HoopsHype.com Columns

Miller move a must
by Tim O'Sullivan / July 31, 2002

Cleveland traded Miller and Bryant Stith to the Los Angeles Clippers for Miles and Harold Jamison. Did the Cavs really want to part with Miller, arguably the best young point guard in the league? Probably not, but they definitely didn't want to see him walk away and get nothing in return.

Miller, who will be an unrestricted free agent next season, was not long for Cleveland. He is eligible for a contract extension this summer and was looking for the maximum six-year, $83 million dollar deal. The Cavs weren't ready to hand out such riches to a player who had yet to lead his team to a playoff berth in the junior varsity Eastern Conference, and frankly, they were wise not to do so.

But Miller, who averaged 16.5 points, a league-leading 10.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 37.3 minutes in 81 games last season, is convinced he is a "max" player. So if he wasn't extended, Miller could have sulked all of next year, diminishing his trade value and perhaps his productivity. Even if he didn't brood, the longer the Cavs waited to deal the less they were going to get for Miller as the rest of the league knows the player is holding the team over a barrel.

Miles may not be the equal to Miller on the court, but he may be better at the box office. The high-flying, high-haired 20-year-old Miles was a fan favorite in Los Angeles and one of the main reasons the Clippers averaged a franchise record 18,053 fans per game at the Staples Center. Miles career averages of 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds may not boost the Cavaliers win total, but how he scores those points, on rim-rattling, makes-you-want-to-get-up-and-boogie dunks, will boost the Cavs' pathetic attendance, which averaged approximately 11,000 per game last year.

Also, if you're a Cleveland fan and look back at how the Cavaliers acquired Miller, losing him hurts much less. Cleveland traded Vitaly Potapenko to Boston for Andrew DeClercq and the Celtics' 1999 first-round draft choice, which turned out to be the No. 8 pick, a.k.a. Miller. The Cavs then traded DeClercq for Chris Gatling, who they eventually traded for Ricky Davis. Basically, Cleveland got Miles and Davis for Potapenko, which is great any way you slice it.

There is speculation in Cleveland that the Cavs made the move to essentially throw the season in hopes of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft, a.k.a. LeBron James. James, who will be a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary high school in Akron, is being hailed as the second coming of the basketball messiah, a.k.a. Michael Jordan. A 6-foot-7 wing player with the rare mix of mind-boggling athleticism and Magic Johnson-like court sense, James is a lock to go No. 1 in the next draft and is as close to sure thing as there is in pro basketball.

James has already cost the Cavs $150,000 and a two-game suspension for coach John Lucas after Lucas invited James to participate in an organized pick-up game with Cavalier players on May 22. Would Cleveland be willing to fork over an entire season just for a shot at James, who has said he would like to stay in Ohio and play for the Cavs? Doubtful. Even if the team had the worst record in the league, it would still only have a one-in-four chance of landing the top pick. And there is still the possibility, albeit slim, that James could be a bust. He does, after all, seek counsel from his reported "father figure," Eddie G. Jackson Jr., who was recently charged with 35 counts of engaging in corrupt activity, tampering with records, forgery and money laundering. Just last month Jackson, who will go on trial September 3, disobeyed judge's orders when he left state to travel with James to an Adidas-sponsored basketball camp in New Jersey.

Maybe the Cavs hand was forced, or maybe they're running a scam, but either way, the Clippers end up looking like a geniuses.

Whoa. Did "Clippers" and "geniuses" just appear in the same sentence? Upon further review (hey, instant replay is now NBA-legal), they did.

The Clippers are a young team loaded with talent but lacking leadership. Miller is the perfect rudder for Los Angeles' sleek but streaky Clipper. An LA-native who led Verbum Dei High School to a California state championship, Miller is a true point guard who is unselfish, savvy and creates cohesion out of chaos. Not only is Miller a great fit in his hometown, but with Miles, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely, the Clips had a glut of forwards and getting rid of one of them was a necessity.

The bottom line is that the Cavs made lemonade out of lemons and the Clips are now contenders. Expect the apocalypse any moment.

Tim O'Sullivan is a staff writer at the Concord (NH) Monitor and a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com