Andre Miller Talks Trade Rumors

[STChaser]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7344


STChaser

[ankle420breaker]

everything about Miller just embodies professionalism

[The Guilty Party]

While the "blue collar" player tends to be the most beloved in Philly, I do believe Philly fans respect and love players who are true professionals.

Andre Miller may one of the classiet individuals to ever wear a Sixer uni. I think a lot of other veteran PGs would have asked for a trade as soon as they got here last season (rightfully so).

[dond]

I believe Andre Miller is a pure basketball player who loves to play as long as everyone is working hard and getting better at playing "the right way". He takes pride in helping teams get better. Would he like to be playing for a contender ... certainly, who wouldn't. However, I think he really sees hope in the near future for this team. I do too.

[The Guilty Party]

I feel good about the team's future although when I look at what/how the Heat are rebuilding.... my stomach turns. Pat Riley "gets it"... Billy King and Ed Stefanski do not.

[ankle420breaker]

I think a lot of other veteran PGs would have asked for a trade as soon as they got here last season (rightfully so).

I agree that most other veteran players in Miller's situation would have requested a trade upon arriving in Philly, but I disagree that they would be within their rights to do so. Everyone in this league knows the stakes that go along with being an NBA player. Players get traded, and players land in situations that may be at odds with their personal wishes. In today's NBA, the amount of players expressing how unsatisfied they are is getting flat out ridiculous. Its really sad that Miller has become a rare breed by just quietly going to work every day and accepting his role.

[The Guilty Party]

You're right and I should have reworded the "rightfully so". A lot of players would have asked for the trade and so I applaud Miller for being a man and a professional for showing up to work and doing his job.

What makes you feel better about the future? Williams starting at the point the rest of this year and having $20MIL in cap space and two draft picks.... or Miller starting at the point and us having $10MIL in cap space and pick #12 again??

[ankle420breaker]

What makes you feel better about the future? Williams starting at the point the rest of this year and having $20MIL in cap space and two draft picks.... or Miller starting at the point and us having $10MIL in cap space and pick #12 again??

I guess it really depends on what we can get for Miller. Now that we are 9 days away from the trade deadline we may see some teams up their offers for Miller's services. Along with increased cap room, what kind of draft pick/and or young prospect could we get for Miller?

[The Guilty Party]

I can't see any of the teams below us in the standings trading for Miller and giving up their 1st Rd pick so my guess is that the pick would be somewhere in the high teens to low 20s.

If we move Miller, I think I would want expiring contracts and a prospect.

[bigdavid]

We should keep Miller. Point guards can usually play at a high level into their mid to late thirties.

If we are rebuilding it would take years to get a young point guard with millers experience. The foundation of a winning team is the Point guard. Why let go of one of the best?

I think we really need is a shooting guard and a power forward.

[ankle420breaker]

If we move Miller, I think I would want expiring contracts and a prospect.

It would be nice to get a trio of an expiring, a pick, and a prospect... but I'm with you on being more in favor of a prospect than a late first rounder. Seeing as Ed is very high on Miller's contributions, that prospect would have to carry a certain level of appeal for us to part ways with Andre.

[Grenerd686]

If we were to get a prospect would it be a PF (Blatche) or PG. Does anyone on this board see Williams as the long term option for us at PG. I see Williams as playing the role of Barbosa, were he comes off the bench and gives us a spark.

[Sixerscan]

We should keep Miller. Point guards can usually play at a high level into their mid to late thirties.

Not really.

[cx09]

I feel good about the team's future although when I look at what/how the Heat are rebuilding.... my stomach turns. Pat Riley "gets it"... Billy King and Ed Stefanski do not.

i understand what you're saying but i feel like you need to give stefanski more of a chance. he inherited a non-ideal situation wrought with king's mistakes, the 60 cents/dollar he got for iverson being chief among them. unlike riley, stefanski doesn't exactly have the most dominant big-man of the last 15 years as a trade chip (i guarantee you no player on the current sixers roster gets traded for marion & banks, regardless of how obvious it is to you that they're better than shaq), nor does he have large expiring contracts attached to useless players (davis, williams).

just curious, what would you say he should've done differently up to this point?

[Carmelo Anthony]

I'm sure a few will knock me for saying this because they will take this out of context but to me... Andre Miller is Eric Snow V.2 Upgraded.

But this situation is different because back in Snows days here he had Iverson and quite a few other veterans around him (Mckie, Hill,Dikembe). Miller has been thrown into a very young team and has been able to still keep a level had and make players around him better. And I know some people don't think he does but if his work ethic and determination can rub off on only one of the younger guys that's more than enough to make me happy.

I would never choose either of them to run a sprint, or enter a shooting contest, but they know what they are good at and stick with it. Both are professionals who realize they can only control themselves and nothing around them and understand the business aspect of the league and don't let it hamper their game one bit.

