This guy is living up to his contract and the huge amount of money he is getting paid. But in my opinion, that last game is going to be a one in a blue moon kind of game.
Brad Miller tonight: 23 PTS, 7-7 FG, 3-3 3PT, 6-7 FT, 7 REB, 3 AST He's looking a lot more comfortable out there. (Not me, btw)
What's with the Webber era of the Kings? They have Divac, Miller, and Webber, all of them are easily one of the best big men passers in NBA history.
IMO, Miller has been the unsung hero of the team for the past several weeks. When he was a starter, he gave the starting lineup the offensive kick they needed. Then when Adelman moved him to the second unit, he's become the glue that keeps together the young bench guys. His defense may not be very good, but he makes the effort. And in everything else, Miller's been exactly what this team has needed.
Miller is playing well this year. He is getting a bit more comfortable all the time as well it seems. The passing and his overall offensive ability is just uncanny considering his lack of speed. Hopefully Miller can sustain this.
RA made a very good move to put Miller on 2nd unit. When he starts with Scola, inside defense is not there and 2nd unit doesn't have enough firepower. With Hayes/Scola starting and Miller/Hill play 2nd unit, the team is a lot balanced as a whole. Hopefully RA can do the same with AB. Martin/Lowry starting with AB coming off the bench to play Jason Terry role will make the team even more balanced.
Sure the BBS will sing his praises when he shoots lights out, like the Chicago game on November 12 and tonight vs. Memphis, but I think he's been very solid for the team even on nights when his stats seem underwhelming. His knowledge of Adelman's system has really helped his teammates. His defense still makes me cringe sometimes, but his positives have far outweighed his negatives. An excellent offseason signing.
I don't know what the team is going to do with Yao. He's most effective in the low post, and the logical thing to do is surround him with shooters, but a backcourt of AB and Kmart would kill us defensively. IMHO, you can't pair Lowry with him either, because 1)Lowry isn't a shooter, despite tonight's game and 2)With Lowry's reckless "bowling ball" style, pairing them up is another injury just waiting to happen. Here's my idea: AB Lee Battier Scola Yao Lowry Kmart CBud Chuck Miller I don't know which unit would start, but these seem like the most balanced lineups to me, with the top unit playing more of an inside-out game, while the bottom unit runs a high post, motion-based system. Although the bottom unit may have trouble rebounding. Of course, I'm not an NBA coach, so this is all just guesswork.
He's got more left than I gave him credit for when we signed him, but he's still overpaid by a few million per year.
He won't continue to shoot lights out, but his deal really isn't that bad since his salary is mostly non-guaranteed in the third year. If he can be a productive backup, and within Adelman's offense its looks like he definitely can be, then he'll be a good acquisition for these two years and a very nice trade chip in 2012.
It's the power of the headband, for sure. And I just luv it that he and JHil wear color-coordinated headbands. CBud should start wearing one too. It just might break his shooting slump LOL
