The Dream is Over

by Ben. on Oct 20, 2008 9:42 AM PDT Comment 31 comments

Darius Miles has been waived by the Boston Celtics.

Here's the team's announcement via the Boston Globe's Celtics Blog.

The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has requested waivers on forward Darius Miles. The training camp roster now stands at 15.

"Darius was a model citizen during his time here in Boston. He showed that he still has a lot of basketball left in him." said Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations/General Manger Danny Ainge.

Miles signed as a free agent on August 22, 2008. The 6'9, 235-pound forward appeared in six preseason games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game.

Are any GM's playing the player stock market that Dave proposed below and ready to buy low? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Good job ggassen85, lefty6283 and jorga for beating me to the punch in the fanposts/fanshots.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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In other news...

The economy on the east coast must be really bad: Even Celtics blogs are merging. Who could afford to keep Darius on the roster in these hard times?
http://www.greenbandwagon.com/2008/10/20/638462/green-bandwagon-joins-celt

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 20, 2008 9:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

They even gave Dave props

sweetness

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

by prezofdeath on Oct 20, 2008 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Dream?

The Dream might be over as far as a Darius Miles as a Celtic, but for The Blazers I’m afraid the nightmare is going to continue. Given the comments of Danny Ainge, some other team will be enticed to take a look at Miles. So the whole “issue” isn’t over.

I guess we can lay to rest the conspiracy theory that Ainge was just pursuing Miles with the intent of vengeful harming of The Blazers salary cap. I propose we replace that conspiracy theory with a new one. I now place the metal bowl on my head and announce that obviously Danny Ainge was bought off by a huge under the table bribe by a man identifing himself only as Allen Paul. I have blurry, grainy photos of what may or may NOT be Danny Ainge onboard what may or may NOT be a very large yacht.

"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"

by Krang on Oct 20, 2008 9:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

what's Ainge supposed to do....

trash Miles in the media by saying he was terrible? It’s the GM way to be respectful about players with the media.

The whole league knows he’s done.

"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Oct 20, 2008 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't expect

I wouldn’t expect Ainge to trash Miles. However defining him as a “model citizen” as well as making the statement that he feels Miles “still has a lot of basketball left in him” seems to me to be a very carefully thought out statement. No, I wouldn’t expect Ainge to say anything negative, just like KP always says nice things about the players we cut from training camp and pre-season, but I’d also be suprised given Ainges comments if Miles wasn’t afforded another look or chance with some other team.

"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"

by Krang on Oct 20, 2008 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't worry

GM’s will see Darius’ gameplay footage and make up their own mind, rather than use Ainge’s comments.

by Timmay! on Oct 20, 2008 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry Darius, but...

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carry on.

"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Oct 20, 2008 10:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That's a very

appropriate song for Darius

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

by prezofdeath on Oct 20, 2008 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Poor Guy

I hope he gets a chance someplace else.

Eh, howzit, brah. You get any da kine?

by tominhawaii on Oct 20, 2008 10:20 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Like in Europe.

by Timmay! on Oct 20, 2008 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You guys are very funny. What about the Tasmanian basketball league? Let Europe alone! ;-)

Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16

by amlmart1 on Oct 23, 2008 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

May get a chance.

May get a chance. Not going to hold my breath on it though. Has talent, but character issues and maybe those may screw him up. Or maybe he has grown up. Who knows? Time will tell.

by CanadianBlazerfan on Oct 20, 2008 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ouch

I thought for sure he would at least make it to the start of the season, then get cut.
Oh well, good for the Blazers I guess.

Darius has millions of dollars so I don’t feel bad for him.

by koyote on Oct 20, 2008 10:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

next move

So, the next move is to see if someone picks him up in the next week or so. If not, then I’d say his prospects of playing 10 games (and sitting the 10) this year go down greatly. It’s not impossible that he’d be a midseason pickup, but much less likely I would think. For one, would he keep himself in game shape waiting for something that might not come? For two, midseason pickups tend to fill a very specific need due to injury. Darius is not a center or point guard, and he’s not an elite perimeter defender or sharpshooter. Hard to see someone picking him up as a replacement 15th man somewhere along the way — those spots generally go to young and hungry guys with some potential.

