Darius Miles, a possible comeback?

If you are anything like me, you were loving the L.A. Clippers "The Clip Show" back in the day when they had Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. Two of the up-and-coming starts in the NBA. Young, athletic, and bound to drop an alley-oop slam on your face. And the demoralization didn't stop there. You then became the innocent bystander witnessing the all-famous head bop that Miles and Richardson share through some kind of common bond. Those were the days.

As a Blazers fan, when we shipped out good-for-nothing Josh McInnis to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Miles, I was ecstatic. The head-bop was coming to Portland. Miles had some growth years in Portland. Despite a notable run-in with then head coach Maurice Cheeks, owner Paul Allen eventually fell in love with him - and proceeded to slap him with a fat contract.

Then, two years ago, the Blazers really didn't have anyone substantial on their roster who they could consistently rely on for scoring, other than Zach Randolph and, you guessed it, Darius Miles. He came out that season like a man possessed, earning the nickname "The Punisher". Then, knee problems starting hindering his game. He did try to play through the pain, to his credit, but he honestly shouldn't have. I remember going to games and see him half-jog up the court and then lackadaisically heave up a mid-range airball. This wasn't the D-Miles we had all come to know and love in PDX. Finally Miles underwent knee surgery - the same one that players like Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, Allan Houston, Jamal Mashburn, Amare Stoudamire and Zach Randolph went through.

Fast forward to present time. Not to long ago, there was no word on if he was even rehabbing. It was suggested that Miles should retire to allow the Blazers to get his contract off of their books. I saw Miles at the Brandon Roy rookie of the year press conference and he looked like Grizzly Adams, in that he had filled out, and yes, had a monstrous beard (for you hip-hop heads, think Freeway). More recently I had heard it reported that Miles was routinely rehabbing at the Blazers practice facility, and today's Oregonian had this small snippet about Miles:

McMillan said Darius Miles has been doing his rehab, riding a stationary bike, and that he hopes the forward could return to scrimmaging by September. Miles underwent microfracture knee surgery on Nov. 15.

It will be very interesting to see how his body reacts to his rehab. Will he be an Anfernee, Houston, or Mashburn? Will he be OK, but not in the same mode, ala Chris Webber? Or will it seem like he never left like Randolph and Stoudemire? Miles' work ethic has been constantly scrutinized, which makes me naturally negatively biased in this case. I think he will be somewhere in between a Webber and Hardaway type of return, but I hope I am very wrong.