PORTLAND, Ore. -- Darius Miles may be one step closer to
rejoining the Blazers.
The small forward returned to practice Wednesday, taking the
court for the first time in 13 months.
Miles worked in one-on-one drills with rookie Josh McRoberts and
did individual work with assistant coach Bill Bayno before
pronouncing himself 90 percent healthy.
"I've been patient for a year, actually, a little bit over a
year," Miles told reporters. "So it's been very hard."
Miles underwent microfracture knee surgery just before the
2006-07 season and missed much of the previous season after tearing
the meniscus in his knee. While Miles has been around the Blazers
during games and in practice since his surgery, he has been working
out individually with rehab specialist Robin Pound.
Portland coach Nate McMillan said doctors have advised the
Blazers to keep Miles out of full-contact practice for a period of
six weeks. There is no timetable for Miles, in the fourth year of a
six-year, $48 million contract, to play in games again.
"We're listening to the doctors on this," McMillan said.
"What the doctors have told us is to slowly work him back. He'll
do individual drills with our coaches and then in another week or
two we'll put him into some three-on-three and kind of do it in
stages."
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^A TEMPLATE FOR ODEN: @ Blazer coach Nate McMillan has seen the
future, and it looks like Dwight Howard.
Actually, its Greg Oden, but the coach believes his No. 1 draft
pick, out for the season after knee surgery, could be a similar
player to the Orlando Magic star center.
"This is a prime example of the what we can be," McMillan said
about Howard, averaging 23.2 points, 15.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.
McMillan says he doesn't expect Oden to put up numbers like that
immediately. Howard, 21, is in his fourth year in the league and as
improved each year.
The Blazer coach says he believes Howard will continue getting
better.
"He's pretty much a clone of Shaquille (O'Neal) when he came
into the league -- everything is power," McMillan said. "He's all
muscles; he's not bulk. He's athletic and he can get off the
floor."
^------=
^ROAD WOES: @ Portland ran its record on the road to 0-9, with
back-to-back losses to San Antonio and Dallas, before finally
winning at Memphis 106-105 Monday.
After a 100-79 loss to San Antonio two days earlier, guard
Brandon Roy declared it "the lowest point of the season."
Blazers coach Nate McMillan talked openly about lineup changes
but stuck with his starters.
Roy rebounded from a 12-for-53 shooting slump to score 26
against the Grizzlies, and Travis Outlaw hit the game-winning shot
to keep the Blazers from tying their second-worst road start in
history, when they began 0-10 in 2003-04.
Fortunately for the Blazers, the team plays 10 of its next 12
games at home.