Author Topic: Darius Miles' suspension  (Read 4893 times)

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Darius Miles' suspension
« on: July 20, 2008, 12:13:52 AM »

Offline BrickJames

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Sorry in advance to the mods - I know that there was a thread on here called "Darius Miles" at some point in time, but I can't find it and neither can the site's search engine.

In any case, apparently the league has made known exactly what Miles was suspended for.  According to Marc Stein:

Quote from: Marc Stein
Sources say all 30 teams were notified this week by league memorandum that the drug which earned Portland Trail Blazers castoff Darius Miles a 10-game suspension to start next season -- if Miles can find a job -- is the appetite suppressant ****.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=NBA-Notes-080719

According to wikipedia, **** is an isomer of methamphetamine.

I'll reserve my judgment on motive and what I think about this whole thing for the time being, but I am curious what you all think.

Given this information, do you take a chance on this guy or what?
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Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2008, 12:14:34 AM »

Offline BrickJames

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your content blocker blocked the name of the drug?? P h e n t e r m i n e
God bless and good night!


Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2008, 12:33:55 AM »

Offline Roy Hobbs

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your content blocker blocked the name of the drug?? P h e n t e r m i n e

We probably got a lot of spam advertising the drug at some point in the past.

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Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2008, 01:20:23 AM »

Offline jdub1660

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If that's the drug that he tested positive for, then that's ridiculous! An appetite suppressant gets your name on a druggie list and suspended for 10 games? What has the league come to. I'm sure if he took this, that it was to get him in shape faster since he's been rehabbing for 2 years it seems. And YES we should take a "risk" on him since he's stated so much in an article recently. It's somewhere on the thread you can't find. He basically said he's ready to play, he doesn't understand what he ever did to get such a bad rep, he's healthy but not in NBA shape, he wants to sign for the minimum, and he wants an injury clause in his contract saying that if he got hurt, that the team would not owe him the rest of the money. sign him NOW before his talent gets wasted on a team like Dallas or Houston.
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Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2008, 01:26:02 AM »

Offline TripleOT

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Now we know why Shawn Kemp, Mel Turpin, Thomas Hamilton, John Bagley, and Oliver Miller aren't in the league anymore.

I think it's pathetic that someone put out the story about Miles suspension for "violating the NBA's substance abuse policy" and didn't conveniently mention that it was a diet aid.

Miles should have better than to take a banned substance, however. 

Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2008, 02:45:06 AM »

Offline lon3lytoaster

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Well this helps explain how he's allegedly got a lot of explosion left in him right now. The last picture I saw with him in it he was HUGE. (At least by NBA athlete standards)

He shouldn't have got suspended for that, though. Unless he was like downing a bottle every day or sometihng.

Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2008, 02:48:56 AM »

Offline Reyquila

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No comprende. Whats the big issue with someone who is not a Celtic?
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Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2008, 04:18:57 AM »

Offline SoxFanPJ

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Well this helps explain how he's allegedly got a lot of explosion left in him right now. The last picture I saw with him in it he was HUGE. (At least by NBA athlete standards)

He shouldn't have got suspended for that, though. Unless he was like downing a bottle every day or sometihng.

It was a diet drug associated with cardiovascular problems. Part of the Fen-Phen diet drug combination.  FDA put the kibosh on its use.  My guess is that the NBA put it on the drug list as much to protect the players from hurting themselves as to prevent any performance enhancing benefits. 

Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2008, 05:08:01 AM »

Offline cordobes

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Secondary effects:
Nervousness
Blurred vision
Clumsiness
Confusion
Dizziness
Mental depression, following a period of excitement
Tremors, trembling or shaking
Overactive reflexes

Has Tony Allen used this to get back in shape after his injury as well? ;D

**** is addictive, so one can't just rule out that the problem is more serious than it seems. But, at first sight, it doesn't seem a big deal. OTH, one has to ponder how interesting is a player who  probably opted to spend his time at Baskins&Robbins stores instead of working on rehabing his knee and keeping his shape.

Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #9 on: July 20, 2008, 09:51:38 AM »

Online Vermont Green

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I had a feeling it was something stupid like this.  The guy has been saying all the right things and doing all the right things.  It is rare that any NBA player comes in with the perfect attitude and demeanor.  I think the only question is whether he can still play and if his knee can hold up.  Workouts and him jumping to the top of the backboard should allow teams to see whether he can still play or not.  The knee of course is a crap shoot.

I think the Celtics want more of a known quantity at their back up SF slot, maybe someone like Wells or even Michael Finley.  If they can't make a more reliable veteran type work, Miles may be brought in.  They already have several bench questions inlcuding Pruitt, Giddens, and Patty O.  I suspect they would prefer to have as few questions as possible with the person that fills the back up SF slot.

Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #10 on: July 20, 2008, 10:12:42 AM »

Offline MaineBleedsGreen

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and I'm sitting here the whole time just assuming it was marijuana. Still the suspension isn't a big deal to me, I'm more worried is he ready to play health wise, and is he willing to commit defensively.

Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #11 on: July 20, 2008, 11:13:38 AM »

Offline kozlodoev

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If that's the drug that he tested positive for, then that's ridiculous! An appetite suppressant gets your name on a druggie list and suspended for 10 games? What has the league come to. I'm sure if he took this, that it was to get him in shape faster since he's been rehabbing for 2 years it seems. And YES we should take a "risk" on him since he's stated so much in an article recently. It's somewhere on the thread you can't find. He basically said he's ready to play, he doesn't understand what he ever did to get such a bad rep, he's healthy but not in NBA shape, he wants to sign for the minimum, and he wants an injury clause in his contract saying that if he got hurt, that the team would not owe him the rest of the money. sign him NOW before his talent gets wasted on a team like Dallas or Houston.
Well, how about if Shaun Livingston took steroids to strengthen his leg after the injury, would that be ok too?
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Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #12 on: July 20, 2008, 12:47:32 PM »

Offline I am... a brain doctor

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If that's the drug that he tested positive for, then that's ridiculous! An appetite suppressant gets your name on a druggie list and suspended for 10 games? What has the league come to. I'm sure if he took this, that it was to get him in shape faster since he's been rehabbing for 2 years it seems. And YES we should take a "risk" on him since he's stated so much in an article recently. It's somewhere on the thread you can't find. He basically said he's ready to play, he doesn't understand what he ever did to get such a bad rep, he's healthy but not in NBA shape, he wants to sign for the minimum, and he wants an injury clause in his contract saying that if he got hurt, that the team would not owe him the rest of the money. sign him NOW before his talent gets wasted on a team like Dallas or Houston.
Well, how about if Shaun Livingston took steroids to strengthen his leg after the injury, would that be ok too?

Anabolic steroids would be of less benefit to Livingston than diet pills would be for Miles. This is especially true considering the position Shaun plays, so it is not a good comparison and I doubt it is something he would take (and I would fault him for being an idiot if he did). On the other hand, if he took HGH under a doctor's supervision (a better comparison) to help promote healing and save his career, I wouldn't fault him for that even if the league did. So, yes, that would be okay (in my opinion). It is probably a risk I would consider taking if I were in his shoes.

Back to the discussion of diet pills, Big Baby better watch his back.

Re: Darius Miles' suspension
« Reply #13 on: July 20, 2008, 06:30:06 PM »

Offline The Walker Wiggle

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And YES we should take a "risk" on him since he's stated so much in an article recently. It's somewhere on the thread you can't find.

The article is question is an Ian Thomsen piece for SI. The original thread can be found here.

He basically said he's ready to play, he doesn't understand what he ever did to get such a bad rep...

See, I consider Miles's "It's funny, I don't know how I went from that side to this side." remarks another red flag... He's either being disingenuous or - worse - remains as selfish and self-involved as ever. Skipping practice or showing up too hung over to work or calling your coach a n****r at a tape session will, yes, hurt your reputation. And it bears mentioning that Cheeks, for all his failings, is as well-liked as Rivers around the league. He isn't P.J. Carlesimo.

Quote from: The Oregonian
The confrontation flared when Cheeks continued a line of criticism directed at Miles during the team's review of Wednesday's game with Dallas. The argument escalated when neither party would back down, and accounts of the argument include Miles telling Cheeks he was going to be fired, and when Cheeks told Miles to leave, Miles said that Cheeks would have to call the police to make him leave the building.

The situation continued when Cheeks dismissed the team and began leaving toward general manager John Nash's office, when Miles chided him with the comment, "That's right, run to your daddy." When Cheeks did go to Nash's office, Miles burst in, and another argument ensued...

Cheeks admitted that he is partly to blame for the confrontation because at the beginning of the film session his tone toward Miles was stronger than normal, and from past conflicts with Miles, he knew the player didn't handle criticism well.

There's a reason L.A. first dealt him, that Cleveland felt he couldn't co-exist with Lebron James, and that Portland wouldn't allow him to rehab at the Blazers' facilities while his teammates were there.

...he's healthy but not in NBA shape...

As for that, I know reports out of Boston are that Miles has made impressive progress, but it may be worth looking at today's Oregonian piece.

Quote from: The Oregonian
"Two doctors said Darius had the worst microfracture injury they had ever seen," Pritchard said. "They would never have him play basketball and the odds of having knee replacement surgery is high. I hear that, and as a general manager, I didn't want it on my conscience -- that I had a kid have to go through a knee replacement surgery. That's a pretty major surgery. They saw (two bones) and replace (the knee). It's a bad deal...

...I wrote about Miles' desire to return to the Blazers prior to the 2007-08 season, and I found him to be polite, engaging, personable and honest, for the most part, about his comeback and future NBA aspirations. But I don't believe he was being honest to himself about the extent of his injury. When Miles finally resumed practice in December, he claimed his knee was "90 percent" healthy. But it was obvious to everyone watching in the Blazers' Tualatin practice facility that Miles was nowhere near 90 percent. After watching him that day -- and in subsequent days -- it was clear his career was over.

He played tentative and cautious. He struggled mightily to cut and stop. And he greatly favored his right knee. Based on those workouts, I doubt Miles could hold his own in a college game, let alone the NBA.

Also, I'd like to repeat that Miles, even if close to healthy, fills none of our immediate needs (and we already have two long-on-potential projects on the roster, Paddy O'Bryant and Bill Walker). He doesn't space the floor, a career 17% 3PT shooter also a 58% FT shooter, i.e. has a worse jump shot than Rondo, and one that never improved appreciably over six seasons.

Nor can he replace Posey's savvy and defensive presence. Sometimes gaudy block and steal numbers aside, Miles's on-the ball defense is just as unpredictable as his mouth; and his decision making on the offensive end is terrible. He owns a worse than 1:1 career assist to TO ratio. (I can't see how this would work out well on a roster where, where he'd play as the third, fourth, fifth scoring option?)