The Portland Trailblazers had the opportunity to trade Darius Miles and Theo Ratliff to the Knicks for the huge, expiring contract of Penny Hardaway and a first round draft pick, but didn’t pull the trigger.
Apparently, it was because owner Paul Allen couldn’t shake his inexplicable love affair with Miles.
That one was a no-brainer. It was like taking candy from a baby. But Allen, along with former coach Maurice Cheeks, was responsible for Miles’ signing a long-term, above-market-value contract with the team in the first place, and he apparently wasn’t ready to part company with him.
Allen is apparently scared of trading away young players only to have them blossom elsewhere. He’s still reeling from the loss of Jermaine O’Neal several years ago. The difference here is that Miles is 24 while O’Neal was just 22 when the Blazers traded him to Indiana. In the NBA, those two years are crucial. Miles is physically gifted, but if he hasn’t made major strides in his game at this point, then he probably doesn’t have the work ethic to become a superstar in the league.
I think, based on the performance of Knicks’ GM Isiah Thomas over the past few years, that any trade he proposes to you is proabably a good deal…for you. I still don’t understand why the Blazers passed on Chris Paul. Maybe Paul Allen should just give me the GM job. Give me an assistant who is a salary cap expert and I’ll put together a playoff team in Portland.
