He had earned it. He had played for many years at a far higher level than Blake. It's not like Miller was a hyped rookie or something. He had a proven NBA level. As did Blake, and Blake's proven level was not sufficient to justify a months-long "competition."
I think it was just a small minority of fans who were vocal about it. I don't know many people who were opposed to his signing, maybe a few who weren't super excited. I think people have really come around on the guy though, in terms of going from just kinda liking him to now really appreciating his game and what he brings to the table. Damn right.
I'm very happy that Blake has left the team. He seriously had a hold on McMillan to persuade him to play him all those minutes... I still can't believe what a b*tch Roy was about wanting Blake in the starting rotation and not adjusting to Miller. Looks pretty ironic now...
Look I was a big Miller fan from the start. But I don't agree that he was entitled to anything based on his success with Cleveland, Clippers, Denver or Philly. His teams rarely made the playoffs. (Although certainly not his fault) But just because he played well on some teams, did not assure he would fit in with the Blazers. Giving him the starting job in the summer would have sent the wrong message to the team. There was no reason to. The starting unit of the Blazers had played well the season before. If it turned out that the team was better off with Miller starting then he would. So it took 15-20 games. Big deal. That is not a long time. You know if Nate would have given the job to Miller and the Blazers got off to a slow start, everyone would have bitched about that too. He played it conservatively. I don't see the issue.
