Andre Miller cannot tell a lie
Seth Johnston | Monday, November 22, 2010 at 9:52PM 
U-S-A! U-S-A!Things have been more depressing than usual for the Trailblazers lately. The misery is being well documented. Every time I open my Blazers centric Google Reader list I feel the urge to sever my left ear and mail it to the practice facility. It is understandable that injuries to franchise players dominate the headlines. Sometimes my fragile emotions just need a break from bad news. I am tender you know.
If you are similarly desperate for optimism you need only look towards General Andre Miller. Like General George Washington before him, Miller is leading a crew of scrappy underdogs to unexpected success. Like General George Washington, Miller rises to the occasion. Like General George Washington, Miller stands six feet and two inches tall. Like General George Washington, Miller has black family members.
Traditional statistics do not illustrate how well Miller has played this season. His fourteen points and seven assists per game mirror career averages. However, advanced statistics suggest that this is far from an average season for Miller. His PER (20) is at the highest level its been since he played for Cleveland a decade ago (he’s also the only Blazer in the PER top 40). Miller’s simple rating is the highest on the team as well. Indeed, Miller has become the Blazer you least worry about, the one you take for granted because he is always in the lineup and performing well. Plus, this happened:
I suppose one could find sadness in the fact that a team with so much young talent is heavily relying on thirty-four year old Andre Miller—it’s not going to last. But I’ve had enough sadness for now. I am determined to enjoy Miller’s fantastic play and to Photoshop the Blazers’ rock into heroic paintings. Join me. Support Andre Miller. For America.
Reader Comments (9)
The team is truly at its Willamette Valley Forge.
Thank you for recognizing Andre's great effort and play this year!! Truly a joy to see!
He IS in game shape at the start of the season this year!!!
Kudos to Andre!!
I agree. He's not normally recognized enough for his contributions, primarily in leadership and court savvy.
Damn right! Couldn't agree more!
Getting Andre Miller was a huge coup for the Blazers. I was ecstatic last season watching him embarrass the naysayers and prove his mettle time and time again. During the offseason I went to the Rose Garden to purchase a Miller jersey - 1st one in 15 years as a Blazers' fan. Surprisingly (to me, at least) there wasn't one to be had. The clerk explained to me that they only carried jerseys of the "main players". Slack-jawed, I wondered to myself how being a former all-star, and current starting point guard for the team excluded Miller from "main player" status.
Anyway, I'm thrilled Miller is enjoying some much deserved respect and love from Portland fans. The guy is a brick - "speak softly and carry a big stick".
USA! USA! USA! USA!
Its dre day!!!
I am thrilled that someone's using the handle "Jub Jub." It is a good day indeed.
Andre Miller: Most under-rated player in the league. Love that slow-fast-slippery-oldskool-YMCA-shimmy-shake-&-bake. I'd go to war with him, Batum and Camby any day.
(This is coming from blazers non-fan thats too cheap and sleep deprived for league pass)