Darius Miles Arrives in Memphis as Antoine Walker Leaves

In case you weren't paying attention, the Grizzlies rolled the dice on Darius Miles on Saturday, giving the oft-injured forward a non-guaranteed contract. He needs to serve a 10-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy before playing, but assuming all goes to plan, he should be eligible to take the court on Jan. 4 against the Mavericks.

It's not a complete surprise that Miles was signed -- he looked decent in the preseason and nearly made the Celtics' roster before getting caught in a numbers game. His suspension certainly scared a few times off, but what do the Grizzlies have to lose? GM Chris Wallace explained the rationale behind the move:

"We need to find more veterans -- not just so much for leadership but for production on the court. We need guys who have been there a little bit."

It's a little odd to see Miles regarded as a veteran leader, but at 27, he's older than all but a few of his new teammates. At worst, he could serve as a cautionary tale for how fleeting NBA fame really is.

If Wallace was really so desperate for a veteran presence, though, why is the team buying out Antoine Walker? The Grizzlies acquired Walker from the Timberwolves over the summer in the O.J. Mayo/Kevin Love swap but never intended to use him -- in fact, he hasn't appeared in a regular season game since last February.

But even though he's been a casualty of youth movements on two different teams, let's not forget that he's still only 32 years old -- too old to be part of the long-term solution but hardly decrepit. Is Miles, a guy who hasn't played since 2006 due to a knee injury that had independent league doctors convinced he'd never take the court again, a better bet for production than Walker? I don't see it.