ORLANDO – It was as if Ed Stefanski took a measure of relief in announcing the Sixers’ hitherto speculated divorce from free-agent point guard Andre Miller is, in fact, probably going to be a reality.
“We have made an offer to Andre but they’re looking for a better offer from other places,” the Sixers’ general manager said today. “I’d say right now we’re in the mode of looking for a sign-and-trade that makes sense for both sides ... I’d say we’re far apart.”
Years? Money?
“It’s both,” Stefanski said. “To go long-term on a contract with an older point guard – we don’t see that as a viable option right now.”
Stefanski said that Andy Miller, Andre Miller’s agent, is currently “canvassing the league” looking for a workable sign-and-trade. Andy Miller said he wasn’t happy the Sixers now see Miller as a long-term liability.
“Age wasn't an issue when he was able to lead the team to the playoffs,” Andy Miller said.
It was believed that Miller, 33, wanted a multiyear deal that would pay him a least the $10.3 million he earned last season, when he helped lead the Sixers to the playoffs, scoring 16.3 points and dealing 6.5 assists per game. It was believed that the Sixers, having invested in youth at the position, were willing to give him a 1-year deal worth about $6 million, the midlevel exception.
Stefanski gave every indication that those beliefs were accurate. Today, the first day NBA executives could address free agency, Stefanski informed the Daily News that the approximate $6 million was as much as the Sixers could afford to pay Miller and stay below the $69.92 million mark, above which the NBA luxury tax kicks in.
Andy Miller insisted that Andre always wanted to return to Philadelphia and said they would continue to negotiate with the Sixers. Andy Miller also questioned the Sixers’ thriftiness versus their eagerness to win.
“I’m not sure whether the Sixers value [avoiding] the luxury tax or winning or losing or advancing in the playoffs as a priority,” he said.
Andy Miller was asked to compare the Sixers’ reluctance to re-sign Andre Miller long-term with the Mavericks’ recent reported 3-year, $25 million commitment to 36-year-old Jason Kidd – a huge pay cut, since Kidd made more than $21 million last season alone – Andy Miller indicated that Andre might be willing to sign for less than his salary last year, if a team is willing to commit to more than 1 year.
“Kidd didn't do any better [advancing] in the playoffs than Andre, and he’s 3 years older,” Andy Miller said (actually, the Mavs made it to the second round, unlike the Sixers). "Maybe [the Mavericks are] more committed to winning, I don’t know.”
They certainly seem more willing to mortgage their future.
A report on ESPN.com today indicated that the NBA salary cap and luxury tax could both again fall in 2010, as they did in 2009. That could limit how much money in multiyear deals teams are willing to commit now. It also could limit the number of multiyear deals teams are willing to agree to now.
Stefanski insisted that the deal veteran point guard Mike Bibby, 31, agreed to with Atlanta this week has no bearing on negotiations with Miller. Bibby, whose representatives contacted the Sixers, reportedly agreed to a 3-year deal worth about $6 million annually to stay with the Hawks. He made almost $15 million last season.
Given the market for free-agent point guards, all of this means that the Sixers will look to youngsters Lou and Jrue.
“The second option is, Lou Williams is going to have a great opportunity here,” Stefanski said. “We’ve been grooming him for 4 years. We gave him a contract last year to play basketball.”
And the Sixers didn’t select Jrue Holiday with the 17th overall pick for nothing. Stefanski had just finished watching Holiday practice before tonight’s Orlando Summer League game when he addressed the Miller matter.
“The kid …we’ll see how he progresses,” said Stefanski, who allowed that a veteran backup might be necessary. “We’ll obviously go out and look for a guy for that position, too.”
Stefanski said that any veteran signed now would have to beat out Williams for the job. Williams, 22, saw time as Miller's backup in key situations last season. He averaged 12.8 points and 3.0 assists last season but has never started a game in the NBA. He signed a 5-year, $25 million extension last summer.
Holiday is a 19-year-old who played shooting guard at UCLA last season, his only collegiate experience.
“We’re going to grow with them,” said Stefanski.
Given the new cap issues and future cap considerations, Stefanski appeared unwilling to commit too much to Miller, despite Miller’s obvious value.
