Too bad it wasn’t Lebron James who came to Portland in Wednesday’s trade. Instead, the Blazers picked up forward Darius Miles.
It was announced on Wednesday that Miles — formerly of Cleveland — is being traded to the Trail Blazers for guard Jeff McInnis and center Ruben Boumtje Boumtje.
Miles was the third overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Coming straight out of East High School in Illinois, Miles was expected to be the next prodigy from high school to professional basketball. People were comparing him to Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett.
Miles has failed to impress or come close to expectations in his first three and half years in the league, however. And Blazers General Manager John Nash has failed to impress and is making a mistake in bringing Miles to Portland.
“In Darius Miles we acquire a superior athlete who has already successfully completed almost four years in the league,” Nash said.
Miles is a “superior athlete” who can’t shoot — in fact, he’s a horrible shooter. Last year’s numbers show that Miles’ performance declined at a rapid rate and he has never recovered.
In October 2002, Miles began solid play in Cleveland, averaging 14 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Remember, Miles was the young superstar around whom Cleveland thought it could build a franchise. Enter James and the end of that story.
In November 2002, Miles’ numbers slipped to 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. In December, he was all the way down to 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He was shooting 36 percent from the field in December.
“If (NBA personal trainer) Tim Grover can teach Darius Miles to shoot, then he deserves a lifetime achievement award,” Charles Barkley told ESPN Insider in June 2003. “I’m not sure anyone can fix that.”
In the summer of 2002, before he joined the Cavs, Miles was a little too busy filming the movie “The Perfect Score” to be in the gymnasium working on his game. At least it’s clear where his priorities are.
Miles is an inconsistent player who lacks confidence. He has played few minutes for Cleveland this season because head coach Paul Silas has been hesitant to put him on the floor due to his inconsistencies.
In 16 starts and 37 games this season, Miles is averaging 8.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Miles played his best ball in his rookie season with the Clippers when he averaged 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
The Blazers get the worst end of
this deal.
Boumtje Boumtje was easily dispensable. He wasn’t even playing three minutes a game and spent much of last season on the injured list. But McInnis was averaging 11.9 points, five assists per game and playing a consistent 32.5 minutes on average.
The trade helps Cleveland because James doesn’t have to worry about playing the point guard spot. Cavaliers General Manager Jim Paxson got rid of Miles because of his inconsistency, attitude and the effect that attitude could have had on James.
The 6-foot-9 Miles is making $4.1 million in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent after this season. McInnis was making $3.3 million this season.
Miles’ recent actions should help him fit in well with a Portland team that is in desperate need of a revamp of attitude.
Miles, 22, was fined by the Cavaliers after missing Monday’s practice. He says he forgot to set his alarm clock.
This is a mistake by the Blazers.