Officially Signed: What You May Not Know About C.J. Miles
By Zak Kolesar
We’ve already beaten the statistical averages of newly signed Cleveland Cavaliers small forward C.J. Miles to death, there are some other tidbits about Miles that you may be interesting in learning about. On Wednesday the Cavaliers officially announced the signing of Miles for two years, but the worth of the contract has not been released yet. Since he is apart of the Wine and Gold family now, it would be good to know as much as we can about our next big role player.
Miles was on the Utah Jazz roster during the 2006-07 season, that same team that almost reached the NBA Finals. They fell to San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals 4-1, as the Spurs went on to sweep the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Paul Milsap is the only remaining member on the Jazz who played on the 2006-07 team. They have seen the likes of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Jerry Sloan and Phil Johnson part ways with the team already.
Miles was drafted out of Skyline High School in the 2005 NBA Draft, being picked 34th by the Jazz in the second round. Sloan critiqued Miles in his early years, as his young age sure showed on the court. He was quoted saying that Miles would appear on the court with diapers one night and in a jockstrap the next.
The former Jazz forward has since become a pretty solid NBA player, spending time as a starter and coming off the bench as of late. He had a pretty good showing in the 2010 playoffs, averaging 14.4 points and shooting 44.3 percent in 10 games. The next season he set career highs in many offensive categories.
During the 2010-11 season Miles scored 40 points on 14-of-18 shooting, setting his career high for points in a game.
He may even get a shot to start at a position other than shooting forward, as general manager Chris Grant said that Miles is flexible. He also said:
"C.J. brings solid NBA experience to the team, yet is still just entering his prime at 25"
Miles could be a great backup at two guard or shooting forward for the Cavaliers, and can even provide veteran experience and prove that he can start for the Cavaliers come training camp in September.