Miles Is Full of Ideas

Darius Miles stands 6 feet 9 and weighs 210 pounds, seemingly a perfect fit for the dominating slashing forward the Clippers believe he can be when he reaches maturity in, oh, about five years.

Miles turns 20 today, having leaped from the campus of East St. Louis High in Illinois directly to the pro ranks mere days after his graduation in 2000. So forgive him for looking ahead a few seasons, to the day when he’s fully grown and has gained the instincts of a seasoned NBA veteran.

“Right now, if it will help the team, I’ll take the role of the sixth man,” he said.

What Miles really would like is to play the role of a physical yet fleet power forward. He is aware that the Clippers have a capable power forward named Elton Brand, who was acquired June 28 from the Chicago Bulls to fill a glaring weakness.

Miles doesn’t truly wish to move Brand out of a starting spot and onto the bench, but he does believe the power forward position is his favorite.

“I can open it up more for the team, that’s why I like power forward,” he said. “Most power forwards grab a rebound and pass it out [to start a fast break]. I get it and go with it.”

No question, Miles appears to be at his best with the ball in the open court, sprinting past defenders and knifing his way toward the basket.

It remains to be seen if he will be able to gain sufficient bulk to compete with the heavyweights--Brand, a prototypical power forward, is 6-8, 265--under the boards.

For the moment, Miles is expected to play a good deal at small forward and perhaps shooting guard, giving the Clippers a versatile combination of strength and finesse--but from the perimeter.

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The Clippers held one final workout Monday at the College of the Desert before returning to Los Angeles.

They practice today at L.A. Southwest College, then play their first exhibition Wednesday at Seattle.

“We’re leaving at about the right time,” Coach Alvin Gentry said. “Now, we’ll play some games and, obviously, we’ll see some deficiencies we’ll need to work on. Now, we’ll have some game tape to show the guys.”

In other words, the Clippers were starting to look pretty good playing against each other.

“The majority of the days, our effort and execution were pretty good,” Gentry said.

Gentry expects to play some of his top players, including Lamar Odom, but only sparingly in the first few exhibitions.

But he hopes to give Brand “a few more minutes so he’ll get accustomed to some of our guys.”

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Jeff McInnis could not practice, for a second consecutive day, because of a sprained right ankle.