# Get me out of here!



## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

Darius Miles:



> "Get me out of here," Miles said Thursday in an hourlong interview with The Oregonian. "That's all I can say. Get me out of here. I want to leave. I really don't want to be here. It's just crazy."





> Miles said in that first September meeting with McMillan, when he told the coach he didn't want to be in Portland, the coach asked him why.





> "I said there was a lot of stuff that went down last year that I was the fallback guy on. Everything was blamed on me, the whole season. And this season repeated itself," Miles said. "I played 40 games, and we lost like 61 games. How can you blame a whole season on me when I played only 40 games? It's just been crazy. I feel there is no support, no backbone, that they always got to have a fallback guy."


Poor guy...I just wish he realized it wasn't the franchise that made him the fall back guy as much as it was the guy giving him this interview and his butt buddy Canzano...



> "Nate asked me three our four times this season if I wanted to be here, and (general manager) John Nash knew from the get-go, and we were hoping a trade would go through," Miles said. "It was the New York trade. It went all the way down to the last minute, all the way to the wire. And when Portland kept beating around the bush, beating around the bush, New York said 'Let's go get Steve Francis.' "





> Blazers owner Paul Allen said he has vetoed one trade in his 18 years as owner -- a trade this season that involved Miles. However, Allen said it was not the trade to New York that Miles spoke of, or that has been widely reported.





> "There was a last-minute trade that got proposed at the trade deadline that I vetoed," Allen said last week. "But I'm really puzzled by things that get printed, because the trade I supposedly vetoed was one that I didn't. It is well-known that New York went a different direction."





> The murmurs began on Feb. 7 when he rejoined a streaking Blazers team that had won seven of 12 games. Early the next morning, in Indianapolis, Miles was one of six Blazers who were picked up by two taxis at a downtown club and delivered to the team hotel around 3 a.m. Later that night, the Blazers lost 101-69 to the Pacers, beginning the string of three 30-plus-point losses.





> "See, that's what I'm saying, I'm the fallback. Just because I'm not playing, I'm the one taking guys out?" Miles said. "Why can't somebody call my room and say 'Want to go get a drink?' But I'm the one.





> *There were also rumors that Miles showed up to practices smelling of alcohol, something he said happens in every season on every NBA team.*


Oregonlive.com


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Darius said:


> "I said there was a lot of stuff that went down last year that I was the fallback guy on. Everything was blamed on me, the whole season. And this season repeated itself," Miles said. "I played 40 games, and we lost like 61 games. How can you blame a whole season on me when I played only 40 games? It's just been crazy. I feel there is no support, no backbone, that they always got to have a fallback guy."


Time for Professor barfo's annoying English lesson (no, I'm not really a professor! In Japan or otherwise!)



> fall·back n.
> 1. Something to which one can resort or retreat.
> 2. A retreat.



A fallback guy is someone that you'd turn to when things went bad. Someone you could depend on.
It's true, the franchise did want to make him the fallback guy.

What Darius meant to say was fall guy:



> fall guy n. Slang.
> 
> 1. A scapegoat.
> 2. A gullible victim; a dupe.


barfo


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

What a POS. There's not much else to add.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

maxiep said:


> What a POS. There's not much else to add.


Here is the complete interview in its entirety...Pretty candid and interesting interview...

Jason Quick blog


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

zagsfan20 said:


> Here is the complete interview in its entirety...Pretty candid and interesting interview...
> 
> Jason Quick blog


I read it before I posted. My summary stands.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

maxiep said:


> I read it before I posted. My summary stands.


I completely agree...

I don't think he'd know a thing about being a professional if it ***** slapped him in the face...


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Says the co-captain getting paid over 40 million dollars over the next 4 years. Has this guy ever grown up and taken it like a man? I mean seriously. I understand how difficult it must be to come back from an injury and recieve a lot of the blame, but the guy did plenty to implicate himself as well.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Funny, I actually like Miles a lot more after reading that interview. This part is actually kind of charming:



Miles said:


> With the fans, I love the fans to death. We have the best fans, I feel they can go against any fans in the NBA. We have a great owner, and I appreciate everything Paul Allen has done for me. But our fans are so perfect and so great. For the some of them who boo, I would boo me too, if I saw some of the stuff they show on the news channels or if I had seen some of the stuff that they write down, I would boo me, too. So, I don't really take the boos as offense, I take the boos as a love of their team and a love of the Trail Blazers as an organization.


