| Miller Could Be The Answer Authored by Derek Flack - November 29, 2007 - 8:45 pm
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Kidd and his career average of 9.1 assists per game is probably the preferred candidate for most fans of the Cavs organization, but trading for him could prove difficult.
Being in the Eastern Conference gives every team (good or bad) an outside shot at making the playoffs. With Kidd still running the offense for the Nets they have a legitimate shot at not only making the playoffs, but also making a run at the Conference finals.
The Nets just need their big three (Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Vince Carter) to stay healthy, if they do then a deep playoff run is a realistic possibility. For that reason, it would take a lot to pry Kidd away from the Nets and the Cavaliers don't have enough attractive pieces to draw Rod Thorn's attention.
Miller, however, is a viable prospect that should excite the Cavs organization and fans.
Cleveland fans will remember the dawn of the new millennium when their terrible team drafted Miller, who hails from the University of Utah, in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft. Miller was fresh off of back to back deep NCAA tournament runs and brought stability and precision passing to the Cavs backcourt.
In his third year in the league with the Cavs, Miller averaged 10.9 assists per game, proving that he could lead a team and get the ball to the right players at the right time. He still possesses these attributes in his 9th year in the league and could bring his leadership to the Cavs and help them become a legitimate force in the East.
Having Miller on the same team as LeBron could instantly make the Cavs a better team and could make LeBron even more difficult to guard. LeBron is a great facilitator, but he could lead the Cavs to more wins if a point guard like Miller were running the offense.
With Miller, LeBron could operate without the ball in his hands by running his defenders off of screens or take them into the post (where he is very skilled).
Currently, the Cavs don’t have a player that can consistently get the ball to LeBron in these situations, so it forces James to isolate and create things on his own for most of the game. Miller makes these options a possibility.
In three years with the team the ex-Cavalier had some of his best seasons in Cleveland. As a rookie in 1999-00 he averaged 11.2 points and 5.8 assists per game. His 2nd season with the Cavs he put up 15.8 points and 8 assists a night, which was followed by his most impressive NBA season in 2001-02, his final year in Cleveland, when he averaged 16.5 points and 10.9 assists per game.
Bringing Miller back as a part of the Cleveland organization would benefit both parties. The Cavs would finally have a point guard that they can depend on. Miller would be free from the horrible situation he is currently in with the 76ers.
Philadelphia is a very young team that is in the process of rebuilding. They see the 21 year old Louis Williams as their floor general of the future, so they are trying to find ways to get him more minutes at the point. |
