The clock hasn't begun to run on C.J. Miles' NBA career, not really. He's IN the league already, property of the Jazz, but he isn't really OF the league yet. At the moment, he's an 18-year-old jumble of talent and naivete, of athleticism and innocence, an unrefined professional.
But former Nuggets coach Michael Cooper has glimpsed the same future that the Jazz projected last June for the Dallas teenager. With the proper patience, Cooper said, the Jazz's NBA hatchling has a long career ahead.
"He has 10 years of prime-time basketball in him," predicted Cooper, who hesitated before invoking an NBA icon. "He's not Kobe [Bryant], OK? But he can do some of the things that Kobe could do" at the same age. Calm down, Utah. Deep breaths. He's not talking about a player who can help the Jazz break their three-game losing streak, or contribute to a possible playoff run this year or even next. Miles, after all, won't reach Andrei Kirilenko's current age until 2012.
Cooper, who a year ago was coaching the same Nuggets who visit the Delta Center tonight (7 p.m., FSN), has gotten a close look at the 6-foot-6 rookie over the past three weeks, as Miles' NBADL coach in Albuquerque. And his considered assessment is: Miles isn't ready for the NBA, not even close.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, he's maybe a 5 right now," Cooper said. "Physically, he has skills, but his body needs a lot more bulk. And mentally, he's not there right now."
Another pause. Then Cooper adds: "But he can definitely play."
That part has become clear during Miles' 10-game D-League stint, which continued Tuesday with a 19-point effort in the Thunderbirds' 112-109 victory over Arkansas. It's the third time he has scored 19, and his 5-for-7 shooting broke a 5-for-19 slump over the weekend.
Miles now is making 42.2 percent of his shots, and averaging 13.3 points per game, a sign that he is becoming more comfortable with his minor-league surroundings, Cooper said.
Kevin O'Connor, who drafted Miles with the 34th pick in the draft last June, hasn't decided how long Miles will remain in Albuquerque. The Jazz's senior vice president of basketball operations plans to watch Miles play in person on Thursday before making any decision. It's bound to be a difficult one, since the rookie, who has already played three times as many minutes with the Jazz's D-League affiliate as he did in more than two months in Utah, would probably be inactive most nights with the Jazz.
"He came in with a good attitude," Cooper said. "He just told me, 'Coach, I just want to play.' And we've seen some progress."
Some bad habits, too. Miles tends to dribble the ball away from his body, making him an easy target for ball-hawk guards and contributing to his 2.5-turnover average. He gets lost on defense, and like most young players, tends to reach and foul when he loses his man.
And the biggest problem, his coach assessed, is that he still plays like he did at Dallas' Skyline High, where his athleticism was so superior to everyone else, he didn't have to give his best effort.
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C.J. needs to get rid of the off-and-on switch that he had in high school, that's the biggest thing that limits him," Cooper said. "He was always the best player on the floor, but now he's at a level where everyone can play [well]. He gets to coasting a lot. I'm always yelling at him, 'Run, run, run.' "
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is once-and-future coach in Utah said much the same thing. "He's maybe not used to working as hard as we do here," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "C.J. has to learn that there are guys busting their butt trying to take away your job. Now, what are you going to do about it?"
What Miles has done, Cooper said, is learn a few of those lessons, process them, and improve his game. In a Thunderbird scrimmage late last week, for instance, Cooper said Miles got the ball in the lane, pivoted and dunked over 6-11 center Ken Johnson, Albuquerque's best shot-blocker. "Great move," Cooper said, and an indication that Miles had made in important adjustment. Earlier in the week, he had been rejected trying to make a similar play.
"He's starting to realize that when he goes up, he's not the only one in the air," Cooper said.
That's been perhaps the best lesson for the 18-year-old phenom, the coach said.
"This isn't a free ride for the NBA guys down here. You can't come down and mess around," Cooper said. "There's NBA talent in this league, a lot of guys who are one step away, who just need a break. I think it's opened [Miles'] eyes a little bit. Not everyone has his upside, maybe, but these guys can play."