And this part is very amusing:



Miles said:


> Canzano, he just wild, but he funny to read. I think he is scared of me. When he sees me, if people are around he will speak, but if he is by himself, he be looking like I’m going to do something to him.


barfo


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Oh, and kudos to Quick (I assume it was Quick) for getting that interview. That's worth more than all the stories he's written this year combined.

barfo


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## TP3 (Jan 26, 2003)

Yah, charming.


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## Goldmember (May 24, 2003)

First of all, props to Jason Quick. The interview was interesting read. He asked all the questions most of us have. 

I got a lot out of the interview, it says a lot about Darius. Not all good though. 

He doesn't have a ton of confidence in himself as a player. 
He's paranoid that everyone is blaming him for the teams woes. I think most people realize the teams' problems are much more than him (and understand that he was injured). If it wasn't for a few dumb things that he's done (which he acknowledges and apparently regrets) then folks wouldn't be on his case nearly as much.
He's fooling himself if he actually believes he gave his full effort. 
He doesn't seem to "love" the game and I doubt he would even if he was in a winning situation. 
He's still immature. 
But he's an easy going guy with a good heart.

Any empathy I might have for his situation has been negated by the fact that he told Nate he didn't want to be here right from the get-go. That's unprofessional and gutless. He signed a contract and he should honor it. He had one rough season. Shareef took his spot. Well it's a new season. Here's all the opportunity he could ask for. The coach and management handed him the reigns. Instead of being open to the opportunity and being eager to step up to the challenge, he says, "naw, I don't want to be here." I don't get it, Shareef's gone, Mo's gone, what's the problem? It's weak. He didn't want to give it a chance with the new coach and defined role. 

It looks like he can't take the heat so he wants out of the kitchen. That attitude will keep him from being a star. Any hopes we have of him becoming a special player are all but gone. Much like Rasheed Wallace, he doesn't have the killer instinct to ever be "the man".

With that said, I do not believe he's a cancer and we should not dump him at any cost. He's still young. Some people take longer to mature than others. He can still be a very productive player. A little advice though. He should just avoid watching sportscenter and reading the papers after having one his little brain-farts. Or better yet, lose the brain-farts alltogether.


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

That he understands the game from a fan's perspective shows he's got more brains than Bonzi. Unfortunately, he makes Rasheed's work ethic look like Karl Malone's. I feel slightly less happy about letting him go because he showed some candid (not practiced) intelligence in the interview, but really, he's got to go for the good of everyone involved (and hey... it's not like he's begging us to stay).


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

> Canzano, he just wild, but he funny to read.


You just wild, too, Darius. And you be real funny to watch play. You sleep through practices, but that not all. You sleep through games, too--even when you be on the court! Yep, we Blazer fans think you be one hilarious dude!


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

He is upset that there is no Darius Miles bobblehead. Quick, someone put one together.


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## RedHot&Rolling (Jun 26, 2004)

Goldmember said:


> .......Any empathy I might have for his situation has been negated by the fact that he told Nate he didn't want to be here right from the get-go. That's unprofessional and gutless. He signed a contract and he should honor it. He had one rough season. Shareef took his spot. Well it's a new season. Here's all the opportunity he could ask for. The coach and management handed him the reigns. Instead of being open to the opportunity and being eager to step up to the challenge, he says, "naw, I don't want to be here." I don't get it, Shareef's gone, Mo's gone, what's the problem? It's weak. He didn't want to give it a chance with the new coach and defined role.......


Well said. Interesting that we didn't hear a PEEP about his wanting out prior to now. But his effort sucked on the court. Especially after the trade deadline. That's not professional. I hate guaranteed contracts!! :curse:


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

I do find it interesting that he was basically forced to play when he said his knee wasnt ready. You cant play hoops on a bum knee, especially when you play the style of game that Darius does.


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## yakbladder (Sep 13, 2003)

I don't know...Part of me still thinks Darius wasn't putting in 100% effort in some games despite the injury, but part of me wonders if the front office is just framing things around certain individuals.

I think it's a side-effect of being a one horse town. All of the media can focus its criticism on one team and the players with the most responsibility take the heat when the heat is on. It's true what he said about there always being a scapegoat on this team.

But for all that's said and done, whether I think Darius is the best or worst player on team and whether I think fans and the media need to have a different attitude towards their team, it's probably better to start fresh with someone new.


