Entries Tagged 'Andre Miller' ↓

Andre Miller 2007 Season Review

Stats: 36.7 MPG / 17.0 PPG / 49.2% FG / 8.8% 3PT / 77.2% FT / 4.2 RPG / 6.9 APG / 1.28 SPG / 0.7 BPG / 2.51 TOV

Andre Miller hands-down was the team MVP in my book. He had career highs in shooting % and points per game. Committing only 2.5 turnovers per game was the second-best season of his career. He controlled the flow of the game and made big shots all year. The one thing he did especially well was stop opponents’ runs. Whenever the Sixers were on a scoring drought, he would come down, work his way into the short corner and nail that 15-footer.

Defensively Miller was at his strongest against the bigger point guards in the NBA. He completely forced Chauncey Billups out of his post offense by not allowing him to easily back Andre down. Many people have criticized his perimeter defense against quick guards like Tony Parker, Chris Paul, etc. Guess what, people, no one in the NBA has proven they can keep those types of point guards in front. I find myself yelling at the TV every time I watch a game for defenders to keep guys in front. So to judge him on the basis of keeping the fastest players in the league in front is a bit unfair. He knows his limitations and gives space to these guys and contests their shots when they pull up. Andre Miller is quite adequate at the point of the 76ers’ defense in my eyes.

Offensively what can you say about this guy? He understands how to get the shots he is comfortable with and capable of making. He is a poor three-point shooter, but he knows that evidenced by him taking only 34 all season. He has a solid post-up game when smaller guards play him and uses his herky jerky ball-handling to get by the bigger defenders. When your point guards shoots 49% (6th among NBA point guards), can you really complain that much?

Grade: A+

What Andre Miller Should Improve

Not exactly sure what more you can expect from a 32-year-old, nine year NBA veteran. But for the sake of being consistent with this series of posts, I came up with something.

Some may say improve his 3-point shooting, and sure that would be great. But I don’t think he has that shot in his game at all. His form and shot trajectory doesn’t lend itself at all for long-range shooting. At this stage of his career there is no sense messing with a 49% shooter.

Another statement I have heard a lot was that this was the best season of his career. I disagree. He increased his offensive numbers, but from a pure point guard standpoint the ‘01-’02 season was undeniably his best. And that is the Andre Miller I want to see for the remainder of his career.

A high assist, solid mid-range shooting point guard whose main purpose is to facilitate offense for the rest of his team. 6.9 assists per game is low for a guy I consider to have great court vision and pass-making ability. More on this in the “Ideal Role Section.”

Should Miller Be on the Roster Next Season?

If he isn’t, the Philadelphia 76ers will have regressed. I will continue to preach my assertion that the center then point guard positions are the most difficult to fill with a better than average player. And we have a top 10 NBA point guard right now. Not only that, but he fits perfect with the up-tempo style of play and inexperienced roster we currently have.

Now if you tell me we can move Miller for O.J. Mayo or Jarryd Bayless in the draft or Rajon Rondo as a player currently in the NBA then we are talking.

Ideal Role for Andre Miller on the 2008 Team

This one is easy because I don’t think Miller’s role changes all that much. He still should be the silent leader that he was last season. But I would like for him to be more of a passer than the scorer he was in ‘08. There is obviously a caveat to that statement. If the Sixers don’t do anything to upgrade the roster on the offensive end (i.e. a shooter and/or scoring post player) Andre Miller will have no choice but shoulder more of a scoring role.

I read some nonsense a while ago in the Deep Sixer comments about Andre Miller not being a drive-and-kick type of passer and that Andre Iguodala is much better at that. That was one of the dumbest things I read. Look at that ‘01-’02 Cavs team Miller was on. He was surrounded by shooters, most notably Wesley Person (44% 3pt) and Lamond Murry (42% 3pt). Miller as a 25-year-old third year player went on to lead the league in assists on a 23-53 club. Makes you think what he is capable of in the drive-and-kick game when provided with adequate shooters!

Next - Louis Williams

See all players reviewed in the Evaluating the ‘07-’08 76ers Series

The game Sixers fans have been waiting for has finally come and gone. I had the pleasure of sitting in the lower level at the Wachovia Center directly across from the Denver bench for Allen Iverson’s return to Philly, as evidenced by the photograph above. And the game was everything a fan could have hoped for.

