Trading Miller = Major Failure by the whole organisation
by jbm01 on Dec 5, 2009 1:21 AM PST
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cannot believe what im hearing in terms of trade rumors by the media and complaints by the fans, or what im seeing in terms of rotations and lineups by coach Nate. We signed a veteran point guard for 7 million dollars a year to provide our team with stability, leadership, experience, and quite frankly a much better point guard. From day one of the pre-season Andre Miller has been disrespected and mistreated. First of all, you can't bring a 34 year old point guard and expect him to break his habits and traditions which have WORKED for him so far in his career. Im talking about his habit of slow starts in the early season, but ALWAYS followed up by great finishing performances later on. This habit of his is well documented, so KP and Nate should have been aware of this fact, as well as the fact that Andre is considered an "ironman" of the league, a player that rarely misses a game, be it for injuries or whatever reasons. Obviously his habits have worked for him so far. He's also started for most of his career... which is why people reffer to him as a STARTER throughout the league.. I don't think players that are known as starters can easily adjust to beeing benched.. its not a matter of ego, well maybe it is, but all players have egos, and if their egos arent satisfied at any giving moment, they will not perform at their best. Ask Brandon Roy how his season is going so far. But its also a matter of trust, and right now I dont think Miller feels trusted as a point guard to "thread the needle" as Roy put it.
This is a man who brings consistency to the table, something this team desperately needs right now! But for him to be consistent, I truly believe the guy deserves a chance to do what he does best ! And that his playing in his "niche", meaning giving him a guarateed starting spot, handing over the reigns of the offense to him, and basically lettinh him do what he does best, BE A POINT GUARD. Its not as if he will disrupt team chemistry at this moment, seeing as there is none of that chemisty.
And so, I find it pathetic that this team would consider trading Miller at this moment... how about trying to play the guy for god's sake ? How about starting Miller for an extended period of time ? What ? We've done that already ? Ah yes, the infamous 3-guard lineup...the way I see it, we went on a 6 game winning streak with him as a starter... yes we underperformed, yes they were weak opponents, but we STILL WON. And from what I see, it might be thanks to him. Start Miller.
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Rec'd! Nate should be shipped back to seattle!
Maybe he could coach Garfield High.
If Andrea would have just learned to shoot an open 3 point shot there wouldn't be any problems
Start Andre Miller NOW to showcase him for a trade.
by tominhawaii on Dec 5, 2009 1:50 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Have you ever been introduced to Tom? I'm kidding. TiH is the ultimate Dre hater and he is proud of it.
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I never knew that 3 pt % was the only duty of PG that matters.
When it comes to your pg, who cares about distribution, ball movement, lobs, pick and rolls, bbiq, and court vision? Not you or Nate I guess. We have Blake with his one skill and that’s all we need.
Fail
1. Your only source for the idea we are trading Miller is a known Blazer basher.
2. You yourself state that Miller is known to be a slow starter.
3. You then state he brings consistency. Actually, he doesn’t early in the season, because he’s a slow starter.
4. Then you complain that we haven’t been starting him or playing him that much.
If he’s a slow starter, why should we be starting him and giving him 35 mpg? How about if we just wait until he hits his stride to start giving him big minutes?
He looked better against Miami, maybe he’s starting to crank it up. If so, and he starts to give us strong performances, guess what? He’ll get playing time. Because actually, the coaches want to win even more than the fans, and if he is helping us win, he’ll play.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
Don't start a comment with "fail".
You know better than that. It’s a tad bit disrespectful.
by Nick Van Excellent on Dec 5, 2009 8:11 AM PST up reply actions
"Fail" is not only disrespectful;
it has the appearance of condescension, i.e. attempting to deliver an unconstructive low blow rather than making a genuinely rational appeal. “Fail,” has been receiving too much use lately at BE. It would be nice if we could do away with the attitudes and emotions behind it as well. Peace.
Whether your preference is watching or playing, basketball is a TEAM game.
I apologize
I didn’t know it had those connotations. We use it in my work at times as basic shorthand for “illogical”.
I won’t use it again.
(I thought I did make a logical response, BTW).
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
jscot
Once again your reasoning as well as your ethics speak well of you! It is a privilege to know you as one of the leaders here at BE. My comment was intended for the general public (not just intended for you) thus I did not reply to you. Overcoming our frustrations can be a part of the process of having fun here as well.
