at present, since he hasn't ever been on the court with most of them. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks.



> Let's just say that wouldn't cut it with most marriages. Good morals there. It's just common sense IMO.


I'm not necessarily defending it, but NBA players can and do get away with a lot more than mortal men.



> If he were gone tomorrow, no one would be up in arms about wanting to bring him back.


True. But then if he came back Tuesday and started playing great, would we want him gone? It's surely true he hasn't done anything for us lately. But - if his knee and his brain are healed - we do need a good SF. 

barfo


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## Nate Dogg (Oct 20, 2006)

I'm not too concerned about him visiting a strip club. How about this past public incident during the summer of 2007 where he showed up to the Blazer 3-3 tournament at the RG.
He showed up at Winning Way at the RG with his 3 vehicles. He brought his Black Escalade, Black Mercedes, and that older GM vehicle with the 22 chrome wheels with hydrolics. He never told the RG management about his arrival with the 3 cars and they ended up blocking up the street. His 3 cars then had to be moved. Heres another proof that hes loving the NBA lifestyle and not being a true NBA player who loves the game.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Nate Dogg said:


> I'm not too concerned about him visiting a strip club. How about this past public incident during the summer of 2007 where he showed up to the Blazer 3-3 tournament at the RG.
> He showed up at Winning Way at the RG with his 3 vehicles. He brought his Black Escalade, Black Mercedes, and that older GM vehicle with the 22 chrome wheels with hydrolics. He never told the RG management about his arrival with the 3 cars and they ended up blocking up the street. His 3 cars then had to be moved. Heres another proof that hes loving the NBA lifestyle and not being a true NBA player who loves the game.


Y'know, I'm not a big Darius fan, never was. But that incident doesn't sound like anything more than a parking violation. I don't think parking in the wrong place proves that you don't love the game.

barfo


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

barfo said:


> I noticed that also and it may well be that the other players don't want him around. On the other hand, it might be that they simply don't think of him as member of the team at present, since he hasn't ever been on the court with most of them. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks.


The guy has been around the practice facility, and been at home games though, so he's made a presence. And players still refer themselves to 14 guys.



> I'm not necessarily defending it, but NBA players can and do get away with a lot more than mortal men.


And I think the Blazers have tried to make a conscious effort to get rid of those type of players, and bring in good character guys.



> True. But then if he came back Tuesday and started playing great, would we want him gone? It's surely true he hasn't done anything for us lately. But - if his knee and his brain are healed - we do need a good SF.
> 
> barfo


Has Miles ever played great? The guy played with three teams in three years for a reason. His trade value went from for Andre Miller to Jeff McInnis.

He's a career 58 percent FT shooter, an unreliable outside shooter, cannot hit the 3, is coming off microfracture surgery so what made him successful which was his athleticism is now a little bit gone, and he's seemed pretty content to take his paycheck and go home and buy cars.

I remember when the Blazers did several feature pieces on Zach's recovery, and the guy worked his butt off to get back onto the court after his surgery. There's a whole blog devoted to Greg's recovery from microfracture on the Blazers' web page.

I don't think I've seen anything, a video, a blog post or whatever, on Darius' status. They'd like him gone too if they could I'm sure, but they just don't go to as great or at times ridiculous of lengths as Canzano.


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## Draco (Jun 28, 2003)

I don't really care what Miles does either way. If he wants to root for the team from the sideline on the injured reserve, or he wants to medically retire, or he wants to bust his arse and make a comeback, whatever.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

Canzano's really scraping at the bottom of the barrel if this is the most dirt that he can dish on the Blazers right now. I mean c'mon, the guy went to a strip club. Hate to bring this harsh reality to some of you, but a decent percentage of pro athletes are cheaters, womanizers, and live a lot different life than that of what we expect. Patrick Ewing's image wasn't tarnished too much when he was involved in organized crime involving strip clubs. I'm pretty sure, in any other sports town in the United States a players name wouldn't be in any newspaper just because that player was seen at a strip club. Its pretty sad actually.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

alext42083 said:


> The guy has been around the practice facility, and been at home games though, so he's made a presence. And players still refer themselves to 14 guys.


Yes, but there are lots of other people that have been around the practice facility who the players don't count as teammates. In fact I would assume that the number of people who don't play significantly outnumber the people who do play.



> Has Miles ever played great? The guy played with three teams in three years for a reason. His trade value went from for Andre Miller to Jeff McInnis.


Yes, I would say he has. Has he ever done so for such an extended period that we should believe he can again? Not so sure about that. But I'm willing to give him a shot at proving himself.



> he's seemed pretty content to take his paycheck and go home and buy cars.


Says who? Canzano? How do we know what Miles is content with?



> I remember when the Blazers did several feature pieces on Zach's recovery, and the guy worked his butt off to get back onto the court after his surgery. There's a whole blog devoted to Greg's recovery from microfracture on the Blazers' web page.
> 
> I don't think I've seen anything, a video, a blog post or whatever, on Darius' status. They'd like him gone too if they could I'm sure, but they just don't go to as great or at times ridiculous of lengths as Canzano.


It may very well be true that the organization wants him gone, either because they believe he is PR poison, or because they don't think he can recover from the surgery. If so, they are not likely to do any puff pieces on his recovery. That doesn't mean, however, that he's not recovering. 

barfo


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

alext42083 said:


> I agree it's got nothing to do with basketball, *and just another Canzano push to get rid of Miles*.


Are you sure about that. Remember who is paying Canzano to be on KXL.

Perhaps this story was given to Canzano, by Blazers management, to try and help either motivate Miles or shame him into retiring.

