Monday, August 3, 2009

Andre The Giant: The Answer to Portland's Conundrum

When the Portland Trail Blazers bowed out of the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs against the veteran Houston Rockets in 6 games, most fans and journalists cited one dominant attribute the team sorely missed in its postseason endeavor: experience. While Portland's roster had as much talent as any team in the NBA, it had yet to experience the ins and outs of the NBA season, the grind of an 82 game schedule and, most importantly, the intensity of post-season basketball.

So when Portland came into the summer $9 million under the salary cap with an owner willing to empty his pockets (Paul Allen), speculation began to mount about how Portland would transform a young, potent and potentially great roster into a cohesive, dominant team of the present moment. Would Portland ship out some its untapped talent for a veteran presence? Would they sign a big name Free Agent? Or would they simply sit pat with the pieces they already had in place and reap the benefits of its fruitful drafts years down the road?

In the end, Portland chose to do a little bit of each, while at the same time leaving itself financially flexible for the immediate future. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the newest Portland Trail Blazer, Andre Miller.

Miller gives Portland substantial improvement in the areas it needed most. He is a veteran (10 years in the league) but still at an age (33) where his play is at or near the peak level of his career. He brings leadership, an upgrade defensively at the 1 (sorry Steve) and the ability to succeed in the post-season (Miller averaged 21.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.17 steals in the 2009 NBA Playoffs).

But while Miller certainly qualifies as a "big name" and brings a distinct presence to the Blazers, his past-first playing style and quiet demeanor mean he complements Portland's current franchise cornerstones (Roy, Aldridge and Oden) without stepping on anyone's toes. While Miller will slow the development of Jerryd Bayless at the point by taking away playing time, he will almost surely speed up the development of Oden and Aldridge (he's still improving) while also providing a scoring presence and steady ball handling. Plus, very few people in Portland were 100% comfortable with Jerryd taking the reigns as the starting point guard at this point anyway. Under the tutelage of Miller, even Bayless could see his stock as a future star rise.

On top of the aforementioned benefits of the Miller signing, the Blazers are getting Andre at a great price with little commitment. His contract (3 years, $21 million, with a team option for the 3rd year) is fair for a player of his stature and age. And in a league where marquee free agents are egregiously overpaid, it is a refreshing sight to see a player signed for his true market value.

The addition of Miller will allow Portland to continue the development of its current roster while proving Portland with a proven distributor and scorer, all at a bargain price. While this offseason has had its ups and downs for Trail Blazer fans, it seems GM Kevin Pritchard has worked his magic once again. It's time for Rip City to kick back, relax and watch the show.