Cleveland Trades Miles to Portland

Forward Darius Miles was traded Wednesday to the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Jeff McInnis and center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje.

Miles has been a major disappointment in 1 1/2 seasons with Cleveland, which acquired him before last season in a deal that sent guard Andre Miller to the Clippers.

The 22-year-old Miles, who jumped from high school to the NBA in 2000, is averaging 8.9 points in 24 minutes per game. He has shown flashes of skill but has been plagued by inconsistency, and first-year Cleveland Coach Paul Silas was reluctant to play him.

Portland General Manager John Nash said the trade had been in the works for about a week, but talks had been on and off between the teams for the last year.

“We knew that Cleveland was interested in a point guard, and we knew they’d been interested in Jeff for several months,” said Nash.

After playing only eight minutes Saturday in Utah in the final game of Cleveland’s trip, Miles failed to attend practice on Monday, saying he had forgotten to set his alarm clock.

Miles was fined $2,500, but he played 17 minutes in Monday’s win over Seattle. He is making $4.1 million in the final year of his contract.

The Trail Blazers like Miles’ versatility and think a change of scenery may bring out his best.

“We have a few options with him,” Portland Coach Maurice Cheeks said.

“He’s a very athletic player. He can get up and down the floor. There’s been times this season where we have had a hard time doing that. Coming here, he has a new look, where he can start all over. We all see the potential in him.”

McInnis, 29, also a former Clipper, will give Cleveland some depth at point guard and another veteran to support rookie star LeBron James. McInnis is averaging 11.9 points.

James, meanwhile, shot baskets during practice, but Silas said he wasn’t ready to play and probably would sit out his second consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle.

“Chances are slim,” Silas said when asked whether he expects James to be available tonight game against Sacramento.

In another move, the Cavaliers put rookie forward Jason Kapono, who has tendinitis in his right knee, on the injured list. The former UCLA star is averaging 4.1 points in 25 games this season.

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Toronto Raptor forward Michael Curry will be out indefinitely and will undergo surgery next week on his right elbow. He is averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds.

The Raptors activated guard Milt Palacio, sidelined since Jan. 4 because of a broken bone in his left wrist.

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Brooklyn developer Bruce Ratner has reached an agreement to buy the New Jersey Nets, a team official said Wednesday night.

Edwin Stier, president of Community Youth Organization, which owns the Nets, said the contract was finalized Wednesday afternoon. He said the board of YankeeNets, the holding company of the Nets and New York Yankees, must approve the contract at a meeting Friday morning.