Inside Dish: Miles, Miller Both Disappoint Cavaliers SF Darius Miles may be the most disappointing player in the league this season, but the player Cleveland traded to get Miles, Clippers PG Andre Miller, is not far behind. Last year, whispers in Cleveland were that Miller would want a maximum-salary contract when he became a free agent this summer. The Cavs didn't think Miller would be worth it, and it looks like they were right. Miller has struggled with the Clippers, has not shown much leadership and, word is, some Clippers players prefer playing with young PGs Keyon Dooling and Marko Jaric or with SF Lamar Odom as a point forward. Cleveland got worse every year Miller was with the team, and the Clippers took a nosedive in Miller's first season. Miller's stock has dropped to the point where, as one Western Conference general manager says, "He'll wind up getting a midlevel exception but probably not more." And Miller is already in his prime -- he turns 27 next month. . . .
I don't think Miles could dissappoint any more, the expectations are so low already. Miller is a different story.
I don't understand this not-a-winner rap everyone gives Andre Miller. Of everyone in the league that consistently plays for a bad team, why should Miller get the rep? He went from one bad team to another bad team. That doesn't mean he's bad; he just plays for bad teams. Elton Brand also went from one loser to another loser, but he doesn't carry a stigma.
That's just it, Andre Miller didn't come to a bad team, he came to a team that won 39 games last year. They'll be lucky to win 30 games this season. He's also playing with much better talent than in Cleveland, yet his points, assists, steals, rebounds, FG%, FT%, and 3 point percentage are all down while his turnovers are slightly higher...Heck, he averaged 10 assists last year on the CAVS. He's shooting an Iverson-esque .397 from the field, and now his teammates are calling him out. And don't pull out the "his teammates don't care" excuse either. Brand, Odom, and Olowokandi have remained steady while Magette is having a career year. The Clippers were on the cusp of being a contender, and most experts had them in the playoffs this year. He drove this team into the ground, and I wouldn't blame Sterling one bit for not re-signing him...
Good Lord almighty, A-Train, I can share your cynicism about the Rockets, but that comment about Andre Miller is beyond the pale. I don't think living in his home city has done him much good. He has had to experience first-hand his mother's trouble as she has tended her husband, who passed away not long ago, I think from diabetes complications. I still say Andre is a very good PG, definitely not worth the max, but he will thrive given a better situation. The other guys are having career years because they know they're stamping a ticket to get out of town. Dre would probably have stayed in LA given the chance. It's home. But that's out. And I say once that team of me-myself-and-I players started heading south, the blame went to Andre, who was supposedly going to turn this team into a powerhouse. I don't know why people believed that in the first place. All you need for the Clips is Lamar point-forward Odom and a halfway decent PG. Lamar's healthy now. And he's also well-liked by the coaching staff and management, and is the only player on the team they want to sign (well, we'll see on that score). DONALD STERLING has driven that team into the ground by not re-signing (paying) players. The man by his own admission knows nothing about basketball and could care less. He's making a profit, and that's all that matters to him.
The Cavs won 29 last year, this year they are on a pace for barely over half that. The chief loss from them has been Miller. The Clips may be stagnant despite getting Miller, but the Cav are far worse. If I was a GM I'd give Miller the benifit of the doubt that the problem has more to do with the Clippers teams than with him--and certainly take him on if I could at 4-5 mil per year. As for SAR, I do think his team(s) lack of progress is somewhat reflective of his leadership ability--I would say less so about Miller, or Brand for that matter. IMO SAR has been in the league longer and been with better talent than those guys, so I think his team lack of success rubs a little more on him.
miles was never good; don't know why other people say he's going to be a superstar. if he has any offensive skills, he would have displayed by now.
For once, I agree with you. Miles has shown NOTHING to give me the impression that he's ever going to be an NBA starter. Sure, he makes nice dunks, but he does that once a game, if that. He doesn't have much of a jumpshot. He looks to basically be an younger Eddie Robinson.
A-Train, forget the wins. We're talking about the Clippers and the normal rules of evaluation just don't apply. The team is just too screwed up. Their 4 biggest guys all have a expiring contracts and know the won't get the money they want from their current team. They must inflate their numbers for the free agent market. In such an atmosphere, how do you think a team oriented player like Miller would fare? The only one to blame for the Clipps terrible season is Sterling. As for them being on the cusp of competing, most seasoned fans knew last year Sterling would find a way to screw it up and he did.
The Clippers shouldnt be a bad team with the players they have. ALot has to fall on Andre Miller as they have not progressed this year at all.
I find that pretty hard to believe. Miller for the midlevel exception? Which Western Conference GM said that? Probably Gary St. Jean of the Warriors. Miller stock has dropped, but dropped to the point of midlevel exception? I beg to differ! Chris
While the Clippers suck and Sterling has a unique way of dimming even the brightest careers, it is worth noting that: 1) the Cavs--who had miller to begin with--did not see Miller as a max player; 2) the Clipper players prefer the other two young point guards to Miller and even Lamar Odom as a point forward; and 3) at 27 years old, Miller isn't about to get much better than what he is. This doesn't mean Miller isn't a good player. It just means that he isn't has good as a lot of people seem to think he is and he certainly isn't a franchise, max player.
I don't care if he's 'not-a-winner'. If the Rockets can sign Miller for the mid-level exception, I'd be doing cartwheels.