This makes two perfect 76ers’ games in a row that I have attended. We got a great high-scoring affair, some fantastic plays on both ends, a very good game from AI and most importantly the Sixers got another win.

Observations from the game

• Sellout crowd (as if we expected anything less) - 20,674. All the speculation leading up to tonight was whether or not Iverson would be well-received and be welcomed with a standing ovation during pre-game. Come on, did anyone really think that wouldn’t happen? We are talking about the most beloved 76er since Julius Erving. Iverson said after the game “I dreamed it up a certain way, and it was better than that.” And I concur, much respect given to the little man.
• Andre Miller brought his A-game on his 32^nd birthday. Last game Miller dominated with his post game. He did some more of that, but tonight he really displayed what I consider arguably the best mid-range game in the NBA. Mixed with some swift ball-handling to get in position, Miller nailed jumper after jumper after jumper in that 15-17 foot range. It was textbook and refreshing to watch. Andre Miller’s line: 28 pts, 12 asts, 4 tos, on 13-21 shooting.
• A.I. did his thing - but it was quiet greatness. Sure he scored 32 points, had 8 dimes, only 2 turns and shot 54% from the floor. But it wasn’t explosive, more like business as usual for the Answer. He had one HUGE shot late in the 4^th quarter when Denver was down 3; he nailed a much-contested three-pointer to even the score. But that is where his heroics ended. The most interesting thing I noticed about A.I was his competitiveness; he didn’t want to be shown up even once. Every time a Sixers player would score or shake him, Iverson would come down court and go right at him. Tonight he scored on nearly every possession after someone scored on him. A little something I like to call “Right Back!”
• In such an offensively dominated game (the Sixers had 9 uncontested dunks in the first half), the 76ers won on the defensive end. And almost lost it at the free throw line shooting a disgraceful 54.5%. You could see Mo Cheeks mimicking the foul shot motion in the 4^th quarter when his guys were at the line, like he was trying to will it in for them. Through three quarters the 76ers on average allowed 31 points per quarter. Coach Cheeks got his team to slow the game down and as Mark Zumoff would say “Lock all windows and doors” only giving up 20 points in the final quarter. The stellar defense reached his peak with the score tied at 110-110. Sammy D. came through again with two huge blocks on Carmelo Anthony.
• The final game note is about the fans. The entire game the Philly fans were 100% supportive every time A.I. touched the ball, scored or made a great play. They cheered loud and often. That is until with about 10-minutes left in the fourth quarter when the game got a little closer and it was clearly “winning time” for the home team. At that point every time Iverson got the ball or scored you could hear boo’s, mixed in with significantly less cheering from the crowd. This should answer the question of whether the majority of the spectators were Sixers fans who loved A.I. or strictly Iverson fans living in Philly.

At the end of the night, it was just another Sixers victory. But this one puts the team at .500 since the 4^th game of the season when we were 2-2.

I caught myself watching the league-wide scoreboard during the game to see keep an eye on what Washington was doing. Sadly, the Wizards won another game we all were hoping they would and should lose. Still only a half game back I am confident the Sixers will get it done. Move into the 6^th seed by season’s end and set up the perfect match-up in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

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According to the 76ers’ PR people the Sixers are the only NBA team that allows fans in their locker room. I don’t know if that is true or just PR propaganda to shed a positive and unique light on the team; either way it is pretty cool they let fans in there.

As you already know, Saturday I was at the San Antonio game. I went with my gf who got tickets through her college’s (Franklin & Marshall) Philadelphia alumni chapter. (The Sixers’ VP of Sales is an F&M alum.) They raffled off a chance to walk through the 76er locker room during the game. And with my luck, we won (16 in 120 chance). There was a downside though. The tour was during the entire 3rd quarter! Well, the die-hard fan that I am I decided I couldn’t miss an entire quarter so my gf went instead. Below are the great pictures she got during the tour. Enjoy.

NOTE: I had a picture of the 76ers’ whiteboard before the San Antonio Spurs victory on here when I first posted this article. After some thought and being contacted by the Sixers organization I decided to take it down. Why? As loyal fans of the Sixers we can’t have the team’s plays and strategies posted on the Internet for opponents to figure out how we are kicking their @$$es, now can we? Let’s go Sixers!

Above: Andre Miller’s two lockers. Count ‘em, he has 30 boxes of sneakers.