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Oct 20, 2008 10:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Especially

as you noted he’ll have to sit the first 10 in suspension. If it gets to midseason teams are looking for emergency help and having to sit out 10 games doesn’t help in an emergency situation. You’re bang on that Darius has got about 2 weeks to land a job or his chances grow much thinner.

Spanish Main: The point of departure for enormous wealth in the form of gold, silver, gems, spices, hardwoods, hides, alley-oops, assists and three pointers.

by LaughingJon on Oct 20, 2008 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Greeks

will take him!
Yassou, Darius

"I'd hate to be you if I were me." - Eddie (Barfly)

by NBAstard on Oct 20, 2008 1:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And so it Ends.

And, so it ends. Darius admitted that he was only “85%”, whatever that means. And, he’s also recently admitted that his knee will never be what it was. I found the comment reported in the Oregonian, however, very interesting. After all, even if someone does pick Darius up and he goes back on the Blazer payroll – his salary will not count against the cap. Perhaps now we understand why having that independent assessment by the NBA and the Players association was so important. Darius, the $18 million aside, is off the cap. Regardless.

As far as him getting picked up – somehow, I really doubt it. A lot of teams, like the Blazers, are cutting down to 15 players. And we have three on the roster right now, two of which will be cut, that seem to be more ready to play than Darius. Consider – if we keep Hill and cut Randolph – would you rather have Randolph in the 15th spot on your team – or Darius?

Darius was ready – according to him – to come back last December, yet he’s only 85% (his words). The fact is he apparently did not have the workout regimen through-out the spring that he needed to be 100%. The bottom line is he is not ready to play yet, and it may take him several months or longer to get there.

Unfortunately for Darius, this is the NBA. And what he needs is the opportunity to play himself into shape with someone willing to see that if they give him that opportunity, that when he gets there, it will have been worth the time and money.

I just can’t see that happening.

by Eben Calder on Oct 20, 2008 1:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Awesome... heres what we're working with now

This move pretty much ends Darius’ chances of playing in the NBA. Of course, I said that when he was deemed to have had a career ending injury at the end of last year. The extra 9 million dollars isn’t absolutely vital to the teams success, but it goes a long way to ensuring the talent we currently have will be able to stay on the team in addition to signing that final piece next year (if we don’t make that trade this year).

The Blazers 2009 Salary currently consists of 32 million dollars invested in these 9 players:

Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Sergio Rodriguez, Joel Przybilla

That will leave 28-30 million under the salary cap for their final 3 players. They will also have first dibs (RFA’s) if they want to keep these 4 players:

Steve Blake, Martell Webster, Channing Frye, Ike Diogu

Because of how weak next years FA crop looks, it might be in their best interest to make the trade for an elite young veteran this season. They have plenty of assets to make it happen, and you can never count on the right FA’s to be available.

by as11osu on Oct 20, 2008 2:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think the 2009 FA class is weak

Maybe compared with 2010, which looks like superstar sweepstakes, but not unusually weak. And like most free agents, most superstars will end up re-signing with their old teams. In 2009 there are about a dozen interesting targets out there that would all be upgrades over our current starters or second guys. And we could just buy one with all that money. Good times ;-)

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 20, 2008 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do you have some examples

of players that will likely be available and that will make us significantly better?

by as11osu on Oct 20, 2008 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, you may laugh, but Jason Maxiell would be a great fit on the Blazers.

I love Frye as much as the next guy, but a guy like Maxiell who is athletic, big, and plays with a D-tackle mentality would be sweet.

He would complement Aldridge better than Frye does.

by Cablinasian on Oct 20, 2008 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Channing Frye ...

is a good compliment for Joel Przybilla, though.

by AK1984 on Oct 20, 2008 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Precisely

The most amazing thing about my amazing ego is I have amazingly little about which to be egotistical.
The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.

by jscot on Oct 20, 2008 11:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wanted to save that for a fanpost (just kidding, it has been discussed quite a bit and the off-season is far away)

But here we go: I still believe some trade is likely to happen at the deadline. So we might not go after a major free agent in the off-season, but we could. And why do something risky when we can just buy one or two free agents next off-season to upgrade the roster (starter or backup)? Our guys can develop over the whole season, and targets are out there. Apart from maybe having to let players #13-15 expire there is virtually no downside to acquiring a free agent over a huge trade in which we have to let several really good players go to get a great one back and maybe take on other horrible contracts in the process.

