He said Joel and Blake were the starters going into game and that they would start the FIRST pre-season game. He's already shown he's willing to look at all his options, so I don't understand what he did wrong.
I actually don't think it was a bad thing to name the number one overall pick, and "once in a generation center" as the starter.
Why is it, the Blazers are now considered a top three team in the WC, with such a crappy coach and GM? This, in a matter of a few years? Some of you guys really make me chuckle.
The changes from last season are actually more significant. They are: Add above average established Point Guard (as you already mention) Add Oden into the offensive system (as you already mention) Steve Blake in a contract year. Travis Outlaw in a contract year. LaMarcus negotiating a contract extension. Martel Webster returns. Rudy want more minutes and shots. Nic Batum wants (and the team agrees) to be more agressive with his offense. There are other changes from last season, but the direction of this team - unless bodies start dropping - is straight to implosion-land. There is no way even half these guys are going to be satisfied. We will have deserving players get shut out.
Anyway you estimate player minutes, all of them lose big this season compared to last season (except Rudy, Batum, and the 2 centers Oden and Przybilla). Here's what I estimated in Post #42 in http://sportstwo.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2124354#post2124354 next season total..per game..last season total..per game..player 2542 31 2903 37.2 Roy 2542 31 3004 37.1 Aldridge 2050 25 2976 36.3 Miller 2050 25 1993 25.6 Fernandez 1804 22 1952 23.8 Przybilla 1804 22 1314 21.5 Oden 1640 20 1454 18.4 Batum 1558 19 2188 31.7 Blake 1230 15 2246 27.7 Outlaw 0738 09 2132 28.4 Webster (last season = 2007-08) 0738 09 1035 15.4 Udoka 0492 06 0655 12.4 Bayless 0328 04 0353 07.1 Howard (last season = 2007-08) 0164 02 Cunningham 0000 00 Pendergraph 19680 240 totals Roy loses 400 minutes, Aldridge loses 500, Miller loses 900, etc., etc., etc. on down the list. You may disagree on the details, but your list still has to add up to 19,680 (= 82 x 48 x 5), the same as mine. My point: Miller's complaint is just the beginning. There will be many more remarks like this from all players (except as I said, Rudy, Batum, and the 2 centers).
and GM? So the Miles things made him lose all credibility in spite of dragging the Blazers out of the gutter and into the upper level of the NBA? I couldnt imagine what you guys would be saying if you had Stan Van Gundy as a coach...you would all be so confused "He's a spazzing idiot! All he does is talk to his team thru the media!....and get us to the finals?!?"
Until and unless his play is impacted negatively, I don't see anything significant here. Of course he wouldn't have come to Portland if he knew he was not going to start. I can't believe that any of you would think that he would have. Maybe you're surprised by his honesty? *shrug* Ed O.
Seems like the local media has already pissed off Andre a bit, and I don't really blame him. Our media just puts everything in too much of a microscope.
If he's so concerned about the way the fans perceive his behavior, crying about "the situation" to the national media isn't gonna help his cause.
Here's more followup from B-Edge: http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/11/1080444/in-managing-andre-miller-nate
If the plan really is to bring Miller off the bench (and I ain't saying it is), but if coming off the bench will freak him out for whatever reason, then start the guy and pull him after a couple of minutes. There! Problem solved...
I knew that Nate's propensity for hammering shots of tequilla with his meals would come back to haunt him...
Miller's quote was to a national writer. Explain how the local media "pissed off" Miller, when he apparently gave a whiny quote to a national writer. The big baby needs to learn that this team won 54 games w/out him. If he wants to still be "the man" on an average team, he probably should have had his agent work harder to keep him in Philly.
In the link I previously provided, there are several quotes by Miller that make it pretty clear he's less than thrilled with the local media, like this one: The rest of the conversation
Andre Miller : bitching about PT to the national media, picking phantom fights with the local media, and basically accusing his coach of lying about what was said at the Vegas dinner. What a week. No wonder he's bounced around the league.
After thinking about this some more and reading Miller's new comments, I'm thinking it's not so serious. I think Miller isn't denying that Nate said he might be on the 2nd unit; he (Miller) just never really thought that was gonna happen. He thought he was gonna prove he was the starter. Now he is beginning to understand that isn't going to happen. he is saying that if he had realized 100% that that was not going to happen, he would not have signed here. I don't think he is saying he was misled, and he is not even really saying he does not want to be here; he's just saying being a "starter" is really important to him and he wouldn't have signed here if he knew he wouldn't be one. But it sounds like he is willing to accept the situation and work as hard as ever. It would be nice if he could say that he will do whatever he has to make this a great team, he still seems to be holding back a little. I think it would also be good if Nate called him into his office and communicated more directly what he is thinking and doing. I think he would appreciate being a confidante of McMillan just like Roy is, but he is not the kind of guy to initiate that.
I posted months ago that getting Andre may be a problem because players on teams he's played on before said he was a lockeroom cancer. Infact I think I had a debate with Crimson about Miller's reputation. That said... these are cancerous types of statements to make very early on before anything is set in stone. This might be a reason Miller was such an easy get this summer? I for one think Miller could make this team a mess if not made happy about playing time and title of starter. Buyer be ware of about Miller has already started to become accurate.