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

Great interview - I gained a little more respect for Darius from his candid responses about the fans, his issues with the team, etc...

I like it because it gives you as accurate as possible of a glimpse into who he really is and how he really feels about things. He's certainly not perfect, but I can see where he's coming from... 

I would still trade him if they could get the right deal, but would not feel good about a situation where we dealt him away Bonzi style.

Props to Quick for once... he hounded Darius a bit towards the end of the interview, but he got some really good stuff out of Darius - positive and negative. I'm just glad he reported all of it, although I'm not sure what he might have put in the paper...

That "get me out of here" put into context almost sounds like he wants to get away from Quick cause he keeps accusing him of not putting in full effort... who knows though, obviously he doesn't want to stay.


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

I found the part about Paul Allen claiming he's vetoed only one trade in 18 years pretty interesting. That quote seems to run directly counter to what many here have hotly contended about him being a meddling owner. 

STOMP


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## Blazerfan024 (Aug 15, 2003)

STOMP said:


> I found the part about Paul Allen claiming he's vetoed only one trade in 18 years pretty interesting. That quote seems to run directly counter to what many here have hotly contended about him being a meddling owner.
> 
> STOMP


Exactly some will have to stick a foot in there mouth, I truly believe once again NASH could not get the deal done and some one from his camp leaked this info to make Allen look like the ***. Some just dont understand that NASH is the one that can not get these deals done.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

That comment about Canzano was hilarious.....What a little weezel...

As for Miles...I thnk the bottom line is he is\wants to be a spoke in the wheel...He doesn't like being made "the man" of this team, he doesn't like being the focus of the team\media etc....

I don't blame him for signing his contract...who wouldn't? I think he was naive and not honest either with himself or with team mgmt when he signed by either not realiziong or just straight out telling mgmt "Hey, I am not this savior that you think I am." or "hey, I don't want this responsibility"...but maybe he did and mgmt wasn't listening....

This situation with Miles is every bit mgmt's fault as it is the players...and it isn't what mgmt has done through the course of the year that I find as disturbing, as their reasoning\actions WHEN they signed him to this deal in the 1st place...

Did they not know WHO they were signing? Did they not research the strengths\weaknesses (on and off the court...playstyle AND personality) BEFORE they gave him this deal? Obviuosly, they didn't....and what has played out here is a direct result of poor homework on just whom Miles really was...

You ought to know these sort of things before you invest heavily and in essence, as Nash put it, "Hitch yourself to that wagon"...err player

Now...I am not absolving Miles by any stretch, his behavior at times was very juvenile & unprofessional, and I don't buy his "I was injured" b.s. one bit...He half a$$ed it out there, there is no question in MY mind that he did....and IMO it shows a ton about his character...or lack therof....

Regardless....He will be dealt, and contrary to some people here and to fans of other teams....he will have some trade value...it won't be a lot, but I think POR can and will be able to unload him...It will take the right team\GM however

I can totally see and agree that Miles would be productive in a playoff\veteran team..a team where he is just one of the guys, not a focus of the team...I don't think he is nearly as cancerous as some people (especially media members) would have you believe....Although I DO think he has been more disruptive here BECAUSE of the complete lack of leadership....a coach IMO can only do so much, it is the players on the floor who get their teamates to "tow the line" so to speak, and when there aren't those type of players here to set the example...then we all see what happens...

Hopefully POR looks towards NY...Thomas liked Miles, and I think if POR asks for a modest return then a deal can be reached..

I would propose a Miles & #30 for Maurice Taylor and #21....


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

For tlong...



> ...nothing against Martell - Martell is a great player, I love Martell's game, I think he is going to be probably the next Ray Allen if not better. But, come on now, we passed up on Chris Paul. We passed up on Al Jefferson, nothing against Sebastian, but we passed up on Al Jefferson.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

Blazer Ringbearer said:


> Great interview - I gained a little more respect for Darius from his candid responses about the fans, his issues with the team, etc...
> 
> I like it because it gives you as accurate as possible of a glimpse into who he really is and how he really feels about things. He's certainly not perfect, but I can see where he's coming from...
> 
> ...


Good post. I agree.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

Blazerfan024 said:


> Exactly some will have to stick a foot in there mouth, I truly believe once again NASH could not get the deal done and some one from his camp leaked this info to make Allen look like the ***. Some just dont understand that NASH is the one that can not get these deals done.


