http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/trail_blazers_andre_miller_and.html An interesting read, but this part in particular caught my eye. I wondered if there would be any fallout from Quick "peeking between the blinds" and illicitly copying times from the conditioning test that got left on a grease board. I'm not saying the recent clusterfuck surrounding Miller's comments to Marc Spears is necessarily all JQ's fault, but I've thought for awhile that Mr. Quick has had some serious bromance going on for Steve Blake and you wonder if the conditioning test results and the media obsession over Miller's personal habits and off-court behavior might have some repercussions -- Sort of a "Welcome to Portland you lazy bum, fuck. Would you like to comment on why you are so reclusive and haven't been taking long walks along the Willamette with Brandon Roy?" Who knows what the real reason Miller popped off to Spears was, but I tend to think he was entitled to set the story straight and at least attempt to get his side of the story out there. For me it's just more evidence that Quick is good at just a couple of things: stirring the pot, and writing stories about who let the biggest ass bomb in the locker room.
Jason Quick stirring it After reading this article I can't help but wonder if Quick has a little bit of drama queen in him......tends to stir the pot. He started off the same way with Oden's article last year. http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/trail_blazers_andre_miller_and.html After Sunday's Trail Blazers practice, point guard Andre Miller addressed the comments he made in this Yahoo Sports story and discussed a host of other issues, including his treatment by the Portland media, his desire to be in Portland and his relationship with coach Nate McMillan. Miller: You were quoted in the story as saying “If I was told right out when I had my meetings that I would be a backup, then I wouldn’t have come (to Portland).” Is that accurate? “Yeah, that’s accurate.” Are you cool with your situation here? Is it a work in progress? “That’s the mentality that every player should have. If it doesn’t go my way, it doesn’t go my way. But I’m going to continue to work hard regardless of the situation. So the coach runs the team and whatever decision he makes, I have to live with it. But I’m not going to change my work habits and my work ethic. I’m going to continue to work hard and that should be every player’s goal going into the season, setting goals to be on the court as much as they can. I wouldn’t be in this position if I didn’t have that mentality. So I understand the situation. It’s a new situation and I don’t want to mess up the thing that’s going on here. I just want to come in and help and however I can help the team, whether coming off the bench or starting. That’s just what I have to deal with.” So is it safe to say you’ve changed the opinion you expressed from the summer? “I like the players. I like the coaches. I like the management. I’m here to win. However they’re going to use me, I have to deal with that. And, like I said, whatever the coaches say, I have to do. But that’s not going to change my work habits. I’m a team player. It was nothing bad as far as what I said about starting. That’s just a goal. Like I say, if the coach goes in a different direction then I have to live with that and that’s my job to continue to come out and support my players.” Do you feel this situation right now will improve? “Yeah, it’s going to improve. Regardless of the situation, this is a talented team. I’m not here to cause any controversy. I’m here to play basketball. Whatever goes on off the court, I’m not going to worry about that. I’m here to play basketball and be on the court.” Judging by your comments in the story, you feel as if you’ve gotten a bad rap from the media. Is that accurate and would like you to comment on that? “Yeah, pretty much. I normally don’t say anything to the media. I’m even tempered. When I saw what was put in about me in the paper, then I did the article with Marc (Spears) to have my say. I didn’t want it to be one sided where people get a bad vibe about me coming to Portland. I came here to help the team. I didn’t come here to bring the team down.” Miller confirmed he is upset with Quick’s story about the Blazers' conditioning test and my story about his reserved personality. “Yeah. Because it’s a first impression thing and that was the fans first impression of me — the conditioning test and the other article about me being a private person. It kind of felt like me coming in (that I) was not a team player, if you want to call it that, or I don’t get along with people. I didn’t mean it like that. I get along with all the players and we’re not even a week-and-a-half into the season. For the fans, for me coming here, I want the fans to judge me by what I do on the court. What I do off the court doesn’t matter.” You can’t start over, but would you like this situation to be improved in general? “It’s dead. It’s dead. That’s in the past. So whatever went on in the paper, it hasn’t effected my practice habits or what I do on the court. So that stuff doesn’t even matter. So the purpose of me even talking to Marc Spears was to just be able to have my say, rather than it to be one sided, where people get an idea or a feel about me that I didn’t feel was a positive feel. So I wanted to just put everything out there straight and, like I said, the basketball stuff is going to take care of itself. I’ve never complained about any situation that I’ve been in when it comes to basketball. I just went out there and played.” Are you and coach McMillan on the same page? “Yeah we are. As long as I’m here practicing and working hard, I feel that I can contribute to the team. It’s his job (and) I can’t control where I fit into that situation. So I’m not going to speak on that. I’m going to continue to work hard, I’m going to continue to be a team player and whether it’s five minutes or 25 minutes, I’m going to be out to contribute. And I think he knows, understands me as a veteran. I’m not going to get caught up in the situation. (This was) something by me having my say.” McMillan: What do you think about Miller’s comment? (“If I was told right out when I had my meetings that I would be a backup, then I wouldn’t have come (to Portland)?) “My office is open to my players and I didn’t read that. I really won’t comment on that because until that is said to me then it’s not something that I’m going to concern myself with. My players, we’ve talked about my door being open, and they can come to me if they feel if there’s a concern or they don’t understand or they don’t know a role. Then I’m here everyday between 7:30 and 8.” Has Miller revealed any displeasure to you? “If that was the case, I would let you know. But no. I put him in the (starting) lineup the other day to look at that combination of players. I’m going to probably go with that lineup again to take a look at that. But, no I have not heard that from any player.” Miller also said in the story that two or four other players did not pass the conditioning test and the times were fixed. Your thoughts? “Again, I can’t comment on something that I don’t know to be true. It was written and the players know (where) we (stand) on that. And we can talk. That, again, that’s conversation; it may or may not be. But the lines of communication are open with the group.” How do you think Miller has looked so far? “It’s not just Andre. I’ve played him with a lot of different combinations. As a group, we have to get better. And he’s trying to learn a whole new system, what we do and how we do things and so he’s trying to absorb a lot. We’ve given them a lot and he knows how to play but he still has to learn how we play. On both ends of the floor. And you don’t get that in two or three weeks.” oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/trail_blazers_andre_miller_and.html
Re: Jason Quick stirring it Funny, we must have had the same thought to post this article about a minute apart.
