Incredibly, tonight might be the last game we ever see of the Big Three in Miami, the three All-Stars who were supposed to change the face of the NBA, and bludgeon the rest of the league so ruthlessly they would’ve had to change the rules. Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade came together to win championships – “Not two, not three, not four…” – and yet now they find themselves on the brink of elimination at the hands of a team that was 15-17 at the All-Star Break. But the Celtics are a team in the corniest sense of the word, and the Heat are a misguided band of sellswords.
So unless LeBron goes into “Game 5 at Detroit” mode tonight in Boston, there’s a solid chance the Celtics go to the Finals, and the Heat go home, possibly with Bosh crying again (Boston, by the way, is 34-2 all time in series when they’re up 3-2). Changes would come, not just on the bench but in the lineup as well. There are already rumblings that Pat Riley needs to break up the Big Three, but what about the rest of the roster? Mario Chalmers has improved in this postseason, upping his scoring average to 11.9. But he’s not scaring anyone at the point guard spot.
According to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports/FOX Sports Florida, the Heat will give Andre Miller a call this summer, the unrestricted free agent who spent this year as Ty Lawson‘s backup in Denver.
Tomasson tweeted: “Been told Heat will take look in summer at FA point Andre Miller who wants to play for contender But would Miller take pay cut $7.8M to $3M?”
Miller averaged 9.7 points and 6.7 assists off the bench this past season, and was arguably the best backup point guard in the league. But besides the money – which will play a factor no matter what both sides say, especially since Miller is now 36 years old and this could be his final NBA contract – the fit still doesn’t make sense. Miller bristled with Brandon Roy in Portland because the two couldn’t share the ball. How would he deal with LeBron AND D-Wade?
Miller himself has sent out mixed signals this summer. At first, reports indicated he’d like to stay in Denver. But eventually, Miller clarified himself by telling The Denver Post:
“I’ll keep my options open,” Miller said. “At this point in my career, if I’m going to be a backup, I’m going to be a backup on a championship-caliber team. Obviously, (Denver) is a good team that’s going to get to the playoffs, but the thing is if they are committed to getting to that next level to compete for that championship.”
Then there’s the issue of his jump shot. This past season for the Nuggets, he made 18 triples the entire season, which ironically, was actually the most threes he’s hit in a year since 2002-03. A backcourt of Wade and Miller would probably be the worst shooting backcourt in the league.
If the Heat do make changes this summer, they need more size and athleticism inside, and more consistent shooters on the perimeter. Andre Miller isn’t the answer.
Would this be a good fit?
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