Darius Miles' comeback bid with the Celtics fell short, but there's still hope that he might crack an NBA roster. And really, what better team for that to happen with than the Clippers? He worked out for his original team this week in Los Angeles, and given the general (lack of) health on the Clippers' roster, he might actually be a good fit, right?Maybe, but not yet. Mike Dunleavy, obviously not one for nostalgia, poured water on a Miles' homecoming. From Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times:
Clippers GM and coach Mike Dunleavy said at practice on Thursday that the team would probably "wait until after January" to make a decision on the former Clipper. The Clippers have too many players out of the lineup right now because of injuries to make a move.Wait, the Clippers have too many injuries to add a healthy body? That makes zero sense, but it doesn't really matter: even if the Clippers were to sign Miles right now, he wouldn't be able to contribute in the immediate future anyway -- he still has a 10-game suspension looming over his head for violating the league's substance abuse policy while with the Trail Blazers.
That suspension is probably why Miles is still unemployed. Ordinarily a team could give a free agent a 10-day contract to prove himself, and then another 10-day contract if they're still not ready to commit. Beyond that, a team has to sign a player to a guaranteed contract for the rest of the season.
Considering teams don't generally play more than 10 games in a 20-day period, the only way to see what Miles can do in a game situation is to guarantee his contract for the whole season. For a guy who hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2006, that's a leap of faith most teams aren't willing to take.
