The Grizzlies begin to screw over Portland...

[Heiks]

Now the Blazers decided to do something about it aswell:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3820794

It's getting ugly.

[NovU]

Hope Miles will be a capable player soon once again. Miller being vocal, I can't like that. It seems to me that he's almost trying to kill Miles's NBA career. Well, too bad for the Blazer fans but I hope Miles will get to play more games in the NBA and become a solid player agani.

[Andrew]

That's a very poor showing by the Portland Trailblazers. I understand their position but they have no right to interfere with Darius Miles' attempts to pursue an NBA career. I really hope the Players Union or the league fires back at them over that one. I don't know how successful a lawsuit would be either since it would be difficult to prove that Miles is only being signed to sabotage the Blazers and not because other teams are interested in his services.

I think this sums it up (from this article):

“The point that everybody is missing is that this isn’t about Portland’s salary cap. It’s about whether this guy [Miles] is healthy enough to play or not,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “He obviously is healthy enough to play. It doesn’t matter how good he plays. He can still play, and they said he couldn’t.

“Portland received benefits when [Miles’] injury was ruled career-ending. If he can play, they don’t deserve to have those benefits.”

[Valor]

That's a very poor showing by the Portland Trailblazers. I understand their position but they have no right to interfere with Darius Miles' attempts to pursue an NBA career. I really hope the Players Union or the league fires back at them over that one. I don't know how successful a lawsuit would be either since it would be difficult to prove that Miles is only being signed to sabotage the Blazers and not because other teams are interested in his services.

I think this sums it up (from this article):

“The point that everybody is missing is that this isn’t about Portland’s salary cap. It’s about whether this guy [Miles] is healthy enough to play or not,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “He obviously is healthy enough to play. It doesn’t matter how good he plays. He can still play, and they said he couldn’t.

“Portland received benefits when [Miles’] injury was ruled career-ending. If he can play, they don’t deserve to have those benefits.”

i was trying to find that one looks like you beat me to it.

totally agree with that guy, especially the last sentence
“Portland received benefits when [Miles’] injury was ruled career-ending. If he can play, they don’t deserve to have those benefits.”
they cant do anything against teams who sign Miles and play him, because they are the ones having an unfair advantage over other teams if Miles is capable of playing and they get rid of his contract from their salary cap by saying his career has ended with an injury.

[The X]

More or less, I think the medical retirement rule needs to be changed....they either have to fully grant cap-exception without conditions (10 games played in future) or they have to only allow it to be reversed if the league doctors say the player is physically able to play again....

I don't blame the Blazers for their actions as they got given relief that they maybe didn't deserve in first place, but at same time, they've moved on with life thinking they have cap space available....if teams are just going to sign a player, put him in for 1 minute in 2 games, then release him once 10 day contract is up, you could see why they would be annoyed....but in the end, they signed Miles in the 1st place, so they can pay the price....

in the end though, I expected this to happen the minute I heard Miles was trying to resurrect his career....I do hope he is able to & not just used as a pawn by some team to hurt the Blazers....

[Andrew]

Union to file grievance against Blazers over Miles

The NBA players’ association plans to file a grievance against the Portland Trail Blazers, who have threatened litigation against any NBA club considering signing Darius Miles.

The former Trail Blazers forward is attempting a comeback—a potentially very expensive one for the Blazers—from major knee surgery.

If Miles plays in two more games this season, Portland would be on the hook for $18 million—the amount remaining on Miles’ contract, which would count against Portland’s salary cap and force the team to pay luxury tax.

“We are shocked at the brazen attempt by the Portland Trail Blazers to try to prevent Darius Miles from continuing his NBA career,” players’ association director Billy Hunter said in a statement.

“Their attempt to intimidate the other 29 NBA teams by threatening frivolous litigation merely for signing this capable NBA veteran is a clear violation of the anti-collusion and other provisions of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. We will vigorously defend Darius’ rights.”

I don't have anything against the Blazers, but frankly I'm glad to see the player's union stepping in. I would have been very surprised if the union and the league itself would have stood for that.

[Abctest123]

Well, it looks like Miles is back with Memphis again: LINK

Albeit, this time its a 10 day contract only, but still enough for him to play 2 more games.

[Andrew]

In light of the grievance filed by the player's union and the NBA pledging to back up anyone who signs Miles, I'm guessing the Blazers will just have to suck it up and forget about attempting any litigation.

[Doobie]

Memphis re-signed him to a ten day contract haha..

[Modifly]

And Portland will pay the prize..

[Axel]

The Memphis Grizzlies are a shit stain on the face of the NBA. The ownership group and all of the front office people don't deserve to have a team.

[Andrew]

At least they're not threatening to sue other teams because they made a risky decision and it's backfired on them.

[jonthefon]

Bring the Grizzlies to Seattle!

[bowdown]

The blazers are not at complete fault here. After Darius recovered from surgery, the doctors saw that the cartilage in his knee did not heal. Which means his bones grind against each other all the time. Doctors told him that if he continued to play professional basketball then later on he will need to have knee replacement surgery due to complications and could even put him in a wheelchair. Right now it is not a matter of if his knee gives out, its when. Just because he can run and jump right now doesnt mean that he should. He will screw up his knee, thats what every doctor told him. Thats what blazers went with.. he might wanna save his knee for his older years....but he wants to take the risk.
Just because he is deciding to permanently damage his body doesn't mean the league should let him..... and more than that let another team suffer due to it.