Whether your preference is watching or playing, basketball is a TEAM game.
Thanks, friend
I’m not sure “leader” applies, though, except maybe in word count. :)
#52
You're asking Garfield to dislike lasagna
But I love you :-(
by Mortimer on Nov 19, 2009 7:04 PM PST
Have the other teams Miller has started on benched him at the beginning of the season?
Is that an effective way to help him start faster? Seems a bit counter-productive to me.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
Perhaps so
But he hasn’t come into a team that was expected to function well without him before, either.
Why mess up a well-functioning team by giving big minutes to a guy who reports out of shape and starts slow? Let him work himself into the team.
Should that be done? Who knows? But it is certainly a logical approach, whether one agrees with it or not.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
Then why bring him here at all.
Does it make much sense to bring in a proven pg that has always been a respected starter in this league, coming off a strong season, and then bench him behind a player of Blake’s caliber?
Potentially, yes
If he is a slow starter, it makes sense to not give him the full role you expect him to take until his game comes up to speed.
Look, Andre played 37 minutes against Houston. Why? Because we really saw the Andre we hoped to see when we signed him. If he plays like that, he’ll get minutes, you can’t keep him out.
But he hasn’t really played like that very much this year.
Why bring him? Because we wanted THAT Andre, not the out of shape Andre who starts slow. Now that we’re seeing that, if it continues, he’ll get 30+ mpg whether he starts or not.
#52
A slow starting Andre is still a lot better than Blake though.
The fact Blake has been a lot worse than Andre is the point. Blake has statistically been worse per minute than anyone on the team, yet he’s been getting the 3rd most minutes.
Even as a slow starter
he’s outplaying steve blake and proving to be more valuable than him for the team’s progess. You say Miller is starting to warm up, well of course he’s gonna get better and eventually earn this spot, but our reason for starting Blake over him so far is that we had a good thing going on last season with Steve as a starter, but that chemistry has faded away this season, perhaps due to injuries, the emergence of Oden, etc…. so I ask you, whats the point of starting blake over him anymore ? If Roy’s uncomfortable, if we’re losing games and underperforming on both offense and defense, whats your excuse for starting Blake anymore ? Change is necessary, and it starts with the declaration of Andre as our undisputed starting point guard.
You say there’s no point in giving him 35 mpg, well whats the point of sharing that time with Blake who’s had minimal impact on this team this season ? Lets put this time to use and let him develop a rythm. Maybe he’ll crank it up faster as you say. Just do something and not stand pat as we have so far.
OH and
im talking about consistency that extends over an entire season, not from game to game, even over an entire career. Miller has been reliable in the long run, he’s deserving of our trust. Players of his caliber just shouldn’t be treated as journeymen that need to prove themselves all over again.
I assume this was a response to me
It would be better to click “reply” under my post, then people know to whom you are responding.
What’s the point of starting Blake over him anymore? Haven’t you read the news? Blake probably isn’t starting against Houston. So what’s the point of getting all in a huff about this?
Miller HAS started slow. Blake has had some horrible games, so has Miller. Blake has had more, I agree. So what? When a player has been effective with your team, you go with him until someone plays better or he shows that his slump is more than just a brief one.
Now, at some point, you give up on a guy because he just can’t recreate the magic from the last two years. Maybe you and others wanted to give up on Blake sooner, but a strong case could be made that he’s just in an early season slump, so don’t give up.
Last year’s Blake (and the year before) was way ahead of this year’s Miller so far, as far as providing what fits well with this team. That’s just the way it is. Now, I’m seeing more and more good stuff from Miller, and other people are, too. Great. And since Blake hasn’t snapped out of it, give the ball to Miller. That’s great.
I’m ready for Miller to get more minutes. I never thought Blake should have been getting more than 20 mpg anyway.
But why all the angst? Your fretting comes down to two things:
1. Andre Miller hasn’t been starting or getting a lot of minutes, even though he’s a slow starter and has looked like it at times.
2. Some Blazer hater in the media has a source who is a Blazer hater who has told him that we’re looking to trade Andre, and you believe it.
