Miles is Awful!

[cordobes]

I suspect there will be other issues.

There are. This roster lacks size at the post and length/shooting at the wings. Either something will happen during the regular season or Doc will need to get creative if he has this personnel once playoffs begin.

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I'm completely unable to assess a player by watching him playing a few minutes of pre-season basketball, but there are some individual fundamentals one can identify and analyze. In that regard, Giddens is very solid.

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Miles... it was so obvious he wasn't able to play NBA basketball after his first couple of minutes on the floor that I was baffled how some people were still considering him to be a contributor. It doesn't even matter his skillset, he simply doesn't move fast enough. Unless he's at 10% of his athleticism, he won't even get a contract in Europe. That can't be lack of confidence, rather lack of physical ability. How much of that can he get back in the future and how long will it take, I have no idea. But I can't remember a similar case.

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CDR is an unknown quantity for NBA teams. He's the prototypical system player. Teams tried him out and he didn't do well. New Orleans drafted him because they're playing the same system he used to play in college. The more I see him, the more I'm convinced he wouldn't even be drafted if it wasn't for that.

[jdub1660]

I attended the game in Manchester last Saturday and when Miles came on the floor he still looks real slow and tentative, which can you blame the guy? I mean, we saw how careful Tony Allen was after his knee surgery and this guy's was worse. So I think it is still in his head. I think if Miles stays, it will be to fill in the Scott Pollard role, but maybe POB already took that spot.

I think Miles has some skill, he seemed to be in the right place at the right times in the game I saw, and I mean positioning for rebounds, setting screens, but I don't think he has ever really had a consistent jump shot, more like a running pogo stick before the injury. He really has to adapt his game to be more effective. I guess it all comes down to how much he loves the game and how hard he is willing to change his game. Develop a jump shot, rebound, play defense.

TP for defending Miles, and making the point that Tony Allen was the same way last year.
How many of us bloggers actually play basketball?? I do, and I've ruined my ankles from rolling them too many times(not wearing proper footwear) and my knees give me pain all the time...
The point is, whenever I played after rolling my ankle, or having my knees crack/pop in pain, I played soo tentative. I played ball for the first time in a long time with an old highschool buddy some months ago, and he noticed. He said something like,"Man, whats wrong with you!? You usually try to block all my shots, and get me half the time! I'm shooting all over you!"
When you hurt your knees, you lose a majority of you power in jumpshots,blocking,and running.
After about couple weeks of playing again, I learned to fight through the pain and relearned my timing on shotblocks. It's a process, and I understand where Tony Allen/DMiles are coming from.
And Yes, Darius Miles NEVER had a jump shot. He was a slasher, just like Tony Allen. Once he gets the butterflies out of him, and gets the fear of his knee blowing out on him again, he will be flying and dunking with Bill Walker,Tony Allen, and Leon Powe on the 2nd squad.

As for this dark idea of Ainge taking Miles just to ruin Portland...I could see it if it affected their team salary the year of the LeBron/Wade/Bosh free agent summer, but not this year when it means nothing..plus they're in different conferences and divisions..Ainge won't cut Miles b/c he sees there takes more time to bring value to a hurt star. Otherwise, he would have never resigned Tony Allen. I expect Sam to become a Lindsay Hunter, and BBD/Giddens/Pruitt/Scalabrine..one of them to be cut/traded ANYWHERE for a draft pick/cash....Don't we still have the other half of the MLE? Maybe will put that together in a combo trade to get 1 player...Miles will stay and make a return this year to earn him money for next...in which he'll resign with Boston as a loyalty/"thanks for the 2nd chance" respect

[the_Bird]

The Miles experiment hasn't worked out, but no harm, no foul.  They got a free look, and he's not ready (or maybe never will be ready) to contribute.  But, I think they've given him an honest shot.  Pruitt's shown a lot of improvement this summer (I'll admit to being wrong about him, he looks like he *might* help off the bench this year).  If Pruitt was still looking like crap, Miles would have a better chance of sticking - but not now.

Factor in as well how good Tony Allen has been playing, and Walker looking like he might be able to help, and Miles becomes unneccessary.

But, he got a shot, he got on the court, other teams now have some tape of him to see what he can and cannot do.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him on someone elses' roster this year (maybe a 10-day contract), but I don't see how he fits in here.  Not with the play of Allen to be Pierce's backup, and not with the improvement of Pruitt.

