Miller finalizing deal with Portland
Andre Miller's agent, Andy Miller, has confirmed that within 24 hours Andre Miller will be a Portland Trailblazer.
Miller finalizing deal with Portland
Andre Miller's agent, Andy Miller, has confirmed that within 24 hours Andre Miller will be a Portland Trailblazer.
Andy Miller said the two parties are "finalizing" the deal today and it should become official within 24 hours. His client, who has been the 76ers starting point guard for the last 2-1/2 seasons, will receive a deal that one source said was "an improvement" over the deal the Sixers were offering, which was reportedly in the 1-year/$6 million range.
Yesterday, Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski removed the team's offer to Miller, essentially ending any chance of Miller returning to the Sixers. Last season, Miller started all 88 games (82 regular season, 6 playoff) at point guard, averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 assists a game.
A call to Stefanski went unanswered.
Stefanski has said (since free agency's official opening in early July) that he was worried about re-signing Miller to a longer contract because of his age (33) and the team's young nucleus. Stefanski said it might not been in the best interest of the organization to tether itself to an aging point guard. Now, with Miller all but signed and delivered to the West Coast, that leaves combo guard Lou Williams and rookie Jrue Holiday as the team's current options at PG.
Of course, the Sixers are looking at a number of current NBA free agents, many of them point guards, who could come in and provide relief, and experience, at that position.
--Kate
People keep saying lottery and draft picks! Next years Draft is going to suck too!
My advice is to start drinking (and losing) heavily!— bgdude18- Just let Holiday play the point. If you take a look at the market, there are no FA PGs. If I'm a free agent, there is no complelling reason, besides money, to play here, and the Sixers don't have any money. Sure, Holiday will struggle, but both he and the team will be better off in the long run. They seem to think Iggy is an All-Star, so let him step-up and lead this team. Personally, I think he's overrated/over-paid, but my opinion doesn't count.— mfecani
- Bring me Ben Gordon Ed or give up the job to someone who can actually put an NBA caliber team together.— Grill
Comment removed.- Sixers should have known that Miller was not interested in staying here - and should have traded him last yr - and gotten something - but again, they couldn't b/c they just got Brand - and thought they were a contender... amazing how one bad move leads to another.— AllDawk_AllTheTime
- Joke of a front office. Without a true point guard on the roster, playoffs are out of the question.— mdriban
- Don't worry fans, we run the "Princeton Offense" you don't need a point guard... 40 wins would be a miracle for this team!!! Nice job ED getting nothing for Miller, try selling tickets to this disaster flick !!!!!!— lalleva
- Ed Stefanski has bungled the job since taking over. If he says now that he did not want to tether himself to an aging point guard, how could he not have the same opinion in February? Unlike many, I don't want to look forward to a lottery pick. I want to win!— ejmgolf
- agreed with whoever said they should have gotten rid of Miller last year at the deadline.....what, they needed to hang on to him so they could bow out of the 1st round instead of perhaps missing the playoffs altogether, who cares??.......instead of getting value in return the guy just walks.....and it's is not now, nor was it ever, any surprise that he leaves once becoming a free agent.....terrible move by the Sixers.....no wonder they are where they are— GreenReaper
- At least the old unies are back.— Vituperator
- The 76er's GM ED Stefanski has encountered one Bad situation after another this year. Miller leaves, the fan base is upset about who is his replacement. The new coach wants to use a new system. Sammy not playing up to expectations. I could go on and on. Ed, if you want to see a full house at the games. I suggest FREE BEER.— xmar
- The Sixers will be 41-41 next year.— Vituperator
- Stefanski's a baffoon...— Jamerock
- this is a bad day for the Sixers - he was the best player on the team last year— osuphan
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