Above: Sixers’ workout room

I am writing this post after getting home from another superb performance and win by our 76ers over the San Antonio Spurs. That means my head has not exploded - yet. In my opinion this was the perfect basketball game to attend when you are a die-hard fan of the home team has 3 main characteristics.

1. Some exciting plays and moments. That can be dunks, crossovers or draining a few big three point shots.
2. A comfortable lead that is not too large that you lose interest because the game is a rout.
3. A victory. Obviously this is the most important trait.

This game, at least for me, was perfect. It had all the aspects, and the win is even sweeter coming against the defending NBA champions.

Observations from the game

• Another packed house - 19,942. Compared to the Boston game the crowd was almost entirely Philly dominated. The fans were electric from the opening tap, and this was easily the loudest the Wachovia Center has been in all the games I’ve attended.
• Andre Miller’s post game was dominating against Tony Parker. Parker’s weak defense was completely exposed all game by Miller. What I found interesting was Miller’s pre-game and halftime routine. Almost every single shot he practiced was from the corners in that 15-17 foot range. It served as foreshadowing for what was to come during the game.
• The Spurs looked tired coming off a tough lost in Detroit the night before. With that said, it takes nothing from the Sixers even a little bit who had their own hard fought game last night. From the jump they controlled the game on offense working in the half-court through Miller’s post game, at times almost exclusively. Our guys clearly had much more energy evidenced by the 12 offensive rebounds, many of which were floor boards. The Sixers won the hustle points aspect of the game getting to most of the lose balls.
• What won’t show up in the box score was Samuel Dalembert’s individual defense on Tim Duncan. Timmy shot 5-14, scoring just 16 points and pulling down only 6 boards in 33 minutes. When the Spurs were trying to make their run cutting the lead to 6, Dalembert did what everyone said he couldn’t. Stop Duncan with no help. He blocked two Duncan shot attempts straight up, which for me sealed the win.
• The final game note is a very promising one. I saw a clear sign of Andre Iguodala’s emerging leadership. When San Antonio was pressing at the end of the game, in two possessions Lou Williams turned the ball over, then almost did it again but was bailed out with a foul call. As Williams headed to the line Iguodala who was visibly pissed off after the previous turnover put his arm around Lou’s head “tight.” What came next can only be assumed as a stern “get your act together” judging from his face followed by some words of encouragement. I was very pleased to see this type of behavior from the Sixers best player.

Going into the Boston game all the talk was about this “tough stretch” coming up and rightfully so. The next 11 games for the 76ers are against the likes of Boston (twice), Detroit, Chicago (twice), San Antonio, Denver, Orlando, New Jersey, Phoenix, and Cleveland.

But I think the mentality of the fans when saying “tough stretch” was still coming from a losing team perspective. Meaning the expectation over the next 11 games was vastly lowered. If I would have said the Sixers would be 3-1 in these first four games I would have been laughed at and called “retarted.”

But times are changing and our expectations for the Sixers should be changing as well. Are they a title contender? Of course not. In fact they aren’t even over .500 yet. But what they are is a team that has finally figured out how to win - consistently. Like Pete pointed out, the team is 17-6 since the end of January ranking second the in the Eastern Conference. And I believe this level of performance will continue through the last 15 games of the regular season and into the playoffs.

Come on Philadelphia 76ers fans, it’s time to expect more from this team. They deserve it.

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At 19-years-old Thaddeus Young is proving to be a true diamond in the rough for the Sixers. Going into the season most people thought Thaddeus was two or three years away from really contributing. No one really anticipated he would make much of an impact right away for Coach Mo. Except Young of course.

As the 12^th pick in the 2007 NBA draft with tremendous upside, there were still a few questions marks about Young:

• Raw - Having played only one college season his game was undeveloped.
• Tweener - Is he a SF or PF?
• Strength - At 6′8, 215ish coming out of college he needed to get bigger and stronger to handle the tough play inside and become a better rebounder.
• Outside shooting - Considering how much he plays on the perimeter his shot needed to improve.

Those doubts just fueled Thaddeus Young’s desire to get better. Young has quietly crept up among the top rookies this season. This emergence was best noted by John Hollinger in his All-Sleeper Team: These guys deserve your attention article on ESPN insider:

Any time a teenager has a PER above the league average, we really ought to pay attention to it. Young has been way, way, WAY under the radar because he comes off the bench on a bad team, but the 19-year-old forward is having a noteworthy rookie season. The lefty can put the ball in the hoop (15.3 points per 40 minutes) and rebounds extremely well for a small forward [8.8 rebounds per 40 minutes] — so well, in fact, that he’s often used at the 4.

