Alternate Take on Miles Letter

by Blaz06Draft on Jan 13, 2009 6:36 PM PST

I think the e-mail was in response to the NBA's refusing to allow the Blazers to sign Miles off of waivers. The Blazers believe this was discriminatory behavior by the league that harmed their salary cap situation and costs them money. The league said that any other team could sign him, and use him extremely sparingly to their competitive and financial advantage, but the Blazers couldn't sign him and use him to their competitive and financial advantage. That's not symmetrical, it's not a level playing field, and that's what I think the letter is meant to address.

They sent the e-mail to lay the legal case for an appeal against the league, or at least leverage to get some cap relief. The letter contains language like "violate its fiduciary duty as an NBA joint venturer" and "individually liable to the Portland Trail Blazers for tortuously interfering with the Portland Trail Blazers' contract rights and perspective economic opportunities." I don't think it's aimed at an individual team, it's aimed at the league office for its discriminatory behavior.

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as I said

several months ago

If Pritchard were to re-sign Miles in order to keep him glued to the bench, it’s a goat-kick-to-the-balls offense. It’s one thing to game this system to cost a billionaire a few million dollars; it’s another to game the system to crush a man’s last hope of playing the game he loves.

M, period. Fresh, comma.

by manzell on Jan 13, 2009 6:43 PM PST reply actions

Wow...

a little dramatic.

Couldn’t Miles have continued to rehab (which he obviously still needs to do) and play next year after the Blazers use their cap space this summer? He would only be 28 (and his knees might be in better shape).

by The Graduate on Jan 13, 2009 6:59 PM PST up reply actions

Miles could have done that

but if you are trying to get back into the NBA and teams offer you a chance to play for them, I don’t think that saying “Hey, let me rehab another year and then my knees will be awesome” will get you many jobs.

Miles had an opportunity to play and he took it.

by tingeyga on Jan 13, 2009 7:18 PM PST up reply actions

But look at Memphis' action

They waived Darius Miles before just his salary was to be guaranteed for the year. Then two days later rwsign him to a ten day contract. That was the only path that a single team could take to get Miles into ten games and fulfill the 10 game suspension and not pay him for an entire season. Memphis is a direct competitor team for this upcoming off-season for free agents with cap-space. The quality of minutes Miles gets in his "10 games played " will be play a key role in any potential litigation. Memphis and the league front office could very well be setting themselves up for a breach of contract lawsuit.

Now I don’t think Portland has played this scenario out with the best of PR. But if they were really denied the opportunity to claim Miles off waivers and pay him for the entire contract he signed, then the Players assosiation can’t complain because Miles may get short changed anyway, as well as the Blazers be financially and strategically impacted in FA.

by NWfan on Jan 13, 2009 8:25 PM PST up reply actions

its going to be interesting

since Miles is having a bit of success on the court. Honestly, I thought Miles should be retired, but I guess even a guy who had micro-fracture surgery and then didn’t regrow cartilage (!) looks better than anything else Memphis has to offer.

What is going to be their reasoning if they don’t offer him a contract after these 10 days are up? I mean they pretty much have to, to make this signing look legit, and at least that salary will come off of our Miles contract.

From the back of Travis Outlaw's Franz card: Travis leads the team in monstrous thunder dunks, wins awards for post game interviews, and often gets extra points for degree of difficulty.

by TheOdenator on Jan 13, 2009 9:39 PM PST up reply actions

Memphis' action

Not that unusual, really. Clippers waived Fred Jones before his contract was guaranteed and then resigned him immediately, without any ‘messing with someone’s cap space’ incentive. Flexibility is flexibility – if they wanted to test drive Miles 10 or 20 more days without committing, this is how you do it.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Jan 13, 2009 11:20 PM PST up reply actions