Ya, it's Nash's fault. Havent heard that before. 

I'd believe what I hear from Nash etc. before I'd take Darius's word for it.


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## Todd (Oct 8, 2003)

BEER&BASKETBALL said:


> Ya, it's Nash's fault. Havent heard that before.
> 
> I'd believe what I hear from Nash etc. before I'd take Darius's word for it.


Ummm....Maybe you need to re-read, that quote was from Allen himself!



> Blazers owner Paul Allen said he has vetoed one trade in his 18 years as owner -- a trade this season that involved Miles. However, Allen said it was not the trade to New York that Miles spoke of, or that has been widely reported.



Nash can't get deals done, period!!


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

Todd said:


> Ummm....Maybe you need to re-read, that quote was from Allen himself!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



OK, you are right. But Paul's quote does leave it open to the fact that it could have been a similiar deal with NY that he vetoed, just not the specific deal that has been reported.


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

BEER&BASKETBALL said:


> OK, you are right. But Paul's quote does leave it open to the fact that it could have been a similiar deal with NY that he vetoed, just not the specific deal that has been reported.


  

from the quote we only know that Paul nixed a deal that was in place involving Darius... we don't know with which team, or who for, let alone if it was similar to the reported NY deal. 

Paul is claiming he's given both Whitsett and Nash a whole lot of say so in his 18 years of owning the club. His quote also gives us another example of a true insider who feels that the *O* relays bad guesses as fact. Darius bolsters the claim that it's been management, not ownership, that put together this mismatched team. He's not too thrilled with the negative spin of the local media tells and how their stories end up in the national media. 

I'm recalling Canzano gracing our forum earlier this year and claiming he feels no responsibility for the Blazer's negative perception amoung the league's fans and players...  I was pretty happy to see Damon fianlly leave last season for on court reasons, but it's going to be a great day when that POS is finally run out of town and the constant off court pot stirring/scapgoating of players is ended... unless of course it's the *O*'s editors who are the true scumbags. 

STOMP


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

> "But there have been times, yeah. Yeah, you probably smelled liquor on me. But it's not like I'm at practice drunk. I'm totally focused."


kind of a funny quote from any sports figure. definitely not your run-of-the-mill cliche. 

anyway, I think the big lesson here is that Miles spent the entire season here desperately wanting out, but not saying anything to the media. Ron Artest publicly demands a trade and he's gone in a month.

sometimes you are better off telling the entire world how eager you are to get out of town.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

theWanker said:


> kind of a funny quote from any sports figure. definitely not your run-of-the-mill cliche.
> 
> anyway, I think the big lesson here is that Miles spent the entire season here desperately wanting out, but not saying anything to the media. Ron Artest publicly demands a trade and he's gone in a month.
> 
> sometimes you are better off telling the entire world how eager you are to get out of town.


sometimes you're better off if you're a significantly better player too.


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## Mr. Hobbes (Jul 1, 2005)

Let the trade rumors begin


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

theWanker said:


> kind of a funny quote from any sports figure. definitely not your run-of-the-mill cliche.
> 
> anyway, I think the big lesson here is that Miles spent the entire season here desperately wanting out, but not saying anything to the media. Ron Artest publicly demands a trade and he's gone in a month.
> 
> sometimes you are better off telling the entire world how eager you are to get out of town.


No doubt. Ruben Patterson wanted out, and he let people know, and he's a LOT better off for having done so.

Miles got hosed last year when the team started SAR over him and he clearly saw that the team wasn't interested in winning in the offseason. I don't blame him for wanting out at that point. When he struggled with an injury this year and was rushed back only to be benched, I can see how that feeling grew.

That he didn't go public during the season shows a (seemingly misplaced) confidence that his silence would be rewarded. It's a sad reality, but the squeeky wheel DOES get the grease, and I would image Darius feels like he needs to make some noise to get what he wants.

Ed O.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

yakbladder said:


> I don't know...Part of me still thinks Darius wasn't putting in 100% effort in some games despite the injury, but part of me wonders if the front office is just framing things around certain individuals.
> 
> I think it's a side-effect of being a one horse town. All of the media can focus its criticism on one team and the players with the most responsibility take the heat when the heat is on. It's true what he said about there always being a scapegoat on this team.
> 
> But for all that's said and done, whether I think Darius is the best or worst player on team and whether I think fans and the media need to have a different attitude towards their team, it's probably better to start fresh with someone new.


