this is good shay. as much as i am concerned about Paul Allen’s financial well-being, I’ve always been a Darius fan, and more importantly I can’t in good conscience root for poor health in anyone.

Sure, he’ll invite Wechsler on his little show, but not-as Jaynes pointed out his article-Jaynes himself. Most likely because Canzano knows he’d get shredded confronting an actual journalist.

Hackity hack hack.

Quite a few posters dismissed Jaynes’ original article (as well my subsequent fanpost about it) as mere speculation on Dwight’s part; an attempt to gin up controversy to help a flagging newspaper boost circulation.

However, in his second article that Ben linked to above, Jaynes’ dropped this little nugget:

The subject of that [first] column, in fact, was all around the NBA. Lots of people were talking about it, and I felt fortunate to be able to write it before someone else did. Anyone with a moderate number of sources in the league would have known about it.

In other words, the report of possible HIPAA violations, dubious ethics, and potential investigations was something more than the product of Jaynes’ overheated imagination. Rather, it came from conversations he’d had with folks throughout the NBA. Maybe that’s significant; maybe it ain’t. At the very least, it would seem to indicate that others around the Association are not so quick to downplay the possible seriousness of these concerns as many a Blazer fan was.

That said, why is Darius the Hilarious a continual issue? Is he still wearing a Blazers uniform? Much ado about nothing. Like the gas, this too will pass.

The issue isn’t is Darius working out. The issue is that the NBA and PTB doctors called his injury the worst microstress fracture they’d seen, and that if he continued to play and reinjured his knee, he’d very likely have to have the knee replaced. What Darius does is, therefore, not particularly relevant, nor is what his agent says of any great importance. Practice cannot resolve this issue, nor being in shape. He tried out with 4 clubs we know about, and none to date have offered a contract. Further, the entire league knows the full story, and none of the rest have offered a contract either. Darius has chosen to ignore the medical advice he was given. In part, I suspect, because for him, no longer playing basketball is a form of death since it is the core of his identity. He cannot, at this point, see himself in any other world. Most, if not all of the GM’s, in turn, are not going to care how he plays, or what shape he is in. Nor will they care that he offers thems some kind of risk free deal to get a chance to play again. They all have the same medical information, and their own doctors are unlikely to disagree with the conclusions. There is a reason no player has ever come back from such an injury. In part, the NBA does not, to be frank, want them back. And, in part, because no GM want’s Darius on the floor when that knee goes out one last time – and then to have the stigma of having ignored the NBA and their own doctors. As far as his attitude, the practical fact is that it was the knee injury, not the attitude, that caused the NBA to make its ruling. If the only issue was attitude, then the Blazers could have traded him However, there was no one to trade to. Not because of attitude – but because of the injury. KP has simply reacted to the medical advice he was given. He does not, after all, have the ability to convince the NBA and their medical professionals to write a report that the injury does not justify. No doctor would do that. After all, the doctor and the NBA would be left wide-open for law suits if that were the case. So, let’s not make more of this than what it is. They call it a career ending injury – because that’s what it is.

I really hope Darius comes back and scores 50 against the Blazers just so I can see the look on Canzano’s face.

The problem I have with this whole situation is that the Blazers are getting a free pass on the dealings with Darius. Whether or not anything they did anything wrong has yet to be seen but you have to admit some of it looks pretty shady. Problem is when people like Dwight Jaynes question it they get blasted for it.

Canzano has access to the team now, in fact he’s been welcomed with open arms. If he did some investigating and reported something negative about one of the “good guy” Blazers he might lose that access.

C’mon guys. Think about it. Does Darius get paid the remainder of his contract? Yes. Can Darius go to Europe and play? Yes. Can Darius play in the NBA? Yes. What’s stopping him? Nothing. If someone wants to give him a shot.

So, what on earth have the Blazers done that is shady? Sure, he’s off the cap space – but they’re still on the hook for the contract. Further, if someone picks him up – they lose the cap space and still pay the contract.

It’s the Blazers that have all the risk. Darius has none. Other than, of course, if he blows his knee out again.