You shouldn’t take anything Woj says at face value. He loves to stir up stuff against the Blazers, and try to make KP look bad. His reporting on the Darius Miles stuff was a twisted load of rubbish.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
My reaction was not caused by the media
it was caused more by the responses i’ve seen on BE so far in regards to Miller beeing a mistake, and after reading a bunch of statements beeing made about needing to trade him, I can say that if those rumors, weather true or not, were to become reality, then that would be a new low for this team in this season. We’ve develloped a bad habit of blaming our losses and our lack of effort on others, especially on the newcomer. Aside from Miller, we’ve also indirectly blamed Oden (or maybe blamed the impact of his emergence on our team). I admired Roy’s willingness to take the blame last season for our losses, even when it wasn’t his bad. It just showed that he has qualities most superstars lack. But so far this season, i’ve seen Roy blame everyone and their mother for our underachieving, UNTIL the same Miami game you speak of, where he admitted it was on him.
Lets hope this Miami loss is a turning point for Miller’s PT and Roy’s attitude and effort.
The responses on Bedge
almost all come from the same media report, which is probably a load of hogwash.
And for every “trade Miller” comment or post on Bedge, there are about fifty “bench Blake” or “fire Nate” comments/posts.
The fact is, once they get it together, and I’m pretty much sure they will, we’ll have a highly effective PG rotation and perhaps the top backcourt in the league. The “fire Nate”/“trade Miller”/“bench Blake” chorus is silly. If Miller consistently plays more effectively with the starters than Blake, he’ll get his minutes. No one likes losing. It may take longer for Nate to “give up” on Blake than it does for some fans, it may take longer for Andre to convince him than it does to convince you, but if Andre is consistently as much better as you think, he’ll get his minutes.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
A new low for the fan base too.
I thought the fans were generally supportive of the team and unless a bad character started causing problems on the court, in the locker room or in public the people who make up the team would be universally respected, if not universally loved.
Miller is not guilty of causing problems on this team. Some may see Brandon’s displeasure as the fault of Miller, but we all know that Brandon wasn’t happy with the signing long before the two of them ever set foot on a court together in training camp. That is not Miller’s fault. On the contrary, Miller is constantly trying to communicate with his teammates on the court, telling them where they need to be on missed assignments and doing the job of a PG and doing it well when he is given the chance to do so without being micromanaged.
Miller has not been a problem in the locker room either. From all the evidence I’ve seen, he’s either been simply quiet or he’s been well received by most of the guys around him.
In public, he gave one interview in which he expressed frustration with how things were going because he felt the team had given him a distinctly different version of how things would be before they signed him. It was an unusual move for him seeing as he is mostly a tight-lipped individual. I think that interview is what sparked most of the controversy and animosity towards Miller. Some fans seem to think that Miller was being unappreciative, and that being unappreciative was somehow a horrible act of sedition. To that I say, cry me a river and I’ll sell you a bridge. Expressing confusion about things that didn’t happen when he was told they would is a legitimate complaint in my mind. The angst shouldn’t be pointed at Miller, but if there was a miscommunication it should be pointed at the coaching staff and front office for not being entirely clear what their intentions were. That to me is dishonest, even if it is unintentional, because Miller’s reason for being excited to come to Portland was because of how he saw himself helping guys like LaMarcus (plays with the first unit), Oden (plays with the first unit) and Roy (plays with the first unit and is capable of learning to play off the ball however odd it feels at first).
The level of displeasure with Miller for his displeasure over the lineup is absolutely absurd to me. Are the Blazers a championship team that any and all people that would aspire to join the team should then straight-away kiss the training facility floor because its such an astronomical and unfathomable privilege to play here? Um, no. We’ve got loads of talent and we’re still a rising team in the league, but so far, with this group, we’ve accomplished nothing of any striking significance. Going to the playoffs once and losing in the first round doesn’t earn you anything except marginal respect and a harder season the next year. The idea that Miller’s desire to be treated like a starter (something he’s earned everywhere he’s been) is somehow radical and we as fans should all be loyal and defensive about McMillan’s treatment of Miller is ridiculous.
Talk about looking like a bunch of small-town homers. The fans have reacted in such a way that it reminds me a lot of the Darius Miles saga. Granted, the number of people that piled onto Darius was by far a larger group, however, the smaller group that seems to think Andre is the problem on our team now are just as adamant which strikes me as really irrational and sad.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
by Seijeff on Dec 5, 2009 10:51 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
A new low?
People have been bashing on Blake, on Roy, before that on Travis, before that on Sergio, before that on Jarrett Jack, etc, etc, etc.
Miller has had much less criticism than Brandon, Nate, or Steve.
I thought the fans were generally supportive of the team and unless a bad character started causing problems on the court, in the locker room or in public the people who make up the team would be universally respected, if not universally loved.
