Pritchard on Miles report: 'It wasn't a viable option'

I just got off the phone with Kevin Pritchard, during which we discussed Adrian Wojnarowski's report that came out today that suggests the Blazers attempted to claim Darius Miles off waivers. Pritchard's response was this:

"We looked at a lot of different options. It just wasn't a viable option for us."

Pritchard went on to say that the team poured over several different approaches to the situation in order to protect its cap space and luxury tax situation before sending out their now infamous e-mail, though he did not go into any specifics.

So I pressed Pritchard and asked him whether he could specifically deny that the team attempted at any point to submit a claim for Miles. His response:

"I can't say that. All I can say is it wasn't a viable option."

This is really turning out to be a PR nightmare for the Blazers, and a big part of the reason is that there is little balance in the information that is coming out. Portland has made the most visible, quantifiable moves (sending out their now-infamous e-mail, apparently attempting to claim Darius off waivers), so it's easy for the national press to roast them. And so far, the story has stacked steeply against Portland.

But what nobody is addressing enough -- and the aspect of this story that raises my eyebrows the most -- is the comments about jealousy among teams and the very pointed, anonymous statements by league executives (remember the "Portland is screwed" comment?), and the very obvious plants in the media that certainly appear intended to get the word out (last week's initial story about preseason games counting toward the 10-game requirement was a perfect example). Doesn't there appear to be a concerted effort to undermine Portland's position? That is the side of this story that has yet to come out, and when it does, it could give the events of the last week a whole new dimension.