Nate & Miller driven apart by similarities

I think this article dances around the real issue, which is that Miller believes in a different style of basketball than McMillan does. I have to assume - since no one in the esteemed Portland-area sports media community has pursued this issue - that Miller thought when he was signed to come to Portland that it signaled the team was interested in running more, with him leading the way. And I have to wonder if McMillan really believed that he could sign a veteran, All-star quality point guard whose tendency is to run and control the ball, and then turn him into either a backup, or a deferential PG alongside Brandon Roy.

Where Brian Smith is undeniably correct is that McMillan blew the communication with Miller. He should've treated this guy like an additional assistant coach, given Miller's intelligence, experience, and relative advanced age, compared to the rest of the team. I have to wonder if Miller didn't join the Blazers thinking "OK, I'm going to be the big brother around here..." Problem is, McMillan treated him like the weird, quiet uncle, and Miller hasn't gotten the respect he's deserved.

I hope that the whole blow-up has splashed cold water on McMillan's face and shown him that Miller deserves a whole lot better.

 

Conversely, if Miller opened his mouth once in a while and made an effort to speak, he wouldn't be considered the quiet uncle.

But as usual, this entirely Nate's fault.

 

Point taken.

To clarify, I'm not in the "everything is Nate's fault" crowd. In fact, I think he's a darn good coach.

I just think there was a culture clash and a lack of understanding of what the situation in Portland was going to truly look like. I put more of that responsibility for that on Nate than I do on Andre for one main reason: Nate is the reigning coach of a very good team and Miller was the new guy coming in to contribute.

Why should Miller be the one initiating communication? It ought to be the coach making every effort to integrate that guy. Miller can't integrate himself - because he doesn't know the other players, the system, or the team's needs. He knows what he prefers doing - but if that's not what fits the team's needs, it's really up to the coach to set him straight.

All that being said, I'm really hoping that the explosion the other day and the looser reins in the LA game are steps toward Miller and McMillan not just communicating, but learning how the Blazers are going to run an offense that both Miller and McMillan like - and that wins games.

 

Interesting quote from Smith's Twitter:

"I don't think we're running enough."

~Nate McMillan

 

^^This. It's a coaches job to manage his roster and that doesn't mean a "one-size-fits-all" approach. I give Nate a lot of credit for apologizing to the team for the way he handled the situation. As for the long term effects I hope this has helped the two come to some kind of accomodation or at least a better understanding of the expectations each has.

 

Indeed. I should've mentioned Nate's apology in addition to the blow-up itself, and the Laker game as signs things could improve.

 

Dude that wrote that pos is a total pussy. They are men not days of our lives or survivor. Makes me puke.

 

"I don't think I'm an evil dictator."

~ Me

... doesn't mean I want to be one.

 

Brian Smith pretty much runs circles around J Quick as a beat reporter (maybe not saying much), he's been killing it in his first year covering the team.

 

He does use the word "enough." Not having enough of something suggests believing you need more.

To use your example, I think the better equivalent would be: "I don't think I'm enough of an evil dictator." I think saying that would imply you want to be more of an evil dictator than you currently are.

 

"Nate & Miller driven apart by similarities"

NBA head coaches are mostly former NBA point guards. Andre Miller may well be a future head coach. Because of Pritchard's bake philosophy, Nate has only dealt with young moldable players. Now, he has a future head coach, and he's finding that he can't just push him around like the youngsters. This is why I say we should trade for experienced players. Miller knows everything McMillan knows as a player. As a coach, he's behind, of course.

 

IMO this team would be more effective with Millers role being that of a player/coach, calling the plays from the point.

McMillans offensive sets are well and truly offensive.

 

I think the blow up was probably good and shorten any divide between Nate and Miller not widen it as this article seems to be saying.

 

Actually it's more likely that Steve Blake is a future head coach than Miller. That's because NBA head coaches seem to be the less talented former players, the ones who had to learn every little trick to survive. So they have quite a repertoire of skills to teach, even if they themselves weren't the sharpest at carrying them out.

 

Perhaps. But the counter-argument would be that, "I don't think we're running" doesn't make a ton of sense grammatically. Throwing "enough" in there just makes it sound right, whether or not it fits with the rest of the thought.