Some people (I’m not one) think Miller did start causing problems by his interview about not starting.
But Blake gets a whole lot more heat, and has never caused problems. Universally respected? Really? “He’s dead to me”, “I hate Blake”, etc, etc, etc.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
good to know..I hope the rumors are just that. I want Miller to stay and PROVE
to all the “start Blake” fans and “anti Miller” posters..that he is the point guard we need. For one, he IS an actual point guard. I think Blake knows it and maybe that is part of why Blake is playing so poorly this season..as a good guy and one who knows his role, Blake is making sure Miller will start at one point. I read in a Columbian post that Miller won’t start tonight. McMillan is going with his usual starting line up. McMillan…god, I wish we had a different coach.
please
Miller is old and he can’t shoot. Who do you want running this team, Miller or Roy? He’s had plenty of opportunities here but he doesn’t fit. Time to move on.
"I been ridin' the midnight train, got ice water in my veins." -Bob Dylan
"Sasha? That's a sissy name." -Mike Rice
by koyote on Dec 5, 2009 2:52 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
You make it sound
as if Roy is a point guard. Someone needs to fill the void at the 1 in our starting lineup.. as our team grows and Oden develops into a better center, the team will revolve less around Roy, and I dont understand why some people are against that. Miller wont be around in 2-3 years, but someone else will take his place, and when you have a team thats supposed to rely on its “big three”, you cant provide them with a point guard that only caters to one player’s needs. Roy still has some developing to do for this team to go further but thats not the point. Miller is more of a PG then Blake will ever be, and so this team needs to get accustomed to playing alongside a true PG ASAP.
Roy may not be a point guard
in the traditional sense, but the offense is pretty much going to begin with him at least 75 percent of the time if not more when he is on the floor. I agree with you and think Brandon needs to learn how to become more of a facilitator, but right now he is our best scoring option. I love that Greg is getting more touches, but I don’t think he will ever be our go-to guy and I think LaMarcus would rather be Robin than Batman. No matter how the point guard situation works out, I think that the offense is always going to begin with Roy. What I don’t understand is why people ar blaming Roy because the team is not playing well. I truly believe that if the Blazers had a healthy Nic Batum and Travis Outlaw they would have 4 or 5 more wins on the season.
"I been ridin' the midnight train, got ice water in my veins." -Bob Dylan
"Sasha? That's a sissy name." -Mike Rice
You must be joking!
Miller has shot better throughout his career, including last year, that Blake has in his best season. This shouldn’t be about Brandon vs. Miller. It should be about who is the better PG, Miller or Blake. If you really have to give that any thought, you haven’t watched these guys much. Blake is a backup! Period. He has started for us by default for the last couple of years. Now we have a good PG and need to give him a real opportunity to run the point. Brandon NEEDS to adjust to that. It’s a team game with guys filling roles. Roy IS NOT a PG and shouldn’t be pretending he is. Blake is not a legit starter. Guess who is? Miller. Give him a shot.
Who do you want running this team, Miller or Roy?
Easy answer. Miller! Roy is a really good Shooting Guard, not a good Point Guard. He can create plays but he can’t play PG full time. In spurts sure but never full time. I would rather have Miller ‘running this team’ because the guy running the team needs to be thinking about ONLY getting his teammates involved and not about how to get his shot off as well. Last season proved that we need another player that can create shots for others and so if we traded Miller we would be left with Roy and only Roy.
by VinnyB on Dec 5, 2009 3:05 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
Like Chris Paul
and Tony Parker.
Guys like that never think about getting their shot off as well. When they make it go in the basket, it must have been a pass that went astray and accidentally bounced in, or something.
Roy is a combo guard, and having a combo guard next to him can work just fine.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
They look to the rest of the team first and then usually resort to themselves when others can't get their shots to fall.
And sorry, but we don’t have anyone that compares to Paul or Parker on speed. But they don’t have the shooters that we have either, which is why we don’t need a Parker or Paul.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
Like Kobe Bryant
Oh, wait. He’s not a point guard, but the offense largely runs though him. . .
I mean like Lebron James!
Oh, he’;s not a point guard either . . .Hmmmmm
OK. I really meant like Dwayne Wade!
I mean, he’s a point guard, right?
Hmmph! Apparently he’s not.
What the heck, I thought ALL teams run their offense through a point guard!!