JV, shouldn't the Clips even be COMPETING for a playoff spot? How is that Donald Sterling's fault? Miller shooting under 40% has nothing to do with him being a team player, it means he can't shoot. The decisions of uppper management don't have much effect on a basketball team short term...If the Clippers lose all their players and go through another re-building mode, then you can blame Sterling, but you can't blame Sterling for the Clippers troubles THIS season. The fact is that last year, they were 3 games below .500 with Keyon Dooling running the point, and this season they're in competition for the #1 draft pick with Andre Miller. Is it all Miller's fault? Well, for a supposed team leader, his teammates don't seem to think much of him. I mean, farking schnirt, the Clippers made the playoffs in 96-97 with Loy Vaught, Malik Sealy, Darrick Martin, Terry Dehere, Pooh Richardson, Brent Barry, Rodney Rogers, Bo Outlaw, Lamond Murray and Lorenzen Wright...Let's see Andre Miller lead THAT team to the playoffs...
why is everybody in hear talking down on darius mile's play? he started the season with and injury for chrissakes so of course he was gonna struggle when he came back from the injury. miles was looking in perfect form in that win against the rockets before the all star break so there wasnt no need for **** talking then.
Good, I hope Miller is becomes that cheap. That way we can get him, move Stevie to the '2', and bring Mobley off the bench. Please, blaming Miller for a screwed up organization.... Just because you have a bunch of talent does not automatically mean wins will come easy. Players need to complement each other, something the Clippers have a severe problem with. Clippers = a bunch of talent and no chemistry. Odom is extremely overrated, but we will see how good Miller and Brand really are once they get to their own new teams next season. Contraction......learn and Love that word Stern.
No, they shouldn't even be competing for a playoff spot. They have a lot of paper talent, but that is where the talent is staying: on paper. Wins come to teams with good chemistry, not those with good talent. As the point guard, Miller has some effect on this chemistry. But, he's only 1 man of 12 on the team. I think the management has a greater effect on the overall chemistry than what one player brings to the table. They've set the whole stage and they've put players in a position where they are not incentivized to play as a team. Not even Miller is. But, even if he were, if the other 4 guys on the floor are only looking out for themselves, what is 1 man going to do? And I can only imagine what Sterling does to the morale of the team. When your leader, the owner, doesn't care about winning, it filters down and poisons the entire organization. Why should anyone bother with winning if the owner won't? And why should the players do him any favors by winning, if he won't do anything for them? Why practice hard, when you get paid the same while playing golf? As for Miller shooting 40%, that has more to do with the defense and the efficiency of the offense than his shooting. The Spurs' 3-point shooters are not that much better than the rest of the leagues' but they shoot well because their interior players (Duncan) do a great job of pulling defenders away from the 3-point line. Because the team has no chemistry and their morale is shot and they won't try to help one another succeed, Miller can't get good looks at the basket. Not that he's a great shooter, but playing for a bad team makes everything look worse than it is. And I don't know about calling Miller the team leader. In my experience, the leader of teams were generally the best and/or most charismatic players. Miller runs the offense as the PG, but that doesn't make him a leader by itself. Not knowing that much about the team, I would guess Brand was the leader. And that is just among the players. The real leader should be their coach. And, ultimately, Sterling is their real final leader because he sets the tone for the whole organization. I bet Miller could have led the '96-'97 Clipps to the playoffs. They played as a team, not a bunch of guys looking for a contract. JeffB, while Miller won't improve much in absolute terms in his abilities, I bet a simple change of scenery would have him playing much better in a matter of weeks. He is in a position where he cannot do the things he does well. If he were suddenly traded for Mike Bibby, say, I bet his assists, FG%, and just about everything would improve (except his attempts per game). I'd agree with the Cavs that he's not a max player. But, he's certainly better than a midlevel exception player. And, I seriously doubt he's the team-killer he has a reputation of being. If his presence leads to losses, why does he keep getting minutes anyway? As a coach, I would just sit a player who was causing losses. That he does continue to play shows he has the confidence of his coaches, which is a better barometer than the opinions of players anyway since players may have other motives for disliking someone. The one crazy and sad thing about the Clippers this year is that they are shooting themselves in the foot. If they played the season as if they didn't need to worry about their contracts this summer, if they didn't let Sterling get them down, they would be more successful as a team with more wins and would, as a result, get better offers on the FA market. They could all have a successful season with the Clipps and then all bolt in the offseason and get good contracts elsewhere. Instead though, their morale is low and they play for themselves, making the team bad. The crappiness of the team then reflects on them as individuals and lowers their market value. In the end, neither Sterling nor his players will be better off for it.
I completely agree. I think Miller's skills and athleticism won't improve much. I expect his statistical output to improve with a better team. The two reasons why I posted this piece: 1) to point out Miller's value as dropped enough that the Rockets may be able to pursue him 2) to show those among us who suffer from the delusion that Miller is even comparable to Francis, that in their frustration with seeing first-hand Francis' growing pains, they are grossly overrating Miller I see Miller as the second coming of Mark Jackson--very solid and steady, but not spectacular. A really good passer with a suspect outside shot. A good floor general who can't really carry a team on his back (unless he is being guarded by a Rocket). I expect Miller to have a great statistical career. I just hope that unlike Jackson, he can latch on to a team (like Utah) that will commit to him, not expect too much of him, and allow him to do what he does best: play team basketball (not have him iso a lot).