“The marketplace has changed dramatically,” Stefanski said. “Andre Miller did a very nice job for us. Where we are stationed right now – to go long-term is not a prudent decision for our franchise.”
When agent David Falk recently called the 76ers about Atlanta Hawks point guard Mike Bibby, it apparently was mostly about checking out the marketplace in a difficult economy.
As it turned out, staying home became the best option. In a development reported by Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and confirmed by the Daily News, Bibby has agreed to remain with the Hawks via a three-year contract. The Journal Constitution estimated the value of the deal at $18 million.
The Sixers discussed the possibility of a one-year contract, but--according to a source familiar with the situation--never made a formal offer. The Sixers' thinking was that Bibby might consider a one-year deal, allowing him to again become an unrestricted free agent next summer when a number of teams will have stockpiled salary cap space.
The Sixers remain interested in acquiring a veteran point guard, possibly to start and to help mentor first-round draft choice Jrue Holiday. They have been negotiating with Andy Miller, the agent for Andre Miller, their unrestricted free agent, but seem far apart on money and length of term.
Andy Miller told Jason Quick of the Oregonian in a blog post on OregonLive.com that Andre Miller would be ''a good fit'' for the Portland Trail Blazers and that he ''puts them over the top'' because the Blazers ''desperately need a starting point guard to take the pressure off Brandon Roy.''
The Bibby agreement comes on the heels of Jason Kidd agreeing to a three-year contract worth a reported $25 million to remain with the Dallas Mavericks, and former Simon Gratz High star Rasheed Wallace taking a two-year deal to join the Boston Celtics.
Bibby averaged 14.9 points, 5 assists and 3.5 rebounds with the Hawks last season.
This is Andy Miller, the agent for 76ers unrestricted free agent Andre Miller, doing his j-o-b:
In a blog post by Jason Quick of the Oregonian on OregonLive.com, Andy Miller described Andre Miller as ''a good fit'' for the Portland Trail Blazers, who were rebuffed the other day by Orlando Magic free agent Hedu Turkoglu, who instead opted to agree to terms with the Toronto Raptors.
The Blazers' interest in Miller, though, remains unclear, but Andy Miller was quoted as saying ''It's a good fit, and I think Andre Miller puts them over the top. They desperately need a starting point guard to take the pressure off Brandon Roy. Andre would be able to control the floor and give that team better direction in the open court. It's their team, and they've made great progress, but at some point you have to make a leap forward.''
In the post, Miller said his conversations with the Blazers during the weekend did not include sign-and-tr4ade scenarios.
The Sixers have had discussions with Andy Miller about a new deal for Andre Miller, but all reports have indicated that they remain far apart on salary and length of term.
The 76ers received an inquiry from the agent for Atlanta Hawks free agent guard Mike Bibby, but a source familiar with the situation said the conversation ''didn't go anywhere.''
The theory seemed to be that the agent was doing his due diligence, checking the market for his client. Bibby was listed on the Hawks' salary cap last season at more than $14.98 million, but is more likely to play the coming season for something in the range of the $5.6 million mid-level exception.
That conceivably could end up being with the Hawks, who have acquired Jamal Crawford ($9.36 million) from the Golden State Warriors and have drafted Wake Forest's Jeff Teague.
The Sixers have equally been doing their homework while they negotiate with Andy Miller, the agent for Andre Miller, their own free agent. The Sixers, according to the source, have been unwilling to accept Andy Miller's desire for a contract of three or four years for Andre Miller, who will turn 34 in March. Andre Miller was listed on the Sixers' cap at slightly more than $10.3 million last season.
For now, the source said, that is why both sides should be pursuing sign-and-trade scenarios.
As we have reported previously, the coaching staff for new Sixers coach Eddie Jordan will include Mike O'Koren, Aaron McKie and Jim Lynam. The Sixers officially announced the staff today.
O'Koren will carry the title of associate coach, with McKie and Lynam listed as assistant coaches.
McKie and Lynam are holdovers from last season under Maurice Cheeks/Tony DiLeo.
“I am excited to be joined on the bench by three coaches with a wealth of basketball knowledge and for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect,” Jordan said. “My staff has a common vision for this team and how we will play, and I truly look forward to working with them to achieve our goals.”