Please don't buy into the knee thing....The doctors cleared him to play, to believe Miles that they forced him to play is kind of naive...

He's going to be one of those several pro sports players who thought that they got a raw deal by their teams...The difference between Miles and those other athletes though is that they're smart enough to write a book and make money off of it..


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

zagsfan20 said:


> The difference between Miles and those other athletes though is that they're smart enough to write a book and make money off of it..


 :eek8: after reading this article, how you could suggest that he could have made money writing a book about his trivails as an injured SF on the worst team in the league is beyond me. Poor logic and ebonics/grammar pretzel whatever insites he might have to share, and the 2005-6 Blazer season was anything but a compelling storyline. 

STOMP


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

STOMP said:


> :eek8: after reading this article, how you could suggest that he could have made money writing a book about his trivails as an injured SF on the worst team in the league is beyond me. Poor logic and ebonics/grammar pretzel whatever insites he might have to share, and the 2005-6 Blazer season was anything but a compelling storyline.
> 
> STOMP


Who knows I've seen athletes write books about of a lot of dumb stuff...

A fraudelant franchise that 'forced' him to play on a injured knee would sell some books somewhere..

Canseco sold tons of books about accusing guys of using steroids....


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

zagsfan20 said:


> Who knows I've seen athletes write books about of a lot of dumb stuff...
> 
> A fraudelant franchise that 'forced' him to play on a injured knee would sell some books somewhere..
> 
> Canseco sold tons of books about accusing guys of using steroids....


Canseco was a glamorous top athlete who hit homers farther then anyone and played in several top markets and World Series. A former top player outing MLB as a steriod abusing league and naming names is an extremely compelling storyline for baseball fans. Lastly in a sliding scale judging proper english with Shakespeare on one end and Darius Miles on the other, I'd place Jose much closer to William. 

Darius played for the Clips, the Cavs, and the Blazers. His best professional season(s) I doubt anyone would argue he's been anything more then a solid starter. If the main juice of this book is that he was encoraged to play before he was fully recovered from an injury (something that happens on most teams in most sports every year), and he's going to tell it in his own voice, I can't see anyone outside his immediate family being drawn to reading it. 

I'd love to hear what part of the country you think would buy this.

STOMP


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

STOMP said:


> Canseco was a glamorous top athlete who hit homers farther then anyone and played in several top markets and World Series. A former top player outing MLB as a steriod abusing league and naming names is an extremely compelling storyline for baseball fans. Lastly Jose's command of english puts him closer to Shakespeare then Darius Miles.
> 
> Darius played for the Clips, the Cavs, and the Blazers. His best professional season(s) I doubt anyone would argue he's been anything more then a solid starter. If the main juice of this book is that he was encoraged to play before he was fully recovered from an injury (something that happens on most teams in most sports every year), and he's going to tell it in his own voice, I can't see anyone outside his immediate family being drawn to reading it.
> 
> ...


The same people who watched his goofy movie...


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

zagsfan20 said:


> The same people who watched his goofy movie...


I'd venture that the main draw of that finacial bomb... http://www.leesmovieinfo.net/wbotitle.php?t=2217 ...was Scarlett Johanson. I doubt horny teenage boys give 2 bleeps about Darius's gripes, let alone enough to wade through a book about them.

STOMP


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## BBert (Dec 30, 2004)

This clears up a lot and supports a lot of my suppositions regarding what was going on with Darius throughout this season.

The part I don't get, is that it was Canzano who was on a vindictive crusade from the beginning of the season to destroy Miles' public and professional image. Canzano was aided and abetted by numerous negatively-slanted articles written by Quick. 

But Darius blames management for making him a scapegoat? :whoknows:


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Blazer Bert said:


> This clears up a lot and supports a lot of my suppositions regarding what was going on with Darius throughout this season.
> 
> The part I don't get, is that it was Canzano who was on a vindictive crusade from the beginning of the season to destroy Miles' public and professional image. Canzano was aided and abetted by numerous negatively-slanted articles written by Quick.
> 
> But Darius blames management for making him a scapegoat? :whoknows:



Was darius made into the scapegoat last year? I know that some fans and a small portion of the media were complaining about somethings he did (mostly the cheeks incident) but I think most of the blame fell on the shoulders of the coach and the lack of trades they made.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

I really am having difficulty understanding the sympathy for Darius. He controlled a tremendous amount.