LMAO, shit I just posted the same article and virtually same comments as you sorry please merge......
Re: Jason Quick stirring it I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not but this is a Joe Freeman article.
Re: Jason Quick stirring it No sorry for the confusion. The article is talking about comments that Quick wrote about Miller. I think Quick tends to read a little to much into things at times and makes assumptions. He stirred the pot with Oden last year and this year is stirring it with Miller.
I can't believe that someone can say this: Miller: You were quoted in the story as saying “If I was told right out when I had my meetings that I would be a backup, then I wouldn’t have come (to Portland).” Is that accurate? “Yeah, that’s accurate.” Also ends up saying this: Are you cool with your situation here? Is it a work in progress? “That’s the mentality that every player should have. If it doesn’t go my way, it doesn’t go my way. But I’m going to continue to work hard regardless of the situation. So the coach runs the team and whatever decision he makes, I have to live with it. But I’m not going to change my work habits and my work ethic. I’m going to continue to work hard and that should be every player’s goal going into the season, setting goals to be on the court as much as they can. I wouldn’t be in this position if I didn’t have that mentality. So I understand the situation. It’s a new situation and I don’t want to mess up the thing that’s going on here. I just want to come in and help and however I can help the team, whether coming off the bench or starting. That’s just what I have to deal with.” Um, right...
Well, if I were to defend Miller, I'd observe that there is a difference between not being allowed to compete for the starting spot, and competing for the starting spot and losing the competition. The first quote could refer to the former, and the second quote to the latter. barfo
Other NBA city papers aren't like this. It can't be coincidence that both Quick and Canzano stir up trouble. There must be a common cause. Their boss, their Editor, must direct them to do so. The fault of these constant earthquakes is at the core of Oregonian management. I doubt that all of this destruction sells any more papers than would have sold anyway. These same social engineers once caused many uproars, which caused a 50-win team to be blown up, which caused the fans to endure 5 years of a lousy team.
That's a frightening thought. The media/newpapers are supposed to report the news, not make them (nor make them up). I love this current incarnation of the Blazers and I hope they don't get blown up because a sensationalistic newspaper wants to amplify something small into an grand-scale drama so that they can increase their cirulation numbers.
This has been going on for years. They campaigned against Allen owning the team. They even campaigned to run Clyde out of town (this was before the 2 trips to the finals). The Dwight Jaynes column about trading Clyde for Harold Minor has to be one of the most hideous jokes in the history of sports writing! Their attacks on Kiki and his family were also inexplicable and way out of line.
The local media didn't like Kiki for political reasons. He came out of UCLA as a Rhodes Scholar finalist, was the very first pick ever of the Mavericks, and held out because Texas is reactionary. After missing 25 games, they had to trade him to Denver. He was always booed in Dallas as a player, but he worked for them after he retired.
Miller is just being honest. He was asked if he would have signed here if he had known he was going to be a backup, and he said no. He wouldn't have signed here. Quite frankly I can't blame him.
He was told at that dinner that Nate envision Miller coming off the bench. Miller said that was then and this is now so he admitted then that Nate told him that. Later he denied Nate said it, but he already admitted he did. I think Miller just thought once he got here he would be handed the starting position. That isn't Nate's fault. It's easy to say now he wouldn't have sign if he wasn't going to be the starter, but I doubt that is the case seeing as Miller knew Nate said he was going to come off the bench before he signed.
I never read that anywhere. Show me a link. Miller from what I have read and heard was never told he would be coming off the bench at the dinner meeting with Nate.
Personally, I'm glad to hear Miller is "reserved" about his personal life. It's his business. I hate it when everyone expects some celeb to live his/her private life on the front page. If he's not Paris Hilton, more power to him.
Isn't there a middle ground though? I'm not sure anyone expects him to "live his private life on the front page", but upon interaction with the media or fans, nothing wrong with being warm or inviting, even cordial would suffice. I get the impression he just comes off as cold, in a sort of "I don't even know you, but I don't like you" kind of way. That's how he came off to me at the PF tour. Regardless I think too much is being made of the subject.