Here are some players the Blazers could target (at least I hope they make an offer to a select few of these):

Danny Granger: Restricted, likely to stay in Indiana since he is the face of the franchise, but a front-loaded offer might do the job
Hedo Turkoglu: Early termination option, likely to opt out to become unrestricted, said all options are open (staying or leaving).
Shawn Marion: Unrestricted, probably not a great fit with the Blazers, might get traded by Miami before the deadline
Lamar Odom: Unrestricted, he is a little younger than most people think (would be 29, so not older than Turkoglu)
Ron Artest: Unrestricted. Well, he is Ron Artest, so that’s always a risk. But there is no denying he is a great defender.
Kobe Bryant: Early termination option. A year ago it looked likely that he would opt out and get out of Lakerland. Now, not much.

Somewhat more far out (because they double a position we are already strong at, are not that much of an upgrade over the players we have, are more likely to re-sign or be traded, etc.)

Allen Iverson: Unrestricted. Denver will probably want to move him before the deadline if they are unsure about him.
Richard Hamilton: Early termination, no clue what he is inclined to do. Wouldn’t be a natural SF since he isn’t taller than Roy, but it would be hard to say no to maybe the best mover without the ball
Ben Gordon: Unrestricted. He can score, but not much else, and wants to be paid a lot for something Roy and Rudy can do.
Jamal Crawford: Early termination option, good friends with Roy and house nearby
Ime Udoka: Unrestricted, still serviceable as a veteran off the bench. But since the Blazers let him go, would it make sense to bring him back?
Kyle Korver: Early termination option. Very solid outside shooter and great game closer (one of the top 3 FT shooters). Questionable defense, doesn’t rebound a lot.
Trevor Ariza: Unrestricted. Likely to stay in LA if Odom leaves. Very athletic and laterally quick on both ends.
Anderson Varejao: Player option. Quite likely to opt out, and he would be an upgrade at least over Diogu.
Jason Maxiell: Restricted. Just declined a three year extension deal at five million a year.
Chris Wilcox: Unrestricted. Likely to leave OKC.
Brandon Bass: Unrestricted. Likely to re-sign in Dallas.
Carlos Boozer: Early termination, likely staying or headed to Miami.
Jeff Foster: Unrestricted. One of the most underrated centers in the league. Might be an option if we happen to trade Joel.

Could be quite some selection, right? Other points of notice:
There are not many good point guards available in the 2009 free agent class. Raymond Felton probably the best (restricted), since Andre Miller might still be extended now. So if we wanted to make changes there we would need to take on an old guy (Iverson, Kidd), hope for the draft (trade up), or do a trade. Or hope Petteri explodes in Europe.
It might also be interesting to find a way to save some cap space and postpone one acquisition to 2010, if that is any option (since we need to re-sign some of our own guys to big contracts then, though they have Bird rights to go over the cap for them).

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 20, 2008 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dang

I read your answer after mine. I can think of no better consolidation of the roster, than Kobe Bryant. If the Blazers kept Oden, Roy, LA, and Rudy and somehow managed to trade the rest for Kobe. The Blazers would go 970-0.

Eh, howzit, brah. You get any da kine?

by tominhawaii on Oct 20, 2008 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just wanted to cover your possibilities...

