http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/holl...r/statistics?position=pg&sort=VORP&order=true By Most of the stats, Andre is solidly a Top-10 Point Guard in this league. He's just never mentioned. There's so few players I'd trade him for; he's a true value at his contract and position. (tangent: Patty Mills is #43 on that list -- that makes him a mid-range backup if you assume there's 30 starting PG's and 30 backup PG's... Bayless is #42 ) I'm glad we didn't get Devin Harris, actually; I'd been watching these stats, and Miller beats out Harris in most categories.
Yep, me too. I've been a big Miller supporter since day one. He's just so smart, durable and competitive. He's definitely old school, and I like that. Harris has played well in spurts, but he's not as consistent, or nearly as durable as Andre. Yeah, Harris is younger, but what good is younger if it's sitting behind the bench in a suit? I'll take Miller on the court, producing game after game after game... BNM
The thing about Miller is the way he plays the game, I think he'll be a valuable player until he's in his 40's.
Since he doesn't rely on athleticism, and uses his brain to beat his oppoenents, he could be the Hoyt Wilhelm of the NBA. For those not old enough to remember him, Wilhelm was a knuckleballer in the 1950, 1960s and early 70s who pitched in the majors until he was 49 and made the all-star team at 47. Since he relied on a knuckleball, which doesn't require a lot of arm strength, he was able to have a very long career. BNM
I don't think it is strictly true that Miller doesn't rely on athleticism. An important aspect of his game is his ability to slash to the hoop...while he uses some amount of craftiness and experience to accomplish that, you also need a pretty solid amount of athleticism to consistently drive through NBA defenses and finish at the hoop. At some point, all the intelligence in the world isn't going to be sufficient if his quickness disappears entirely. I do think he's likely to at least be an effective floor leader into his late career, just because he's so smart and skilled. His production, however, may not fare so well a few years on. That said, I hope Portland keeps Miller for at least as long as they don't have a superior point guard.
Well said & repped. Obviously 'Dre isn't a high flying, acrobatic, cat quick/blow-by-you type of player. But . . . Anybody remember the Dunk in Denver last year? (see 1st link below) Not the quickest guy laterally, but once he gets a step he usually beats the help defender to the rim. He's quick off the floor too - watch him grab an offensive board in traffic just by getting off the floor first. And he's also got fast hands & quick reflexes, as evidenced by all of the reach in and poke the ball away steals. Too much is made of 'Dre's "Old Man Game". Yes he's crafty. He uses his body to seal off his defender well, and he likes to bust out pump fakes and spin moves quite a bit. But at the end of the day, when he loses another step (Yes, he's already lost one) he won't score at the rim as much. And when the reflexes slow down, he'll be swiping at air when he reaches in for a steal. Check out the other links below. 2nd one is a put back dunk at 1:18. 3rd one is a couple of HUGE blocks on Ricky Davis & Dirk, granted, from a few years back. Okay, more than "a few". Point is that we're not talking about Steve Blake here - Andre Miller IS a good athlete. Certainly not a Gerald Wallace athletic freak, but something in between. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etSJam5VgH8&feature=related 'Dre's Dunk in Denver http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCll14sypvs 'Dre Highlight mix - Check out put back dunk at 1:18 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCm3cETMol0&feature=related 'Dre blocking Ricky Davis & Dirk on Dunk Attempts (okay, from a few years back)
