Anyway, I posted this in another thread a while ago, but it illustrates why he is the guy I wanted:
semi-sentient wrote:supaflash wrote:I've been on him for a while. I know some people hate him, but he's a tough competitor and would be a good addition. He's getting up there in age, but he doesn't have a ton of mileage, especially coming off a season of rest like he just had. He's got a great work ethic, always in shape so I'm not worried about that. With this type of team, hungry vets are always going to be the best fit. I would be he would be way more consistent then Farmar, and with him and Sasha out on the floor together at times they would harass the crap out of people and spread the floor bigtime.
Vet - Steady and probably wont' complain about role/minutes
Consistent shooter
Good defender
Good skill to play Tri Point
More good points. He doesn't have a lot of mileage at all, and his 3-point shooting is pretty fantastic and much needed.
Here's a comparison of the last 5 regular seasons between Miller and Bell, at least statistically.Code: Select all
GP MIN PTS 3P% REB AST STL BLK TOV
======================================================================
Mike Miller 70 39.1 18.5 .406 5.4 4.3 0.8 0.3 2.6
70 35.3 16.4 .432 6.7 3.4 0.5 0.2 2.6
73 32.3 9.9 .378 6.6 4.5 0.4 0.2 2.0
54 33.3 10.9 .480 6.2 3.9 0.7 0.2 2.1
Raja Bell 78 37.4 14.7 .413 3.2 2.5 0.6 0.3 1.1
75 35.3 11.9 .401 3.7 2.2 0.7 0.4 0.9
67 34.6 11.9 .421 3.6 2.1 0.7 0.1 1.3
6 30.0 11.8 .444 3.8 2.2 0.7 0.3 0.8
The biggest difference is that Miller is clearly a better rebounder and play-maker. Rebounding is a non-issue because we're already one of the best rebounding teams in the league. It comes down to whether we want a better play-maker in Miller or a better/tougher defender in Bell.
IMO, Bell will be a better role better for us, but he won't be able to provide the type of relief that we might like behind Kobe because he's just that -- a role player. Miller is more of a guy that can carry us for short periods while Kobe rests up. On the other hand, Bell has displayed more consistency so we know exactly what we'll be getting, whereas Miller has fell off as a scorer the past couple of seasons. Raja Bell also seems more mature and probably brings us some additional leadership/toughness that I think Miller somewhat lacks.
Also... Raja has seemingly performed better in the post-season, although neither guy has been in the playoffs for several seasons (3 most recent seasons shown).Code: Select all
GP MIN PTS 3P% REB AST STL BLK TOV
======================================================================
Mike Miller 4 24.5 7.5 .385 3.0 0.8 1.2 0.0 1.2
4 27.5 12.0 .471 2.5 2.8 0.0 0.7 1.2
4 26.8 8.5 .125 3.8 1.8 0.5 0.5 2.0
Raja Bell 17 39.6 13.6 .465 2.8 2.2 0.7 0.2 0.6
11 39.8 10.2 .444 3.0 1.8 0.9 0.2 1.4
5 43.0 13.6 .650 5.6 2.2 0.4 0.2 1.0
I think I just convinced myself that Raja is the better choice, particularly since he's likely going to take less money.
