KU duo invited to NBA camps By Gary Bedore Friday, September 23, 2005 Former Kansas University basketball players Aaron Miles and Keith Langford continue to pursue their NBA free-agent dreams. Miles, a point guard from Portland, Ore., has accepted an invitation to training camp of the Golden State Warriors. Langford, a shooting guard from Forth Worth, Texas, has accepted an invitation to training camp of the Houston Rockets. Miles also worked out this summer for San Antonio, Houston and New York. He has signed a contract that guarantees him an undisclosed amount of money regardless of whether he makes the team. ?He is one of the rare instances of a player who has improved his chances since the draft,? Miles? agent Chris Emens said. ?He hasn?t made it yet, but stands an excellent chance of being on the opening-day roster.? Miles had nine offers to veteran camps from nine NBA teams. Langford, who evacuated Houston in anticipation of Hurricane Rita, has been working out with the Rockets the past three weeks. Langford had offers from three teams, according to his agent, Mark McNeil. He declined to name the teams. ?I?m really excited for him,? McNeil said. ?It?ll be a great learning experience. If he does well, it?ll put him in great position to play in the NBA.? McNeil is based in Houston. ?When he first came to Houston to visit with me, I took him to a Rockets game and you could tell right then there was an excitement about playing for the Rockets,? said McNeil, who added that no contract had been worked out yet. Neither KU player was chosen in June?s NBA draft. Classmate Wayne Simien was selected in the first round by the Miami Heat. In Monday?s Continental Basketball Assn. draft, Langford was the No. 39 overall pick, going to the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce on Monday in the fifth round. Langford was KU?s second-leading scorer with 14.4 points per game. Miles, who averaged 9.3 points and led the Jayhawks with 7.2 assists per game, was not chosen in the CBA draft. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/sep/23/k...a_camps/?sports
Great invite as far as 3rd string point guards go! He'll probably get waived though if he can't find a way to score. If the defense sags off, he's got to shoot and that's one thing he can't do well. He's not like Speedy Claxton either athletically or going to the hoop, but he's an okay athlete, and a good defensive, playmaking point guard that happens to be actually 6'0 or 6'1 and not 6'2. http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=73
I think this guy has a much better shot of making the team than Ray Young. If he has good court vision and defense I'd say he'd make a fine 3rd stringer. He may have to compete with Monta though, maybe we send Miles to the D League and bring him up if Baron or Fisher get injured.
I've never seen him play so I checked a few sites for comments and stats. He averaged 7.2 apg lead Kansas in steals was his teams best perimeter defender Not much about his offense. A pass first defensive minded point guard is not such a bad thing. I agree that the D league may be a good way for Aaron to continue to develop his game.
Miles did have a very good 3 pt %,so I would think he's not someone I'd sag off on. Considering that Fish and Monta are likely shoot-first types,I like having a pass first. Miles had more assists than most of the high piced PG's. When I did see him,it was not one of his better games,but going over his stats-I still liked him as a round 2. Miles did not show a knack for penetrate and score. He can drive and dish okay. The payoff is that he CAN give us a good fundamental PG who can step in if a good Fisher deal happens later. Otherwise we might be in a position to deal Fish,cast off his contract-and have to pass as Monta has so little PG experiance. I have not been seeing much on which of these borderline guys,undrafteds,CBA/Devo league guys are signed on somewhere. That we got one who can be of use is great. As a PG backup,we mainly needed a guy able to be a playmaker,defender for a few minutes,and the scoring is low priority if he's setting people up.
That's what I'm thinking REREM. If the Heat need a shooter that is proven in the clutch, they might want to take a look at Fisher. He may be overpaid, but the next guy they try to bring on might be a dud in the playoffs. A rotation of Baron Davis (Ellis + AMiles), might be pretty attractive if Mully has that much faith in Dunleavy being the next lights out catch and shooter. What a scary thought, though. I'd like to have a Chris Duhon type player on my roster. Shoot that guy saved my ass in fantasy league last year when he dished out about 6 assists off the bench and scored 20 points (sheer luck, since he hardly shoots much).
Also, there's the other guy. Makes me nervous about what will happen to Pietrus when Mully's bringing guys like Keith Langford on. (well better safe than sorry to go without a good backup two) <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font face="arial"><font size="2">Scouting Report: Lefty a superb athlete ... Great mid-range game, doesn't settle for 3's ... Able to come off screens well and clear space for a jumper ... Has greatly improved his long-range shooting skills ... Not a mad-bomber by any means, but does utilize the perimeter shot as part of his repertoire ... Smooth going to his left ... One of the best slashers in the country ... Consistently gets to the rim, pushing the ball to the basket before the defense can set itself ... Outstanding finisher ... Understands how to play within a system and rarely forces the action ... Excellent passer, capable of playing back-up point guard ... Adept at crashing both the offensive and defensive boards, especially to initiate the transition game ... A tremendous shot-blocker for his height ... Quickly explodes off the floor ... Solid ball-thief ... Can defend all three perimeter positions. </font></font>source</div> Sounds like a short Calbert Cheaney with playmaking skills and bit of a Pietrus mentality.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Montay:</div><div class="quote_post">Langford was invited to the Houston Rockets training camp.</div> My bad. I got distracted while I was reading it.