Oh, it’s only the teams that have elite Point Guards that do!
Oh, that;s different.
The easy answer is Roy
I think any team in the NBA would rather have Brandon Roy running their team. Its not like we are talking about an elite NBA PG.
That matters on your definition of elite.
If you’re talking top 5 in the league, then he’s not elite. Top 10 is a different story. He was ranked 7th by yahoo sports so I’ll take that over Blake any day, which is the real decision here. Roy can’t do everything if we want to be a contender.
"Last season proved that we need another player that can create shots for others"
We won 54 games last year with the second youngest team in the NBA. How are you going to use that in argument that we need to radically change the offense?
"I been ridin' the midnight train, got ice water in my veins." -Bob Dylan
"Sasha? That's a sissy name." -Mike Rice
The failure
has been realized already. KP has egg on his face. Now he has to try and get rid of a guy who no one wanted in the first place.
by BBG on Dec 5, 2009 4:49 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
your response proves my point exactly
signing Miller was not a mistake..until we benched him. But everyone’s treating this situation like its uncurable and that the only resort is the elimination of Miller off our roster.
Hardly anyone is treating it that way
In the five recommended fanposts, there are two satirical ones, one philosophical one, and two criticizing Nate’s usage of Miller — in other words, two that agree with you.
In the twelve fanposts that aren’t at the top, of the first twelve there are three (including this one) that criticize the Blazers’/Nate’s handling of Miller, and one, that is less than two, uno, that blames Miller for the problems. One. And it was written after yours.
That’s correct, of the last nine fanposts before yours, two others criticized Nate re: Miller, and none blamed Miller or advocated trading Miller. Not a single one.
And there were two others at the top making the same points you are.
In fact, arguably, your post violates site rules by rehashing ground that is covered already in the sidebar, and you should have just posted a comment in one of those. But your slant is a little different than the others, so have at it.
But you really should relax. Most Blazer fans don’t want to trade Miller. In fact, the majority almost certainly want him to start.
Oh, by the way the five “Start Andre/Fire Nate” posts I’ve mentioned have over 90 comments and over 30 recs right now (I’m not counting the satirical “I hate to say it” one). The blame Andre post has 7 comments and two recs.
Chill pill time.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
Miller is a horrible fit and KP didn't want him
He was only signed to use the cap space and was supposed to be the backup. Miller is used to being with 1 great player and a bunch of crappy players. The Blazers are too stacked for his playing style. This year, he’s basically an overpaid Sergio. A play maker without a jump shot.
Start Andre Miller NOW to showcase him for a trade.
Batum was never utilized as a scorer.
And given some time on the floor Rudy and Dante can make up for Outlaw’s absence.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
Dante is a rookie
If Rudy replaces Oulaw, who replaces Rudy? Dante’s not good enough to replace either Rudy or Outlaw. Dante can play the rest of the year, but he’ll pass or miss in a pressure situation and Outlaw would make the shot.
Start Andre Miller NOW to showcase him for a trade.
You don't need to replace Rudy simply increase his minutes.
As far as Dante is concerned he has been playing very well. Roy was a rookie when the team was on his shoulders and they over-acheived. No, I’m not saying he’s another Roy, I’m saying rookies who enter the NBA after four years of college are a lot more capable as contributors than you may think.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
He's a 2nd round pick
Like I said before, if he was that good, then Houston would have drafted him. I like him as a person, I just don’t trust or care for rookies.
Start Andre Miller NOW to showcase him for a trade.
Okay
Taking your distrust of rookies into consideration, how has Dante performed in games?
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
I can handle him for 10 minutes a night hitting open jumpers
His defense is good and will improve. I haven’t paid enough attention to him to notice much else.
I don’t have anymore faith in him than that, and would much rather have Outlaw in his place.
Start Andre Miller NOW to showcase him for a trade.
I would prefer someone with Outlaw's experience as well.
But since he’s not available, I think Dante is doing a good job with the minutes he’s getting.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
I would prefer Outlaw learn how to defend as good as Dante already does
Outlaw better be taking notes, because Dante does a lot of the little stuff I hoped Outlaw would have learned to do by now.
With TomInHawaii
you always have to ask yourself whether TIH stands for TomInHawaii or TongueIncHeek.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
This is a pretty funny line...
This year, he’s basically an overpaid Sergio. A play maker without a jump shot.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
lol
As long as he can finish a drive, he will NEVER drop to Sergio’s value.
