…but there’s no way the Blazers have any legal legs to stand on regarding this:
Team Presidents and General Managers,
The Portland Trail Blazers are aware that certain teams may be contemplating signing Darius Miles to a contract for the purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers Salary Cap and tax positions. Such conduct from a team would violate its fiduciary duty as an NBA joint venturer. In addition, persons or entities involved in such conduct may be individually liable to the Portland Trail Blazers for tortuously interfering with the Portland Trail Blazers’ contract rights and perspective economic opportunities.
Please be aware that if a team engages in such conduct, the Portland Trail Blazers will take all necessary steps to safeguard its rights, including, without limitation, litigation.
Now again, take anything I say here with a grain of legal speak salt, but say a team did sign Miles tomorrow and played him in the necessary two games, how in the world would the Blazers be able to prove that the team signed him with the sole purpose of screwing over Portland? Two teams (Boston and Memphis) have given him a chance this season and he’s found his way into two NBA games already with the Grizz, who released him mostly so they wouldn’t have to guarantee his contract (FYI: the six games Miles played with Boston in the preseason count towards the 10 required games). I just can’t imagine the Bobcats signing Miles for instance, playing him in two games and the Blazers subsequently able to prove that it was Charlotte’s sole intention to screw over the Blazers cap situation. Trust me, I’m familiar with young Miles’s résumé, but I find it hard to fathom that a lawyer could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that a team signed a 27 year old who was once the third overall pick in the draft, to hinder another franchise’s salary and tax figures and not because they were taking a chance and hoping that Miles was a winning Powerball ticket.
And is it legal for a team to basically blackball a player from the league? Wouldn’t it just be the ironies of ironies if Miles sued Portland and ended up screwing them out of more money than they would have had to pay if Miles played in ten games? I’m openly rooting for this to happen.
Oh, and in case you forgot, the Blazers are owned by Paul Allen, who’s current net worth is approximately 16 billion. Quit your bitchin’ Portland.