[EJPLAYA]

I attended the game in Manchester last Saturday and when Miles came on the floor he still looks real slow and tentative, which can you blame the guy? I mean, we saw how careful Tony Allen was after his knee surgery and this guy's was worse. So I think it is still in his head. I think if Miles stays, it will be to fill in the Scott Pollard role, but maybe POB already took that spot.

I think Miles has some skill, he seemed to be in the right place at the right times in the game I saw, and I mean positioning for rebounds, setting screens, but I don't think he has ever really had a consistent jump shot, more like a running pogo stick before the injury. He really has to adapt his game to be more effective. I guess it all comes down to how much he loves the game and how hard he is willing to change his game. Develop a jump shot, rebound, play defense.

TP for defending Miles, and making the point that Tony Allen was the same way last year.
How many of us bloggers actually play basketball?? I do, and I've ruined my ankles from rolling them too many times(not wearing proper footwear) and my knees give me pain all the time...
The point is, whenever I played after rolling my ankle, or having my knees crack/pop in pain, I played soo tentative. I played ball for the first time in a long time with an old highschool buddy some months ago, and he noticed. He said something like,"Man, whats wrong with you!? You usually try to block all my shots, and get me half the time! I'm shooting all over you!"
When you hurt your knees, you lose a majority of you power in jumpshots,blocking,and running.
After about couple weeks of playing again, I learned to fight through the pain and relearned my timing on shotblocks. It's a process, and I understand where Tony Allen/DMiles are coming from.
And Yes, Darius Miles NEVER had a jump shot. He was a slasher, just like Tony Allen. Once he gets the butterflies out of him, and gets the fear of his knee blowing out on him again, he will be flying and dunking with Bill Walker,Tony Allen, and Leon Powe on the 2nd squad.

As for this dark idea of Ainge taking Miles just to ruin Portland...I could see it if it affected their team salary the year of the LeBron/Wade/Bosh free agent summer, but not this year when it means nothing..plus they're in different conferences and divisions..Ainge won't cut Miles b/c he sees there takes more time to bring value to a hurt star. Otherwise, he would have never resigned Tony Allen. I expect Sam to become a Lindsay Hunter, and BBD/Giddens/Pruitt/Scalabrine..one of them to be cut/traded ANYWHERE for a draft pick/cash....Don't we still have the other half of the MLE? Maybe will put that together in a combo trade to get 1 player...Miles will stay and make a return this year to earn him money for next...in which he'll resign with Boston as a loyalty/"thanks for the 2nd chance" respect

Yes, he does get some understanding and admiration for fighting through an injury. That however does not mean he should make this team. This is a business. It is about wins/losses. If the guy can't go out there and contribute it doesn't make a difference what the reason is. We can't wait for the guy to get his confidence back 2-3 years from now. Especially since he wasn't that good in the first place. TA at least showed some really good defensive and offensive skills before his injuries. Miles was mostly potential. You can't give a guy a slot we need production from now hoping that "one year" he might improve to being an OK NBA player. If we want to repeat, we need production. Not a scared injured "never-was"...

[nickagneta]

Let's make sure we all don't pat ourselves on the back too much.  I'm sure there are a few things that were 'so certain' that could be tracked down in most board members posting histories. 

cough 'we need Sam' cough
cough 'Doc can't coach' cough
cough 'Danny is horrible' cough
cough 'Pruitt will never play' cough
cough 'POB is awful' cough
cough 'Tony is awful and said he was better than Posey' cough

All of these have been posted by more than a few people. 

Just as long as I'm on a patting myself on the back kick, I thought I would address this.

I did say we needed Sam and stuck up for him adamantly until he decided to go 0 for 22 in the playoffs when we most needed him. I have already stated publicly I was wrong about that and that I wasn't thrilled with his signing. But seeing as he will be inactive and a defacto coach most of the year used as insurance if Rondo or Pruitt or House go down, I'm okay about him being given a position on the team.

Actually I'm one of the very few on this site that stuck with Doc through thick and thin over the last two years and have defended him til my finders hurt from typing.

Never once thought Danny was terrible. I think he has a keen eye for finding talent where others couldn't. Recently his trades have been good although prior to the Rondo trade there were some very questionable ones. I didn't think he did an overly great job of trying to improve this team this offseason. Jury is still out on that one.