"B-Roy is the best shooting guard I have played against"
-Ron Artest
Sergio's value is on the rise now that he isn't playing for Nate.
Blazer's Edge Ambassador to The Dream Shake Blog
LMA Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I <3 LMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
26:49 Mins, 7-8 FGs, 10-12 FTs, +7, 6 Off, 12 Rebs, 1 Ast, 2 Blks, 24 Points!!!! ODEN vs Bulls 11-23-09
GOOOOODEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't Dis Sergio
No one is really talking about it, but maybe getting rig of him was a huge mistake.
The one major difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is the loss of Sergio. While Frye is gone, he didn’t play nearly as many minutes as Sergio did.
Sergio may not have been elite, but he was acceptable as a backup — especially when compared to Bayless.
He worked within the type of game plan the team played — Miller so far has not. Sergio worked within the team’s chemistry. The championship Pistons a few years ago showed that players are less important than team chemistry.
yeah,
I was thinking what a nice job you were doing putting out the “fire” with balanced information.
And then, here comes Tom lofting in a molotov cocktail of provocation…..
lol
"Travis went all wang-dang diddly wubba SPROING wow-wow on everybody " Dave's recap, season opener
So wrong....
it must be tongue in heek…
Miller is only a horrible fit if our superstar can’t learn to move without the ball.
KP didn’t want him? OK, tom…. Suuuurre he didn’t…
Only signed to use the cap space? Laughable
Supposed to be the backup? Care to mention any source other than your imagination?
Blazers are too stacked for his playing style? smh… One of the more riduclous comments on Bedge.
Overpaid Sergio? Sergio couldn’t carry Miller’s jock…
Now his jump shot? Not a thing of beauty. But he still hits it in the 40%, for his career…
by Visionary2 on Dec 5, 2009 12:02 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
All true
It’s a well known fact that KP tried to sign two other guys first.
NBA Today podcast said KP signed Miller in hopes to trade him and they had to use the cap space.
Marc Spears is my source:
McMillan has said he told Miller during their summer meeting in Las Vegas that he very well might make him a reserve. Miller doesn’t remember the meeting quite the same way.
Miller only thrives when he is the best or second best player on the team and he has never been an all star
Miller is a play maker with shoddy defense and no jump shot. I don’t see skin color, but basically Miller is a veteran black Sergio.
Start Andre Miller NOW to showcase him for a trade.
miller can't shoot?
he just came off of 2 seasons averaging 16-17 pts and shooting 46-49%. he is a good team defender, but maybe not the one on one defender that you want. he is an incredible rebounder for his size, especially on offensive end.
I disagree
I’m sure Sergio could carry Miller’s jock.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
I don't know...
I’m getting a little tired of the Andre Miller hasn’t been treated right angle. What did The Blazers do? We signed a 33 year old PG to a pretty big contract. The biggest he could get. Supposedly we heard Andre has a high BBIQ and supposedly he was familiar with this team from watching it afar. So Andre knew we had a starting PG in Blake. Regardless of what parties might be saying now, all I heard all along was that the starting position was up for grabs. After we sign him, THEN we hear from Miller how he wouldn’t of come to Portland if he knew he wasn’t going to be starting. Well too bad Miller. Maybe we shouldn’t of inked the dotted line if we weren’t sure of that?
Do I blame the organization? No. KP had cap space. He used it the best he could. He brought in a player that on “paper” should help us. However there is often a intangible difference between “paper” and on the court.
Maybe I’m just getting tired of hearing the whole “Millers Crossing” debate around The Blazers. When The Blazers have been preaching unity and one team since way back in the summer, I just don’t think it so suprising that Miller might be asked to play with the second unit.
But no, since Miller has gotten here, it’s been He Said, They Said, I thought, They Thought…I’m tired of it. Make it work, or change it.
The other thing, is while Miller might rightly point to his multiple years of solid N.B.A. starter status, the other thing is this is a different situation, not only for The Blazers as a team, but for Miller as an aging player. My point being, this Blazer team had hopes of being very, very deep and planned to use that as a weapon. Furthermore Miller is aging. I don’t care how long you’ve been a starter in the league, you play long enough and eventually your role changes, slowly in increments, but it will change.