The hatred for Canzano on this forum has people defending a fat, lazy, and out of shape Darius Miles. I certainly don't see the Blazers running to mics to correct this "lie" by Canzano.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

PapaG said:


> Are you sure about that. Remember who is paying Canzano to be on KXL.
> 
> Perhaps this story was given to Canzano, by Blazers management, to try and help either motivate Miles or shame him into retiring.


Possibly. But that seems a bit farfetched. What are the odds Darius gives a crap what Canzano writes?



> The hatred for Canzano on this forum has people defending a fat, lazy, and out of shape Darius Miles.


The hatred for Miles on this forum has people defending a fat, lazy, and out of shape John Canzano.



> I certainly don't see the Blazers running to mics to correct this "lie" by Canzano.


I think they learned their lesson about doing that in the Patterson days.

barfo


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

barfo said:


> Possibly. But that seems a bit farfetched. What *are the odds Darius gives a crap what Canzano writes*?
> 
> barfo


He obviously cares little about what some of his past coaches have said to him. I don't think it's the Canzano part that he would care about; it would be more about how the public views him, and this article after months of no news about him could serve a purpose.


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

I think it's a safe bet that both Darius and Canzano are very likely a douche-bag or a turd sandwich (I'll let you decide which is which).

And I don't think it's out of line to try and sift through the BS to get at the real value of Miles to this team and/or to talk about JC's tendency in the past to paint people as caricatures of themselves in order to sell newspapers.


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

PapaG said:


> Are you sure about that. Remember who is paying Canzano to be on KXL.
> 
> Perhaps this story was given to Canzano, by Blazers management, to try and help either motivate Miles or shame him into retiring.
> 
> The hatred for Canzano on this forum has people defending a fat, lazy, and out of shape Darius Miles. I certainly don't see the Blazers running to mics to correct this "lie" by Canzano.


Well I'm not totally sure, but Canzano does write a column every couple months or so about something wrong with Darius.

And don't get me wrong, I don't hate Canzano as much as a lot of people on here. I like reading his work, it's always interesting and it always sparks some type of debate, which is the job of a columnist. He does a fine job.
And no worries, I do see people actually trying to defend Miles' behavior and him going to strip clubs, *while* he has a pregnant wife because that's supposedly what all NBA players do. It makes it all right I guess. And the reason they're defending him is because it's simply Canzano that wrote it. Nevermind the fact that most Blazer fans wouldn't miss Miles for a second if he were cut tomorrow.

Canzano could write about the sky is blue or 1+1=2, and people would still be up in arms about him or complaining that they think he's just better than us.
He can write positive stuff, then gets bashed for exploiting sick people that if I hear correctly, actually raised money to help them out. But that's wrong of course.

There really isn't any use on defending the guy on this forum.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

alext42083 said:


> And no worries, I do see people actually trying to defend Miles' behavior and him going to strip clubs, *while* he has a pregnant wife because that's supposedly what all NBA players do. It makes it all right I guess.


No, what makes it all right is that he's an adult (according to the law) and thus entitled to make his own decisions, for better or worse. It's his right to waste time and money at strip clubs, just like it is our right to waste time complaining about him doing it.

barfo


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

alext42083 said:


> I do see people actually trying to defend Miles' behavior and him going to strip clubs, *while* he has a pregnant wife because that's supposedly what all NBA players do. It makes it all right I guess.


I don't go to strip clubs, but I know it's none of my business who does. I don't think publicly judging other people for doing something that is legal is right here in the land of the free. If you are truly offended by this sort of thing you might as well quit watching pro sports because this sort of stuff is par for the course for a good portion of the talent. Taking this stance you'd also have a problem with a good portion of your fellow Portlanders as well as this is one of the leading strip club per capita cities going. Or you could try to separate matters, not project your morality on others you'll likely never meet, and just enjoy the players/games for their entertainment value. 

STOMP


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

barfo said:


> No, what makes it all right is that he's an adult (according to the law) and thus entitled to make his own decisions, for better or worse. It's his right to waste time and money at strip clubs, just like it is our right to waste time complaining about him doing it.
> 
> barfo



I'm complaining about him being out of shape and way behind schedule for returning. This isn't about a strip club; it is about Darius not taking care of himself.


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

Well hooray for immoral behavior and disrespect to your wife, a pregnant one at that, to go see naked women! I bet families and friends would be proud.

It may not be illegal, but it doesn't necessarily make it right.

And I'll say it again... I don't find it wrong that people go to strip clubs if they're single, looking for a good time. Hey, who wouldn't?
The biggest thing that bothers me is having a pregnant wife at home or wherever, and you're there going out and leaving her. If she's cool with that, then nevermind.


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

For all you know Darius goes with his wife's blessing ...


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## PapaG (Oct 4, 2004)

nikolokolus said:


> For all you know Darius goes with his wife's blessing ...



For all you know Canzano is right and Darius is horribly out of shape. :whoknows:


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

PapaG said:


> For all you know Canzano is right and Darius is horribly out of shape. :whoknows:


I tend to think Miles probably is nowhere near game shape, but I also think JC tends to "enhance" his stories with details he couldn't possibly know unless he witnessed them first hand, and likes to sprinkle a healthy dose of _ad hominem_ into his columns when writes about some of his least favorite players.

For the record I'm no Darius fan, but even a quitter and loser deserves a fair shake.


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## Stevenson (Aug 23, 2003)

alext42083 said:


> Well hooray for immoral behavior and disrespect to your wife, a pregnant one at that, to go see naked women! I bet families and friends would be proud.
> 
> It may not be illegal, but it doesn't necessarily make it right.
> 
> ...


Like many young men, like I was even maybe when I was your age, you are righteous and obviously a tad immature. But you really know little about the ways of the world, save for your own holier-than-thou belief system. 

Maybe his wife doesn't care if he's at a strip club. Maybe he does it because it beats cheating on his wife. Maybe it's none of your business, or my business, or Canzano's business.


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