With that in mind, one would think that playing in a Clippers uniform would
be more of a curse than an opportunity. You would have to be really
hard-headed, or really stupid to look forward to this. It would take someone
wearing rose-colored glasses to take this chance. In other words, a
teenager.

  Most teenagers have not had much real-world hardship to deal with, which
makes them await their shot at life on their own as if they were waiting to
get into the circus. This is especially true for the gifted high school
athletes who become megastars in their community because of the way they
stand out from the rest of us. This is the case of the Clippers first draft
pick of 2000, 19 year-old Darius Miles.

  Miles is 6'9" and a rail-thin 217 pounds. He is tall enough for the pro
game but not nearly heavy enough. One advantage of being so light is that
it gives him tremendous leaping ability, and he can run the floor and
wiggle his way around more lead-footed defenders.  As a Senior, Miles
averaged 22.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 7.2 blocks, and 3.4 assists per game.
These are all impressive numbers, but they were put up against high school
kids! These are guys who are worried about having girlfriends, not what NBA
scouts will think of them.

   Granted there are some who have made the transition from school to the
pros smoothly, but for every one, there have been five who have failed.

  To successfully make the jump from high school to the pros, an individual
must be both emotionally and physically strong enough to withstand the
rigors of an NBA season. Both Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were successful
because they were mature beyond their years, and they were both carefully
nurtured into stardom by their teams, the Lakers and the Timberwolves. Miles
is going to the Clippers, where losing is an institution. Both the Lakers
and Timberwolves were teams willing to spend money to improve, whereas the
Clippers still don't have their own practice facility.

 Miles' case most resembles that of Kevin Garnett. Physically, both were very
similar when they were drafted. Garnett was also a tall and skinny kid.
Whether or not they are emotionally similar remains to be seen. Garnett
realized what kind of pressure he would be facing and he prepared himself
for it. In the two years following the draft Garnett grew to 6'11" and put
on 30 pounds of muscle. He also did not play very much. The Timberwolves
organization was wise to keep him from the spotlight until he proved he
could handle it. In essence, Garnett used those two years to become a man.
Unfortunately Miles does not have that luxury.

 The Clippers need a player who can make an immediate impact. They do not
have time to let Miles grow into his new environment. This could prove
costly to the Clippers, whose lowly demeanor may jade Miles' view of the
glamorous NBA.

 Miles' career in the NBA can go one of two ways: he could make the
immediate impact the Clippers hope he will, and be remembered as the
savior of the franchise, or he could have a rough season, become depressed,
and think that his chances are better with another team.

 Fortunately, the Clippers tried to surround him with some extra talent on
draft day, taking guards Quentin Richardson and Marko Jaric, and trading
for guard Keyon Dooling, swingman Corey Maggette, and forward Derek Strong.
This is the silver lining on the black cloud for Miles. When his name was
called by the Clippers on draft day he did not frown but instead smiled brighter
than the two diamond earrings he had on.

  In the past, boys were forced to become men when they were drafted for war.
They thought war was glorious and that victory was easy. Only on the
battlefield did they realize that they could not go back to their childhood,
that they were thrust into situations many were not capable of dealing with.
Some thrived and some died. Only time will tell us how Darius Miles turns
out.

by David Leibowitz
Hartsdale, N.Y.
____________

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