1. He was in full control of his PR problem. He didn't have to get into it with Cheeks last year. He didn't have to show up stoned last week to practice. He didn't have to change into his street clothes _during_ the game. He chose to do all of those things.

2. He was in full control of when he played after his injury. He could have told Nate, the team and the doctors that he just wasn't feeling right. Instead, he decided to play at 1/3 speed and then say his knee didn't feel well. Zach's knee didn't feel right all season nor did Jarrett Jack's ankle. They rarely let it affect their level of effort.

3. He was in full control of how hard he played. He chose to show us what he could do one night and slack the next. He can complain all he wants about it being harder to come off the bench, but that's just an excuse. His mercurial play raised questions about him being wanted on another team.

Darius chooses to blame others. If he wants to point fingers, he should look in the mirror. Darius Miles controlled his future with this club and the NBA. The fact it's not turning out how he wants is no one's fault but his own.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

maxiep said:


> I really am having difficulty understanding the sympathy for Darius. He controlled a tremendous amount.
> 
> 2. He was in full control of when he played after his injury. He could have told Nate, the team and the doctors that he just wasn't feeling right. Instead, he decided to play at 1/3 speed and then say his knee didn't feel well. Zach's knee didn't feel right all season nor did Jarrett Jack's ankle. They rarely let it affect their level of effort.


I was fond of how he just apparently figured out it was the coache's say as to whether or not he could or couldn't change at half.

it's sad, pathetic, and telling that he just apparently figured that out or decided to use it as an excuse.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

maxiep said:


> I really am having difficulty understanding the sympathy for Darius. He controlled a tremendous amount.
> 
> The fact it's not turning out how he wants is no one's fault but his own.


That doesn't mean we can't feel some sympathy. Sure, it's all his fault - no question about that. But what I took from that interview is that he isn't screwing it up intentionally. He just can't handle it. He doesn't have the mental makeup to handle the pressure of the job. He's in the wrong career.

It doesn't seem like he's evil. He's immature, for sure, and he makes bad decisions, and he's a bit paranoid. I think he just isn't capable of making better decisions. Sure, he signed the contract, so he should try to live up to it... but who wouldn't sign that contract, if it were offered? So I can't really hate him for that. If anything, I'd point the finger of blame at the people who signed him, who make their living by judging basketball players. Seems like in this case they screwed up pretty badly.

barfo


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

barfo said:


> But what I took from that interview is that he isn't screwing it up intentionally. He just can't handle it. He doesn't have the mental makeup to handle the pressure of the job. He's in the wrong career.


Are you serious? What "pressure" forces him to play at half-speed most nights? What "pressure" forced him to change into his suit at halftime, or to scream foul-mouthed obscenities at Cheeks last season, or to sleep through practice?

The guy is a jerk who keeps claiming he's innocent and it's all a big misunderstanding. He's a lot like Rider in that way, and Rider was one of the biggest con artists of all time.

If Miles can't make it in the NBA, I wonder where he would make it. Any normal job, where you have to show up at 8 every morning and put in a full day's work, would be way too challenging for him.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Talkhard said:


> Are you serious? What "pressure" forces him to play at half-speed most nights? What "pressure" forced him to change into his suit at halftime, or to scream foul-mouthed obscenities at Cheeks last season, or to sleep through practice?
> 
> The guy is a jerk who keeps claiming he's innocent and it's all a big misunderstanding. He's a lot like Rider in that way, and Rider was one of the biggest con artists of all time.


So, your theory is that Rider intentionally ruined his own career (probably just to piss you off) and now Miles is doing the same?

Yeah, sure. Rider was such a great con artist that he cost himself tens of millions of dollars. Brilliant, he was. 

barfo


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

barfo said:


> So, your theory is that Rider intentionally ruined his own career (probably just to piss you off) and now Miles is doing the same?
> 
> Yeah, sure. Rider was such a great con artist that he cost himself tens of millions of dollars. Brilliant, he was.
> 
> barfo


Rider didn't ruin his own career intentionally; he was just too stupid to realize that's what he was doing at the time. I'll bet he regrets a lot of the absurd stuff he did, now that he's out in the real world and struggling to get by.

Miles is like Rider in the sense that he's always got an excuse, and he's a slacker. It remains to be seen whether he will "ruin" his career, but at the very least he's got the guaranteed $48 million from this contract, so it really doesn't matter to him.