He still needs to figure out a lot of things, like how to draw fouls for instance — his rate of free throws is scandalously low for a player with his athleticism. Nonetheless, Young is one of the league’s most promising young players, [ranking first among rookies in PER], and he’s received virtually no attention so far.

It’s easy to overlook, but the Korver trade did more than just free up additional cap space this summer. More importantly, moving Kyle made way for Thaddeus Young to get more minutes. From Stefanski’s point of view this was probably to evaluate him in the context of the Sixers current and long-term personnel situation.

In 23 games since Korver’s been gone, Thaddeus Young has doubled nearly all of his numbers with the added playing time (while his TOs remain under 1/g):

When you combine Young’s rapid development, relentless hustle, smart play and athleticism, it’s clear the Sixers have an impact player in the making. Although he is currently starting at the power forward, I think he is the small forward of the future for this team. Here’s why…

• At 6′8, 220 lbs Young is the prototypical size for an NBA small forward. Add another 10-15 pounds of muscle to his athletic frame and guess what you have? A body type very similar to Lebron James. At that size he will be able to guard the 2 through 4 positions, become a much stronger rebounder and finisher after contact, as well as be more effective playing the PF on offense when the Sixers go small.
• What does that mean for Andre Iguodala? Options. First and foremost sit Willie Green down, if not get rid of him entirely. Move Iggy to the shooting guard spot and now you have a bigger guard to overcompensate for a smaller PG. This makes the Sixers much better defensively overall but especially on the perimeter. Better rebounding team as well. Worst case scenario you have an up-and-coming replacement if Stefanski decides not to overpay for Andre Iguodala (more on this in a future post).
• This would solidify the perimeter (as long as we “keep Andre Miller”) so Ed can work on what we really need which is a consistent scoring force inside. Can you say Elton Brand? Josh Smith? How bout Michael Beasley? Even if it isn’t one of those guys, it allows Stefanski to focus solely on that major hole at PF.

More love for Thaddeus Young

David Thorpe recently took note of Thaddeus Young’s improved play in his latest Rookie Watch:

No player has surprised me more thus far than Thaddeus Young. ACC coaches told me he was a long way from being a pro. But Young’s instincts to play inside and out are sound (and somewhat rare), and he shoots with a beautiful pace. Golfers talk about the swing speed of Ernie Els — smooth and easy — and that’s what I think of when I watch Young shoot his jump shots. Not rushed, not slow, just right. He’s not yet a good shooter, but he’s coming along. He’s now up to [first] in player efficiency rating among rookies.

It’s about time people are finally starting notice.

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While most of the city argues about the Eagles offseason moves or prepares for pitchers and catchers to report to Phillies spring training, the Sixers next big event seems to be the NBA Draft. Just don’t tell that to the players.

In the midst of a 7-game losing streak, down 16 in the 3rd quarter to the Houston Rockets and in the second of back-to-back road games, the Sixers had every reason to mail it in, get on the plane and get ready for Boston on Friday. Instead, led by their young players, a fiery Samuel Dalembert, and an injured Andre Miller, they came all the way back to defeat the Rockets 111-107.

What was impressive about this win? It’s impressive because Andre Miller played after nearly having his eye gouged out the night before in San Antonio. Because the cruch-time line-up consisted of Miller, Igoudala, Dalembert, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams, the latter 2 being young players whose development is a big part of the team’s future. Because Young played those crunch-time minutes with a giant bulge on his forehead after a meeting with Rafer Alston’s elbow. Beacuse Dalembert has been playing like a man possessed (15.2 ppg, 13.6 rpg in his last 5) and at 26, is showing a great deal of fire and emotion on the court for the first time in his career.

Why does it matter? Not because this win will propel the Sixers to make a run at the playoffs - it won’t. Rather, in a city that is starved for athletes who care as much as they do about their teams, the young players on the Sixers are showing that not only do they have the talent to win some games for this franchise, but if they don’t, it will never be from lack of effort. Watching Iggy and Sammy dance around yelling like they had just won a playoff game after their game-sealing alley-oop was a great moment. Too bad most people were watching T.O. crying on YouTube to see it.

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