This is a lot of hot air. The Blazers have traded a lot of players they didn’t think fit with their culture. So why not Darius. Because he’s injured, that’s why. No one wanted him. Has it ever occured to any of you that to trade him they had to give the other team medical assurances? And since no team was going to accept the PTB’s doctors, the way the NBA does it is bring in their own. And Darius failed. Thus, the Blazers could not trade him. The only reason they handled it the way they did is because there was nothing else to do. Granted, you could have set him on the bench until his contract expires. Or, I guess you could have encouraged him to play. Now that makes a lot of sense.

I imagine the only way some of you will ever be happy is if KP suits him up, tells him whatever he needs to hear so that he’ll start playing again, and then, when he blows the knee out – replace it. Then, I guess, having proven the doctors diagnosis was right. You’ll finally decide he had a career ending injury after all. Of course then, you’ll decide KP was a real monster about the time Darius has his knee replaced. I can hear it now.

The NBA said it was a career ending injury. Not the Blazers. Do you get it?

is that this is getting around the league. Players may hear it and think that they won’t be as protected as they should be by Portland management. Portland will not be the only team with cap space next summer. If a player has to decide between offers coming from a couple teams they may look at the Blazers and think “if I sign with Portland and get a bad injury, they might try to ruin my career.” Portland has the potential to sign someone to a substantial contract. They now have a precedence of having an injury deemed career ending to get under the cap. I’m not saying this is the sentiment around the league, it just got me thinking. Hopefully the upside of the team and the money outweigh any bad media that is spread in the next year.

I think it’s disturbing that a smart guy like Pritchard would open his mouth about this situation. Whether you like Darius or not, it amazes me that people cannot say good-bye and good luck. Barrett and the rest diss him continually and when I’ve tried to get them to discuss the concerns that Henry Abbott expressed in True Hoop, they ignore it. It is pretty classless to build somebody up while they’re a Blazer then do an immediate 180 as soon as they’re gone.

Eben is right. The Blazers did not determine Darius’ knee injury as a career ending injury. Perhaps I should place a link for everyone to visit:

NBA and the teams do not want to be repsonsible for putting somebody on the basketball court with all the signs of a career-ending injury to become a possible lifelong injury.

Thanks for the post. Perhaps the bloggers will grasp the simple reality, which is that the Blazers followed the league – and the player’s association rules pertaining to injured players. Career ending injuries are serious. No one takes it lightly. But basketball players, like those in other professional sports, do suffer such injuries. And there must be a way to fairly make that decision that everyone accepts. The Blazers, after all, have a contract. And, they must honor it. However, if the player cannot play, then they need the right to replace that player with someone who can. As does any team. These procedures have been in place for many years. Darius is only one in a long line of players whose careers ended because of an injury. In the best of all world’s, Darius would have been cleared to play. After all, if he’d had that clearnance, he would’ve had some value to other teams, even if the Blazers did not want to keep him on their’s. But he didn’t get that clearance. And so, they had virtually no options, other, than as you pointed out, to put that player back on the floor and to be responsible for a career ending injury to become a life long injury.

and the Blazers had said exactly the things they have said about Darius’ injury, no one would say anything.

it may be that he thinks there’s a legal case. If so, he would be extremely foolish to be talking about this, as you are asking, Ben.

The other reason he may be keeping silent is because it is simply the classy thing to do.

Either way, his silence is earning some respect from me. It doesn’t really help Darius or anyone else for him to be shooting off his mouth about this. If he thinks the team has done him wrong, in the situation the best thing he can do is keep quiet about it.

He obviously still wants to play, enough to even take the risk of the diet pills (though he may not have known they were banned). If he does come back and play (here or in Europe), then is the time to speak. Not sooner.

If you really are president of his fan club, you should be applauding his silence. It’s the wisest thing he can do.

but it looks like Dwight Jaynes got a pink slip:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2008/07/report_dwight_jaynes_leaving_t.html

I wonder it it was related to his latest hatchet job that was the genesis of this thread