[Valor]

the man has spoken..he wants to play
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/a ... index.html

[Andrew]

The blazers are not at complete fault here.

Actually, they're completely at fault. They could have bought him out, got a second opinion on his condition and perhaps even tried to trade him depending on a differing diagnosis. Instead, they applied for a medical exception that they certainly didn't have to and it's backfired on them because he's healthier than it first appeared. At the very least it's bad luck, but if anyone screwed over the Blazers, it's the Blazers themselves.

After Darius recovered from surgery, the doctors saw that the cartilage in his knee did not heal. Which means his bones grind against each other all the time. Doctors told him that if he continued to play professional basketball then later on he will need to have knee replacement surgery due to complications and could even put him in a wheelchair. Right now it is not a matter of if his knee gives out, its when. Just because he can run and jump right now doesnt mean that he should. He will screw up his knee, thats what every doctor told him. Thats what blazers went with.. he might wanna save his knee for his older years....but he wants to take the risk.

All good points, except the current diagnosis is that he has "no physical limitations", suggesting that he's in better shape than first thought.

Just because he is deciding to permanently damage his body doesn't mean the league should let him..... and more than that let another team suffer due to it.

But if he wants to try to keep playing and someone's willing to give him the chance, the NBA cannot stop him; that's the whole reason the Blazers are in trouble right now and could be facing a fine. He's been cleared to play and the latest reports on his knee are much more positive than the ones this past offseason, which were certainly worrisome for him.

[bowdown]

Darius will get caught smoking weed from all the stress from this.
jk

[Andrew]

Could happen given his past, though considering he's not in trouble right now he doesn't have too much to worry about.

[shadowgrin]

At least they're not threatening to sue other teams because they made a risky decision and it's backfired on them.

Or buy a franchise to supposedly keep it in town only to really have the intent of moving the team anyway no matter what, with shitty jerseys to boot.

[Valor]

At least they're not threatening to sue other teams because they made a risky decision and it's backfired on them.

Or buy a franchise to supposedly keep it in town only to really have the intent of moving the team anyway no matter what, with shitty jerseys to boot.

you forgot to mention the shitty logo...and a bad name

[Andrew]

League blocked Blazers’ bid to claim Miles

Before the Portland Trail Blazers resorted to a threatening email to frighten rival NBA teams from signing Darius Miles, team officials late last week made a brazen bid to claim the forward off waivers only to be stopped by the league, multiple front-office sources told Yahoo! Sports.

So determined to salvage the salary cap space that would come with the foiling of Miles’ comeback from a devastating knee injury, Portland president Larry Miller and general manager Kevin Pritchard apparently were willing to stash Miles on the sideline and keep him away from other NBA teams.

In denying the Blazers’ move to control Miles, NBA front-office sources say that league executives in New York denied the waiver claim because they believed the Blazers were merely trying to circumvent league salary cap rules.

Seems the Blazers have really been playing some dirty pool lately. If all that happens to them is they get stuck with Miles' contract then they're getting off easy. When Minnesota tried to circumvent the salary cap, they were stripped of five draft picks (though one was ultimately returned to them) so maybe it wouldn't be all that inappropriate to do the same in this situation.

[Valor]

League blocked Blazers’ bid to claim Miles

Before the Portland Trail Blazers resorted to a threatening email to frighten rival NBA teams from signing Darius Miles, team officials late last week made a brazen bid to claim the forward off waivers only to be stopped by the league, multiple front-office sources told Yahoo! Sports.

So determined to salvage the salary cap space that would come with the foiling of Miles’ comeback from a devastating knee injury, Portland president Larry Miller and general manager Kevin Pritchard apparently were willing to stash Miles on the sideline and keep him away from other NBA teams.

In denying the Blazers’ move to control Miles, NBA front-office sources say that league executives in New York denied the waiver claim because they believed the Blazers were merely trying to circumvent league salary cap rules.

Seems the Blazers have really been playing some dirty pool lately. If all that happens to them is they get stuck with Miles' contract then they're getting off easy. When Minnesota tried to circumvent the salary cap, they were stripped of five draft picks (though one was ultimately returned to them) so maybe it wouldn't be all that inappropriate to do the same in this situation.

even if that happens, it's no less then what they deserve..they tried to play dirty and stop a person's career for their own gains..

[Drex]

LMAO, what else they're gonna do? Hire Tonya Harding?

[erik_twism]

Miles played again and he was actually pretty productive, he scored 13 points in 14min (and had more points than mayo, gasol, gay...)
That should show that he´s not in Memphis to screw up the Blazers, but to help them on the court. (Ok, maybe it´s a little of both)

[Andrew]

It's good that he's getting the opportunity to play. I guess it's unavoidable that the focus is on the next game he plays resulting in the Blazers having to pay out $9 mil per year but more importantly he has a shot to prove himself and resurrect his career, be it in Memphis or elsewhere.