Darius Miles coming back with the Memphis Grizzlies

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Notorious miscreant who was miles ahead finds his place with the Grizzlies
Partying and injuries halted an explosive career, but Darius Miles is making a comeback with the Memphis Grizzlies

I recall the first time I clapped eyes on Darius Miles. It was back in March 2000 at the McDonalds' All-America game in Boston, the de facto all-star contest for high- school players across the United States. My primary interest was Neil Fingleton, the 7ft 7in prodigy from Durham whose lofty stature, apparently at least, was matched only by his limitless ambition in basketball.

This was not the kind of match, though, for a lumbering giant. This was a breathless exhibition of razzle and dazzle by kids whose innocence was not yet wholly eroded by the pressures of adulation as gargantuan as their pay cheques. And one showman stood apart from the rest. Miles, a tornado of energy from East St Louis, Illinois, bustling up and down the floor for a series of slashes and dunks, sweeping his teenage contemporaries aside, unstoppable on a course for the very eye of the NBA storm.

Others from that McDonald's Class of 2K would find their place in the league, players like Zach Randolph, Chris Duhon and DeShawn Stevenson, while Andre Barrett and Omar Cook are performing creditably at Barcelona and Malaga respectively. Fingleton, sadly, was beset by back injuries and the muscular strains that plague the über-tall. After a brief stint in Spain and at Teesside Mohawks, he is now an aspiring actor.

Of them all though, it was Miles who you felt would be hogging the limelight for years to come. It would never come to pass. Having bypassed college at the eleventh hour due to academic issues, he was drafted third by the Los Angeles Clippers. Outside of New York, there could not have been a more distracting destination. His partying and attitude, along with several movie appearances, got more write-ups than his game. Inside two years, he was traded to Cleveland, before moving on to Portland. The injuries came thick and fast, and his last NBA appearance was on 15 April 2006. Following surgery on his knee, he announced his retirement at the age of 25 seven months later, a tragic waste of extraordinary promise.

Next Sunday, Miles could emerge once more into public view. Having signed a minimum-salary deal with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month, he has been working away behind closed doors towards what would be an unprecedented comeback. But his journey hardly represents a simple path to redemption. First there was the matter of a 10-game suspension to serve, the consequence of a positive drugs test for a banned dietary supplement. Then, the greatest examination of all: to prove that he can still cut it, night after night.

"Anybody in the position I'm in," Miles said, "and has been through what I've been through the past two years, if he's not hungry he shouldn't waste anybody's time. I'm hungry. I ain't quitting. I feel like I can still do this. I wouldn't even waste the Grizzlies' time if I felt like my career was over."

The Grizzlies are a young team, with fewer than six of their roster possessing less than three years' experience in the pros. Even though they are still stranded at the foot of the Southwest Division, and with head coach Marc Iavaroni possessing all the job security of a Woolworths' cashier, there is some potential of long-term prosperity on the backs of OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay. It remains a combustible concoction. Why then, you wonder, would you risk introducing a notorious miscreant into the mix, a player who — particularly during his days in Portland — won a reputation for railing against his coaches and pursuing an individualistic path?

The need for some veteran leadership is the answer of the Grizzlies general manager, Chris Wallace. It is a trait never remotely associated in the past with Miles. Yet, now married with a child, there are signs that his time out of the game has bred an awareness of past mistakes.

"I've been on the side where I've never had a bad article written about me," he said. "I was on every commercial, on the cover of magazines and my jersey selling No3 all over the world. Then I've been where I was considered one of the top five thugs in the league. I'm a cancer. But I've never had a team-mate that said they had a problem with me. I'm not a problem."

He may get his opportunity to counter that perception, starting next week. The Grizzlies can effectively hand him a two-game trial. No win, no fee. Beyond that, if he makes 10 appearances, it will be Portland who will take an $18 million salary hit courtesy of the contract he signed before his departure. The Trailblazers have good reason to will Miles to fall short. Anyone who recalls his effervescent brio should hope he can blow on to the court again, even if he may never dazzle as brightly as he did that night in Boston.


He was just starting 2 play to his ability when he got injured...hope he succeedes...PeACe

[thisoneguy360]

I've always been a Darius Miles fan, dude is fun to watch, too bad he could never quite reach his potential, I hope this works out for him.