I've always been a fan of Miller and his style of play. Yes I like the flashy players who can light it up on any given night, but it's nice to see someone who is able to go out there every night and produce consistently.

So if I was running the Sixers, which obviously I'm not. I'd keep Miller around for a while. Cap Space or not you need someone on the team that can keep it together and bring that veteran presence that a lot of teams are lacking.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

Or you just need a guy that can make plays. Example: That Brandon Roy kid is pretty nice.

[Johnny Broad-Street]

Is that all?

[76erinSJ]

Miller is a much better Offensive player then Snow. And has a much better passing ability. Snow defense was top notch tho.

[Carmelo Anthony]

Miller is a much better Offensive player then Snow. And has a much better passing ability. Snow defense was top notch tho.

I agree with all of those, I wasn't comparing their games just their roles on this team.

If Miller had Snow's defense.... Oh man.

[Fire BK]

-= original quote snipped =-



i understand what you're saying but i feel like you need to give stefanski more of a chance. he inherited a non-ideal situation wrought with king's mistakes, the 60 cents/dollar he got for iverson being chief among them. unlike riley, stefanski doesn't exactly have the most dominant big-man of the last 15 years as a trade chip (i guarantee you no player on the current sixers roster gets traded for marion & banks, regardless of how obvious it is to you that they're better than shaq), nor does he have large expiring contracts attached to useless players (davis, williams).

just curious, what would you say he should've done differently up to this point?

completely agree.

G.Party, I'm shocked that you (1) grouped Ed Stefanski with BK and (2) claimed that Ed doesn't "get it" regarding rebuilding. Usually your posts are pretty logical. Where did this come from? What are you basing this on?

Comparing the Heat to the Sixers in terms of rebuilding projects is outrageously unfair to Stefanski. The teams have completely different pieces in terms of talent-level and contracts. If you or I were running the Heat, and Steve Kerr called to offer the Matrix for your 35-yr old center, we would both accept in a heartbeat. Believe me, Stefanski would too. But he has a much different challenge.

Stefanski has done everything right since taking over the Sixers. He's evaluating. He's not getting locked into any preconceived notions about what moves this team should make. Like any good basketball mind, he saw a major logjam at the wing position, and got rid of the worst defensive liability since Izel Jenkins to make room for Thad. It was the exact right trade for this rebuilding project. KK was the odd-man out on this team, and anyone who paid attention could see that the Sixers +/- was significantly better without him. For all the KK supporters out there, just wake up and admit that he still can't defend.

Stefanski has opened up the playing time for all the young athletes on this team. Believe me, he "gets it."

He's been here a little bit longer than 2 months. Everybody sees the Gasol/Shaq mega-deals and suddenly expects their respective team to make a blockbuster. These trades were the result of very specific, relative circumstances. If Stefanski could hit a home run right now, he would.

But he's not getting offered anything more than expirings and a late pick for Miller. He's doing the right thing by keeping him. Andre Miller is playing at a very high level right now. Plus, you want to talk about rebuilding? That's a long-term project. By keeping Miller, you stagger your cap space. This way, he'll have flexibility both this summer and next.

What exactly do you expect Stefanski to do at this point? If a slam dunk for Miller becomes available, he'll do it. Otherwise, you have to be patient. The young guys are developing. Sam has improved drastically this year. The team's future is bright.

Lastly, people keep making the mistake of expecting Ed to know what will be available this summer via FA and trade. That continues to baffle me. People say things like, don't trade Reggie Evans until you know exactly what you'll do with that cap space. Nonsense. I can see keeping Evans because he's a productive role player off the bench. But nobody knows who will become available this summer in any capacity. We can see who the FA's and RFA's will be, but it's impossible to project who exactly will want to come to the Sixers. In fact, pursuing this would be tampering.

Also, with injuries, the unknown fate of teams in the upcoming playoffs, and countless other factors, nobody knows what will happen this summer. That's the whole point of having cap space. Because nobody knows what disgruntled star will become available, or what young player will emerge to render someone expendable, the name of the game is flexibility. That's what you aim for when you're rebuilding. Not predicting the future. That's impossible. You want flexibility for flexibility's sake. Not for some specific name who may or may not become available (and the names people keep throwing out there are beyond ridiculous - Josh Smith, Arenas, Brand, etc.). If you don't use all your cap space this summer, it doesn't expire. It doesn't disappear. It's not a wasted opportunity. There's absolutely no shame in remaining under the cap for multiple years until the right piece becomes available.

Ed Stefasnki is a fan's dream for GM. He grants interviews to bloggers. He calls 10 season-ticket holders per day to ask them about the status of the franchise. He is a great basketball mind. And he's a Philly guy. Stefasnki knows talent, and he knows the business. Believe me, he "gets it."