I have said from the moment they drafted Pruitt that he was a player and would surprise people. I loved his game in college. He will be a very good player in this league as will Bill Walker, who I have said from the moment they drafted him that I thought he would be a heck of a player.

I said I had no opinion on POB because I never saw him play and was willing to give him a chance. He needs a ton of work to someday become a starter in this league but appears like he could be a serviceable backup C. I'm judging that opinion on the whopping 4 games I have seen him in, 3 of which he played quite a bit with the starters.

I have said Tony Allen is awful. Up until last night, he gave me no reason to believe that he was all that much betterthan when he entered the league. He still plays wildly. He still over-dribbles. He still is not a good passer. And I think he is still an over-rated defender. But I would love nothing more than for Tony to come out and have a Sixth Man of the Year Award type season and make me look like a blooming idiot. If he has to be on this team then, yea, go Tony. But I am not a fan of his game and don't believe he can fully replace what Posey brought to this team both on and off the court.

Oh, and you can look up in all my last posts to see if I am telling the truth.

[steve]

I think he needs more rehab but he could still be a player.  We don't have the space on the roster to wait for him.

Danny said, "Darius can still play and hopefully it's with us but if not then he'll catch on with another team"  (paraphrased) 

I do think that if we make a trade, then we might keep him around.   

[Roy Hobbs]

cough 'Pruitt will never play' cough
cough 'POB is awful' cough
cough 'Tony is awful and said he was better than Posey' cough

Can we maybe wait for at least one regular season game before mocking people with these opinions?  Pretty please?

[Scalablob990]

I don't think Miles is terrible at all. He seems to have matured, but he looks a bit lost in trying to assimilate into our team. The SF position though i'm worried about. Besides Pierce only Walker, and Miles can  sub in for him (i'm not throwing TA in that mix since he's too short for the position). I think he still has a good chance of making the team even right now, because if you think of the things you can get with him if you WAIT for example portland paying him and screwing up their plans in the future money wise. POB is in the same boat I beleive, he looks lost still.

[EJPLAYA]

It's not the "lost" part that people are worried about. It is the complete lack of any athleticism whatsoever. The guy can't jump. He can't move fast enough to rotate on defense. He is a horrible outside shooter like he has always been in his career. He also is too slow on the box to score down low considering he can't get off the ground. What does that leave you?!

A PF who can't score, defend, or rebound. Yeah. That's an example of a guy who's only issue is assimilating into our team. Face it. The guy can't play anymore. Plain and simple.

[Bidder225]

Danny brought miles in to make the team all this blabing about screwing with portland is a waste of time.  I think he will get cut.  It was low risk and it's not working out.  No big deal.

[vjcsmoke]

cough 'Pruitt will never play' cough
cough 'POB is awful' cough
cough 'Tony is awful and said he was better than Posey' cough

Can we maybe wait for at least one regular season game before mocking people with these opinions?  Pretty please?

I think you know the answer to this without having to ask.
Of course not!  We're Boston fans!
As for Miles, I think you just need to play him enough to make Portland nervous that he's gonna go on their books, then you get what you can out of them.

The roster is 15 men, and let's face it, not all of them will be worldbeaters, you might as well use the spot for a guy that you can get something out of in the near future.  I'm in the sit and wait boat.  Even if he never plays meaningful mintues, he will be worth SOMETHING and soon.  That's more than you can say for guys like Vin Baker, Theo Ratliff, etc.

[Jon]

I wouldn't worry about Miles.  If it he miraculously works out, great.  If not, no big deal. 

As for Giddens, I'd like to see him more with the starters.  He's not the type that's going to dominate, but I think he could be a decent compliment with Rondo, Allen/Pierce, Garnett, and Perkins.  If he can hit the open jumper and defend, that's all this team really needs out of him. 

[Goldstar88]

Few things that strike me as odd.

Why would Danny and other Gm's say that he looked impressive in workouts if he had lost all of his athleticism and speed. What we have seen in preseason has been limited and I agree that he looks tenative and does not seem to be going all out trying to make the team. I have a feeling that the Coaching staff is taking it slow with him, and are telling him to take it easy in these preseason games. I guess only time will tell.

[greenwise]

First DNP for Miles last night...

[zerophase]

yea, i've not been too impressed with miles. i think both rookies are better players than he is but he fills the backup sf, pf role we really need. if we cut him then we are once again empty at sf. walker, giddens, and ta are all too small to fill that role.