Danny Granger: They won’t let him go. We’d waste all our resources going after him, only to most likely be disappointed.
Hedo Turkoglu: The only real semi-elite option. He’s equally worthless on defense at the 3 or 4… at least he’s versatile.
Shawn Marion: Ugly ugly fit in Portland. He’s too old, will want too much money, and is only worth anything if you run.
Lamar Odom: Can’t shoot the 3, can’t defend. Not a great option for our 3 spot. Too easily dominated as a 4.
Ron Artest: He’s honestly gotten too big over the years. His quickness is what set him apart. Not to mention the attitude.
Kobe Bryant: The Lakers are great, he’ll stick there obviously.
Allen Iverson: Too old, needs too many shots. He just isn’t a fit.
Ben Gordon: Yuck… can’t defend, doesn’t pass. Bayless is the better version of him in the long run.
Jamal Crawford: A me first point guard. Pass.
Ime Udoka: Batum is the better version of him by next year, if not before.
Kyle Korver: Great option, provided he comes cheaply. He’d be a great threat out on the wing.
Trevor Ariza: Can’t shoot, and is overrated defender. Makes name on defense by taking chances (not our style *currently*).
Anderson Varejao: Oden, Przy, Frye, Aldridge… that isn’t an upgrade
Jason Maxiell: He’s nice, but again, we’re pretty solid at the 4. If Przy wasn’t there getting rebs+blks he’d be a nice piece.
Chris Wilcox: He’s nice, but is he worth anything over the MLE? Probably not. I do like his ability to score inside.
Brandon Bass: See Jason Maxiell ^
Carlos Boozer: He’s either sticking or moving to Miami. Its always nice to dream though.
Jeff Foster: Sure, he’s great. Joel Przybilla 2.0. Not worth money so long as Joel’s on our roster.

by as11osu on Oct 20, 2008 4:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Foster is interesting

We have two valuable assets. One is cap space (taking a salary dump) and the other is Joel.

It is certainly possible that we could trade Joel to someone who needs a center if we could sign Foster. I would not like to see us do it, but if it is the deal that brings us Prince or somebody comparable….

by jscot on Oct 21, 2008 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You bring up an interesting point

We’re essentially talking about 2 or possibly 3 for 1 trades. In the NBA it usually goes that the team that gets the best player in a trade usually wins the trade. If you can package any number of our borderline talent (our 7th through 12th best players) and move them for fewer but better pieces, we’d be a better team at the end of the trade. What you’re describing is instead of using the big $ on one FA, using that same money on multiple guys at the same skill level that we already have. That is essentially why everyone outside of the big four this year are so eminently movable. I agree with the concept of making these moves, but in the real world it may be harder to mix and match the right players and contracts. Here are the scenarios as I see them.

Big FA – We sign Hedo Turkoglu to Vince Carter $ (16M/Yr). He is the best FA we could target that we wouldn’t have to dedicate the entire offseason to getting (The Granger situation could leave us left out of the entire market if he just re-signs with Indiana). This would most likely spell the end of Martell’s run with us. His cap hold is very high, and with Hedo coming in, Travis signed to a reasonable deal, and Nic on the squad, it would just be overkill to have him. In this scenario we’ll just have Steve Blake and Channing Frye re-sign for the 12 million that we would remain under the cap. Here is what we’d look like. Ike and Raef are also out.

C-Oden/Przy, PF-Aldridge/Frye, SF-Hedo/Outlaw/Batum, SG-Roy/Rudy, PG-Blake/S-Rod/Bayless

Trade + Small FA’s – I guess since you have Tayshaun Prince as your #1 target, we’ll look at that scenario. Lets assume they want back 3 of our mid level talent for him (Outlaw, Webster yes, they could use both and Przy). Actually, this trade would pretty much end up with us having the exact same amount of cap space. After examining it from this direction, its easy to see that to maximize our current position we have to pull off a 2 or 3 for 1 trade. There simply isn’t a scenario that has us better off by not making some kind of trade. With the way NBA Free Agency is set up, too few teams ever even have the chance to sign grade A free agents. We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into possibly being one of the teams with all that cap space but no one to sign (GSW, Mem). We’ve already got a healthy chunk of slightly better than average talent.

by as11osu on Oct 21, 2008 2:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know that Prince is my #1

I still think Martell may be our answer at the 3. It was just a for-instance.

You got the main point, though. We’ve got a lot of good talent for role players. People cringe at the thought of trading some of the talented role players we have, even to get a big name. But that doesn’t have to wipe out our depth, because we have that cap space, and can go get role players.

People say we can’t trade Joel, because it leaves no one to back up Greg. But we can, for the right guy, because with our cap space we can buy a backup. A trade may leave us thin at some position, but free agents will be out there.

That’s why it doesn’t make sense to only look at our current roster and the available free agents to see who fits. You have to look beyond that to consider the possible trades, as well.

Of course, if we do use the cap space for anything besides keeping our current players, it will probably be in a trade of young talent + pick(s) for an established player.

by jscot on Oct 21, 2008 6:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs