What would you think about this deal? Portland trades Theo Ratliff and Darius Miles for Wally Sczcerbiak and Michael Olowakandi. Portland gets Wally who they have been after for a while and get rid of sometimes problematic Darius Miles and also manage to get rid of Theo Ratliffs oversized contract. The Wolves get a perfect center to compliment KG, a guy who stays near the paint and grabs rebounds and blocks shots, freeing KG up to move around the court and help people out and play perimeter defense. Also, Darius Miles might not be as problematic for the Wolves because KG commands respect from everybody and especially from D-Miles. KG was one of Miles' idols in high school if I recall. Wore 21 just to be like him. Unfortunately I don't think Portland would be willing to downgrade from Theo to Olowakandi, and even though they get rid of Theo's contract they only manage to lose $500,000 total on the deal. But if this could happen what would you think of it? Good deal for the Wolves?
Miles is one of my favorite nba players. Theo always leads the leagues in blocks or is near the top. Miles would be a good replacement for hassel if he does not come back he has long arms and can jump out of the building. I would do it. My desicion is very bias though.
On paper I like it... We seriously need a center who just plays hard and defense... Theo Ratlif is that man... but Darius Miles the old "Lil KG" (ridiculious I might add) is no replacement for Wally Szczerbiak... will his type of play mesh the big 3?
I'm liking the deal mainly because of Ratliff, not Miles. Ratliff is a player who is out there working hard all of the time. Just his presence in the lane scares players and he intimidates players beause of his shot blocking ability. I'm not looking for a high scoring center, but a center who can guard other centers. Ratliff I feel can fill that errand and a long with him comes his ability to shot blocks like crazy, averaged about 3 or 4 a game last season and lead the league. Miles is what I'm worried about. He's a very inconsistent player and 1 word tages along with him, potential. Potential is a word that comes with a whole lot of players, but I've been waiting for Miles to reach his potential, which is to be a star in this league. He has great leaping ability and he is very athletic. He can slash to the hoop, but his attitude and jump shot is what worries me. He's not really a player than can keep a team flow together and his jump shot is horendous. He has been working on it, but it still isn't great. Miles seems to be a player that comes with a great athletic build, but bring a negative effect with him and can only do worse for us. Ratliff, on the otherhand, can help us out a whole lot and if we got him I would be very pleased.
I don't think D-Miles would be a problem at all. If any other player can get him to focus and reach that potential, its KG. But the deal really isn't even about Miles, it would be more important to get Theo to help KG deal with teams like Detroit that have a lot of size. I remember being at the last Wolves - Blazers game of the year last year. Ratliff, Randolph and Miles were really dominating the paint and the boards. Even KG was having a hard time getting any rebounds or points in the paint. He even got blocked a few times, which is extremely rare as you probably know. Miles did really well, had a ton of rebounds, several blocks and a bunch of points. He didn't have too much range but he was hitting shots and wasn't a liability for the Blazers in any way. Ratliff was a blocking machine that game, stuffed KG twice I think. I would love it if the Wolves got Ratliff and Miles, and if Miles managed to play like he did in that game I saw. If the Wolves somehow managed to do this deal then they would seriously dominate in the paint, and also be a threat outside with Spree, Hudson, Cassell and Hoiberg.
I would jump on this trade. Miles can play some good defense, and Theo is just what this team needs. Sure, we lose some shooting, but this would be a great trade for us.
