Remember that Darius Miles with impressive court speed, those highlight-reel dunks, that wide array of basketball talent and lots of fun energy who once shared the Sports Illustrated cover with Kevin Garnett?
Before Miles had microfracture knee surgery in November 2006, he had an impressive makeup as an NBA player. The Trail Blazers, however, didn't think that Miles existed anymore, so they tried to send him packing toward retirement last February. But at the Celtics' first practice at Salve Regina University yesterday, there was as much talk of Miles's comeback as there was of the team's quest to repeat as champions.
Last week, Garnett expressed excitement about seeing that same ol' Miles. Considering how the Blazers - very wise of late - dropped Miles, Garnett's excitement about the player once nicknamed "Baby KG"
made me very curious to see whether he still could play.
"D-Miles looks very good,"
Garnett said last week. "I'm very impressed. I've been a big fan of his since day one. You know he wants the opportunity and wants this more than anything. That makes it more inspiring and inspirational than anything."
Miles last worked out with the Blazers in January, but coach Nate McMillan said he couldn't practice regularly on back-to-back days. McMillan said he, the coaching staff, and the trainers did the best they could to get Miles back in a Blazers uniform, to no avail.
The Blazers bought out the remaining two years and $18 million on his contract April 14. Because his injury was deemed to be career-ending, if he plays in 10 games in either of the next two seasons, his salary goes back on Portland's books.
By the looks of the way Miles practiced yesterday at Rodgers Recreation Center, the Blazers could have a big check to write out soon.
In what might have been the highlight of the practice, Miles caught rookie Bill Walker slipping during a backdoor cut in a three-on-three drill and threw down an alley-oop dunk. One Celtics player said Miles ran the floor "well"
and "real fast."
That player also said Miles's knucklehead reputation seems like a thing of the past so far.
"He looked pretty good,"
said coach Doc Rivers. "You could tell by mid-practice he was spent."
After being beaten by the first team in a scrimmage, the second team had to run sideline-to-sideline sprints 17 times as punishment. Miles took off quickly and outdistanced the other big men. And since he easily was the first big man to get to eight completed sprints, Rivers gave him the rest of the exercise off.
Granted, the sleek, 6-foot-8-inch, 235-pounder was competing against the non-Usain Bolt likes of Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe, Glen "Big Baby"
Davis, and 7-footer Patrick O'Bryant. But considering that he hasn't practiced since January or played in a game since the 2005-06 season, it was a major confidence booster.
"I was trying to hurry up and get to eight so I didn't have to go through the whole 17,"
Miles said.
Despite this early success, the Celtics are being cautious, and it will be interesting to see how Miles looks in practice today.
"You want to see him do it every day, [but] you don't want to injure him by playing him too much in training camp practice,"
Rivers said.
Miles, who turns 27 next week, doesn't have the 3-point shooting ability of ex-Celtic James Posey, nor the ability to stymie Kobe Bryant defensively. But he can nail the pick-and-pop midrange jumper, is much more athletic (when healthy), and can be used by Rivers at both forward positions.
"He has great instincts,"
said Rivers. "You get that from having played in the league four, five, six years. He has skills some guys play their whole life and never have."
Miles has a nonguaranteed contract, and the Celtics will have to cut someone to keep him on the 16-man roster. But if the third overall pick in the 2000 draft is healthy, it will be hard not to keep him.
If Miles does make the roster, before he can play he must serve a 10-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug program with phentermine, an appetite suppressant that is classified as an amphetamine.
"I never even heard of it,"
said Miles. "I ain't never even been a big guy to take a diet pill. I don't know."
According to Miles, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge told him that the impending suspension will have no bearing on whether he makes the team.
Keep an eye on the intriguing Miles, who could be the feel-good comeback story for the NBA this season - though the Blazers surely would beg to differ.
"I just want to be on the court scrimmaging, playing,"
he said. "Sometimes you get to the point where you've got to be like, 'D-Miles, slow down.' It's fun. It's exciting."
