Darius Miles

Miles didn't play a game all season last year due to a knee injury. In fact, Miles hasn't finished a season since he was a Clipper five years ago. Portland is trying to buy out his contract and take his 26 million of the books so it can stay within the salary cap. If Miles' knees hold up and he doesn't agree on a buyout, he'll probably get mop-up minutes.

Fantasy owners celebrated Shareef Abudur-Rahim's liberation from a time-share in Portland, and they should be just about as pleased that Miles will be uncorked for more than 30 minutes per game for the first time in his career. Last season's numbers were his best yet, and the 24-year-old former high school draft pick is finally ready to step into a consistent starting role. The bouncy, long and thin athlete can hustle for steals, blocks, and, when he wants to, rebounds, while using phenomenal aerial skills to maintain strong field goal percentages. He's no shooter, though, but his starting splits show what he'll be able to do with more court time.

Drafted for his raw physical ability, Miles has polished his game only a little bit during his first few seasons in the NBA. The move to Portland has helped his value somewhat, as it looks like he'll start at small forward there this year, but unless Miles works on his outside shooting or rebounding in the paint, he’ll never be a complete player, either in fantasy or real life. Still, given his incredible athletic ability and the fact that he's still a few years away from his prime, Miles is a good late-round gamble to take in your draft this season.

2003-04 is an important season for the talented Miles, who has yet to show us much beyond the dunks and the visuals. He was a huge disappointment last season after coming over from the Clippers. A knee injury, then poor team chemistry, kept Miles down in 2002-03. He played well for Cleveland’s summer league teams, and seems rejuvenated. He can play several positions, which may help a fantasy team. Miles will give you a little bit of everything in all the major fantasy categories, averaging 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and .8 steals per game for his career.