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

barfo said:


> That doesn't mean we can't feel some sympathy. Sure, it's all his fault - no question about that. But what I took from that interview is that he isn't screwing it up intentionally. He just can't handle it. He doesn't have the mental makeup to handle the pressure of the job. He's in the wrong career.
> 
> It doesn't seem like he's evil. He's immature, for sure, and he makes bad decisions, and he's a bit paranoid. I think he just isn't capable of making better decisions. Sure, he signed the contract, so he should try to live up to it... but who wouldn't sign that contract, if it were offered? So I can't really hate him for that. If anything, I'd point the finger of blame at the people who signed him, who make their living by judging basketball players. Seems like in this case they screwed up pretty badly.
> 
> barfo


It's great you can feel sympathy for someone who has enough money and enough leverage with the NBAPA to do what he wants, including show up to practice drunk on occasion and high as a kite last week. As for my sympathy, I think it's better spent on people that deserve it.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

maxiep said:


> It's great you can feel sympathy for someone who has enough money and enough leverage with the NBAPA to do what he wants, including show up to practice drunk on occasion and high as a kite last week.


He didn't write the rules; he didn't offer himself that huge contract. No rational person would have turned down the contract, even if they had the self-knowledge at 22 or 23 that they couldn't meet the obligations. And money doesn't always make people happy; and certainly lots of public criticism at a young age doesn't always make people happy. 

It's too bad he's not up to the task. It's too bad he acts inappropriately. But the fact that he's in this situation is, in my opinion, more the fault of the people that hired him. 

If someone offered me a $48 million contract to play basketball, I'd sign it. You bet. Would you then blame me for being an out of shape geezer with no basketball skills? 

barfo


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Talkhard said:


> Rider didn't ruin his own career intentionally; he was just too stupid to realize that's what he was doing at the time. I'll bet he regrets a lot of the absurd stuff he did, now that he's out in the real world and struggling to get by.





barfo said:


> But what I took from that interview is that he isn't screwing it up intentionally. He just can't handle it. He doesn't have the mental makeup to handle the pressure of the job. He's in the wrong career.





Talkhard said:


> Miles is like Rider


Believe it or not, I think we actually agree...

barfo


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

STOMP said:


> I'd venture that the main draw of that finacial bomb... http://www.leesmovieinfo.net/wbotitle.php?t=2217 ...was Scarlett Johanson. I doubt horny teenage boys give 2 bleeps about Darius's gripes, let alone enough to wade through a book about them.
> 
> STOMP


I said the book thing in jest...I don't think he should write a book, and I agree no one would buy it...It was just an easy way to get a pot shot in on how uneducated and dumb Miles is...


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

barfo said:


> It's too bad he's not up to the task. It's too bad he acts inappropriately. But the fact that he's in this situation is, in my opinion, more the fault of the people that hired him.
> 
> If someone offered me a $48 million contract to play basketball, I'd sign it. You bet. Would you then blame me for being an out of shape geezer with no basketball skills?


The Blazers management had half a season to watch his act before he became a UFA. At the time, many posters brought up his supposive bad attitude and poor work habits as reasons he shouldn't be offered a big contract. I said that with managements access to observing him both on the court and off, that they should have a much better idea of what sort of professional he is and if he should be a part of their future. That offseason management waited until the teams with capspace had spent their FA dollars, and then gave him a greater then MLE long term deal that caused Darius himself to express that it was more then he'd hoped.

IMO, management always deserves a large portion of the blame/credit for the success/failure of their team(s). It's their decisions that sets the course for the franchise. In retrospect, not only did they bankroll a guy who doesn't seem the brightest or most driven, but they surrounded him with a massively imbalanced roster that would have frustrated many/most players. Who didn't recognize that going into this season with 5 SFs and horrible guards would be a major problem... geez, the previous year was another doozy. It sounds like DM's agent called it too. 

Anyways, management did what they did, and the question now is how to best deal with the situation. I don't think the _Dump the SOB!_ crowd (and Darius himself) are being very realistic when they call for a trade. Maybe something can be worked out, but with the questions surrounding his health, character, and the size of his deal, I really doubt it. My hope is that he heals up right this offseason and management improves the talent surrounding him. Better health and a more positive situation should provide a future window to move him.

STOMP


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

btw... this interview reminded me of this past discussion/thread

http://www.basketballboards.net/forum/showthread.php?t=211567

STOMP


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