My guess is Miller was looked at as a potential starter this season, interchangable with Blake, but overall with his 2-3 year contract it was probably thought that he would be sliding into a solid back-up role during his tenure with us anyway. Most PG’s can’t find that fountain of youth like Steve Nash…so in 2 years I’d expect Miller to be a back-up PG for anyone.
Yes, it’s all debatable. I like Millers game. But I’m just fed up with the whole debate. One thing I’ve seen over the years is that if a player isn’t going to be happy? Then a team is best served just cutting losses and getting rid of the guy. The problem with Miller is he’s so introverted that nobody seems to be able to tell whether he is happy or unhappy. After the regrettable minor firestorm some of Millers comments made coming into the season, it seems Miller has taken the “I will only respond with quiet cliches” road to dealing with the media.
I’m not Anti-Miller, or Pro-Blake, I guess I’m tired fan. Tired of trying to guess the what, hows and if’s of Andre Miller. To me, I’m at the point where I say it either works or it doesn’t and if it doesn’t then do your best to try to create a reality that works.
Whatever happens I wouldn’t call it a failure of the organization. Teams bring in players and free-agents, rookies, draft picks and trades all the time. There is always a degree of gamble, risk and experimentation.
It’s just frustrating because all along with this situation I’ve just had the feeling we as fans aren’t hearing the entire story. McMillan is quiet, and doesn’t discuss relations with players publicly, Miller is quiet, and Brandon as leader of the team, hedges his comments with team diplomacy.
I don’t think we even need hurt feelings here, we just need honesty. If the reality is that Miller is not going to be happy playing with the second unit and the further reality is that Miller and Brandon because of similar playing style demands just don’t play together well, then let’s just admit it and move on. Forget the MIller could of tried harder with the second unit, or the Brandon could adapt to Miller or Miller could adapt to Brandon….make it work or find something that does work.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
by Krang on Dec 5, 2009 11:39 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Or, more likely: Andre KNEW there was no way possible that he wouldn't be starting over STEVE BLAKE...
Supposedly we heard Andre has a high BBIQ and supposedly he was familiar with this team from watching it afar. So Andre knew we had a starting PG in Blake.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
I think B. Roy should be traded
For somebody who doesn’t need the ball in their hands so much. How about Gerald Wallace?
Then we start Miller, Fernandez, Wallace, Aldridge, and Oden.
Just a thought I had.
by odenthadestroya on Dec 5, 2009 12:05 PM PST reply actions
No
Enough with the trading Roy comments. Brandon Roy is a two time all star and rookie of the year. It’s his fourth year in the NBA. Don’t you remember that Brandon starts the season off slow, as well as Miller?
Mark my words... Dante Cunningham will be an all star
by roynfernandez on Dec 5, 2009 12:40 PM PST up reply actions
I'm not saying Roy should be traded...
however, Portland’s traded or let go a number of players who then went on to win the championship they couldn’t win here. People like Clyde, Buck, Eli, Kersey, Sheed, etc. Obviously, Roy’s younger and has many more years to play than any of those guys did when they left, but my point is that no one is un-trade-able IF their leaving improves the team. Obviously, those guys I just mentioned leaving didn’t improve the team, but then they probably didn’t have the trade value that Roy has right now.
Like I said, I like Roy a lot and would hate to see him leave. Sometimes, great players need to be in a system where they can win, and systems always need to have the right players in them to win.
That said, I’d rather see Nate go than Roy go at the moment. Problem is, I don’t know if there’s a better coach available out there right now.
That sounds like a good idea.
That way we can struggle to make the playoffs this year, keeping things interesting. It’s no fun when you expect to win every game. ;p
ἰδοὺ ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυείδ...
Καὶ εἶδον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζώων καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀρνίον ἑστηκὼς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον,
Meh
Free agent signings often don’t work. See, for example, Elton Brand, James Posey, Ben Gordon, etc. Miller for the Blazers has been par for the course. Average does not equal fail, in my opinion. The whole Miller thing has become way overblown.
i dont see this in any way as millers fault
i think the blazers current situation is to do with the teams playing style, the rest of the nba has seen this style for the past few seasons, i like to think they may have some smart people that know how to defend a team that relies heavily on jump shots and isolations for brandon roy.
if u want to say miller has an inconsistent jump shot, sure, go ahead its a proven fact. but on the other hand he provides post ups, penetration and looks for other interior scorers.
Do you guys Consider me to be a leader?
"Good, Better, Best, never let it rest until your good is your better and your better is your best." Tim Duncan
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