[Lunatic]

I've always been a Darius Miles fan, dude is fun to watch, too bad he could never quite reach his potential, I hope this works out for him.

co-sign

[GangstaBoogy]

I wish dude the best. As far as the Grizzlies go...not sure Miles is the kind of vet I want around my young talent.

[tempo2]

yeah good luck to him, i hope he gets to contribute at the grizzlies

[thisoneguy360]

yeah good luck to him, i hope he gets to contribute at the grizzlies

Yeah atleast it's a good place for him to get some good minutes

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

I wish dude the best. As far as the Grizzlies go...not sure Miles is the kind of vet I want around my young talent.

LOL...did you read the article? Miles has always been liked/respected by his teammates. Don't believe the hype, son.

[GangstaBoogy]

I wish dude the best. As far as the Grizzlies go...not sure Miles is the kind of vet I want around my young talent.

LOL...did you read the article? Miles has always been liked/respected by his teammates. Don't believe the hype, son.

Dude I remember Dairus Miles. He was a pothead and a hothead. He was never focused, never cared, and a borderline cancer. If I was Chris Wallace I wouldn't want him anywhere near guys like Rudy Gay or OJ Mayo.

[Citizen-Y]

I wish dude the best. As far as the Grizzlies go...not sure Miles is the kind of vet I want around my young talent.

LOL...did you read the article? Miles has always been liked/respected by his teammates. Don't believe the hype, son.

Dude I remember Dairus Miles. He was a pothead and a hothead. He was never focused, never cared, and a borderline cancer. If I was Chris Wallace I wouldn't want him anywhere near guys like Rudy Gay or OJ Mayo.

He has no respect for his coach either.

[7even]

yeah good luck to him, i hope he gets to contribute at the grizzlies

Yeah atleast it's a good place for him to get some good minutes

Lol, you actually think he's got a shot at playing some good minutes? Or are you just a friendly person? Anyways, he will never really play again.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

I wish dude the best. As far as the Grizzlies go...not sure Miles is the kind of vet I want around my young talent.

LOL...did you read the article? Miles has always been liked/respected by his teammates. Don't believe the hype, son.

Dude I remember Dairus Miles. He was a pothead and a hothead. He was never focused, never cared, and a borderline cancer. If I was Chris Wallace I wouldn't want him anywhere near guys like Rudy Gay or OJ Mayo.

LOL@"pothead"...everyone in the NBA smokes, young'n. Dude was never a cancer. He was billed as a thug over petty nonsense. He kept growing up until his injury. Great athlete, and an excellent all-around player who knows how to play the game...stop stereotyping.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

yeah good luck to him, i hope he gets to contribute at the grizzlies

Yeah atleast it's a good place for him to get some good minutes

Lol, you actually think he's got a shot at playing some good minutes? Or are you just a friendly person? Anyways, he will never really play again.

I dunno...if he can get himself to the level of play prior to his injury, i see him getting 20 minutes a game off the bench. He'll be Rudy Gay's primary backup.

[7even]

And if Steve Francis can get himself to the level of his prime, I can see him playing good minutes again as well. What does that have to do with anything. Miles will never really play again, nothing can get me to think otherwise except for him actually going out there and play.

[thisoneguy360]

yeah good luck to him, i hope he gets to contribute at the grizzlies

Yeah atleast it's a good place for him to get some good minutes

Lol, you actually think he's got a shot at playing some good minutes? Or are you just a friendly person? Anyways, he will never really play again.

The Grizzlies aren't exactly at the top of their division...i'm not saying he's gonna get huge minutes but if he can stay healthy he'll get a lot of time compared to what he would get on contending teams. I haven't watched him play in a few years but if he can get back to where he was he shouldn't have any problems getting atleast some minutes on a rebuilding team..

[GangstaBoogy]

I wish dude the best. As far as the Grizzlies go...not sure Miles is the kind of vet I want around my young talent.

LOL...did you read the article? Miles has always been liked/respected by his teammates. Don't believe the hype, son.

Dude I remember Dairus Miles. He was a pothead and a hothead. He was never focused, never cared, and a borderline cancer. If I was Chris Wallace I wouldn't want him anywhere near guys like Rudy Gay or OJ Mayo.

LOL@"pothead"...everyone in the NBA smokes, young'n. Dude was never a cancer. He was billed as a thug over petty nonsense. He kept growing up until his injury. Great athlete, and an excellent all-around player who knows how to play the game...stop stereotyping.

Lol you really fall in love with potential players don't you? And stop with the "young'n" bullshit, we're the exact same age, clown.