It has been a long two and a half years for Memphis Grizzlies forward Darius Miles.  In April of 2006, while still a member of the Portland Trailblazers, he injured his knee and he was forced to undergo microfracture surgery.  Before he got a chance to return and fully rehab, the Trailblazers deemed his injury career ending, and they cut him in April of 2008.

Undaunted, he worked hard all summer and the Boston Celtics were impressed enough that they signed him to a non-guaranteed contract and they expected him to make the final roster; however, Miles was cut in October of 2008, right before the regular season started.

Nearly two months after he was cut, the Memphis Grizzlies signed him but Miles had to sit out the first 10 games  due to a substance abuse policy violation.  He returned to the court for two games, and then was promptly waived by the Grizzlies.

Just two days later, the Grizzlies re-signed Miles to a 10-day contract, despite the threatening letters they and every other team in the NBA receieved from Portland about not signing Miles.

And finally on Friday, January 30th, the Grizzlies were so enamored with Miles, they went ahead and signed him for the remainder of the season.  In 12 games, Miles has averaged 5 points and 2 rebounds in 12 minutes of play a night.

Just minutes after  the Grizzlies defeated the Washington Wizards to snap their 12-game losing streak, I talked to Miles about his motivation to come back, his new role as a veteran, and any possible feelings he may have towards the Portland Traiblazers.

Rashard Mobley: First off, talk a little bit about how it felt to finally break that 12-game losing streak.
Darius Miles: Oh man, it felt great. I heard someone say it’s just the Wizards we just beat, so it’s not a big deal.  But we were only a game or two better than them record wise, so in that respect a “W” is a “W,” you know?  Plus, we got Coach [Hollins] his first win, and it was on the road, so it definitely felt good.  And you see how hyped up this locker room is after the game, man? That’s how is supposed to be.

RM: How is your knee feeling, and are you able to do everything you did on it prior to the surgery?
DM: Man I am good and totally healthy.  No pain, no unusual swelling, no limping. I’m as good as new and its been a long time coming you know? There were times when it felt like I was never going to get back where I was, so now that I’m healthy, I am definitely loving. No complaints at all.

RM: During those two seasons when you were hurt and then rehabbing, what kept you motivated, especially when you had been told your injury was career-ending?
DM: Honestly?  This may sound crazy, but my son kept me motivated.  It wasn’t the money, the fame, or any of that, it was my son, you know?  I wanted him to be able to come to a game, see me play, see me dunk, and see me at work, see me point to him in the stands, all that stuff is important to me.  So when I hit a rough spot in my comeback or whatever, that’s what I thought about

RM: When you heard that Portland had sent a letter out to all the NBA, basically telling teams they would sue them if they signed you, how did you feel, and do you have any feelings of resentment towards them?
DM: I actually thought it was kind of funny, you know?  I’m confident in my abilities as a person and as a player, so I knew someone would sign me.  I’m not that bad of a person, right? (laughs).  In terms of resentment toward Portland? Nah, I have none. You live and you learn.  I just got signed for the rest of the year, after missing two years, I have no resentment towards anybody.  Now if I hadn’t gotten signed, then hell yeah, I’d have resentment. (laughs again)

RM: Now that you’re here and signed for the rest of the season, what have you been told your role is with the team, or what do you think your role is?
DM: I don’t know man, I don’t know right now. It’s just about getting in where I fit in, I guess providing energy. Coach hasn’t given me a specific role as of yet.  But like tonight, I just tried to play good D in the post, and I ended up playing a hand in our comeback (Memphis had a crucial 15-2 run at the end of the third quarter) along with [O.J.] Mayo, [Greg] Buckner, and [Rudy] Gay.  Hopefully I can build off that stuff like that.  But I don’t have a clear cut role, maybe we should go ask Coach together, man.

RM: It may be hard for you to believe, but you’re basically a veteran now.  You’re 27, this is your ninth year in the league and you are playing on a team where the average age of the starters is 22.  What is that like, and are they coming to you for advice?
DM: You trying to make me feel old man? 27 is young and youthful, you saw me out there tonight, right?  Seriously though, its funny to see players asking me for advice on and off the court, given what I’ve been through. I try to help them out when I can, but I’m not old like Greg Buckner over there (Greg’s locker is right next to Darius’).  He’s 32, make sure you print that. 32.  But seriously man, maybe that is my role.  To teach these youngsters to stay out of trouble and work hard, I’ll go with that as my role.

RM: Thank you for your time Darius, its good to see you back, and good luck with the rest of the season.
DM: No problem at all, who do you write for again?

RM: HoopsAddict.com
DM: Oh ok, I’ll check y’all out.

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media