"We have a lot of great relationships in Washington," Charrisse said. "The way things ended [with the Wizards], there was no closure. It's a celebration of friendship."
A nice touch -- the invitations looks like Sixers game tickets. Among the guests was Ed Tapscott, the Wizards' coach after Jordan was fired, but no Wizards players.
The Jordans plan to buy a home in Philadelphia, but also keep the place in Maryland.
"It's the nature of the business," Eddie said. "You don't really think about it. You try to do your best on a daily basis, then make it last 20 years."
The 76ers/New Jersey Nets entry in the Orlando Pro Summer League will include two fresh first-round draft choices, with the Nets sending Louisville's Terrence Williams to pair with the Sixers' Jrue Holiday.
The Nets are also sending second-year man Chris Douglas-Roberts, plus a handful of free agents, most prominently point guard A. J. Abrams of Texas and forward Jeff Adrien of Connecticut.
In four seasons, the 5-11 Abrams knocked down 389 three-pointers, a Texas and Big 12 Conference record. The 6-7 Adrien finished his career as the Huskies' No. 3 rebounder (1,126). With 1,603 points, he is the first in the school's history to compile at least 1,600 points and 1,100 rebounds.
Nets assistants Tom Barrisse and Roy Rogers will join the Sixers' Mike O'Koren and Aaron McKie to share the coaching duties.
The joint team will practice Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then open a five-game schedule July 6 against the Indiana Pacers.
North Carolina's Ty Lawson and Wake Forest's Jeff Teague were, according to 76ers' president/general manager Ed Stefanski, the runners-up at No. 17 in the NBA draft, where UCLA's Jrue Holiday ultimately became the choice.
Lawson went No. 18, taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves and immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets.
Here's Mike Bratz, the Nuggets' director of pro scouting in the Denver Post, on how they feel about that:
''We have a formula here where we track point guard efficiency. (Lawson) had one of the highest ratings in history, not just this year. And he had by far the highest rating for a guard this season. So (he's a) very, very, very efficient player. The skills he has blend in very well to this team's framework.''
And here's Teague, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on how he views his future:
''I feel like when you look back down the road, I'm going to be the best point guard taken in this draft. With my potential and my work ethic, I feel like I'm going to be the best.''
And while we're tracking the other point guards, Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor went No. 20 to the Utah Jazz and created one of the more humorous post-draft moments when he passed on greetings to Jazz coach Jerry Sloan from his father.
Sloan, as the Chicago Bulls coach in 1980, cut Maynor's father, George, a fourth-round pick from East Carolina.
And one last item, referencing a rumor in the Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale: The speculation revolved around the possibility of a deal sending Jermaine O'Neal and Daequan Cook from the Miami Heat to the Sixers for Elton Brand.
The speculation was apparently based on the fact that the Heat had signed Brand to an offer sheet several years ago, only to see the Los Angeles Clippers match. But Stefanski said ''Absolutely not.''
How about the chances that such an offer was made?
''Zero,'' Stefanski said.
More on the Sixers' summer league plans and another opportunity fot Temple's Dionte Christmas coming in tomorrow's Daily News.
This is just me, but I like the idea of the 76ers taking some young players to the Orlando Pro Summer League rather than to Las Vegas. I've never quite grasped the value of playing summer games in the sprawling midst of all the casinos. Last time I checked, Jrue Holiday--the Sixers' first-round draft choice--just turned 19. I'm not suggesting the Magic Kingdom is necessarily the place to be, but I like the concept of playing the games in the Magic's RDV Complex in front of league personnel and reporters but not the public. It sounds like a far better teaching venue.
Both the Sixers and the Nets will have coaching personnel on the bench. I'm not certain the designated Sixers representative has been completely decided, but it's likely to be Aaron McKie, with head coach Eddie Jordan, lead assistant Mike O'Koren and president/general manager Ed Stefanski watching from a distance.
Second-year big man Marreese Speights is on the roster, along with Temple's Dionte Christmas, who was not selected in Thursday night's NBA draft. Stefanski delivered the invitation to Christmas at about 1 a.m. Friday morning.
Free agents include former Penn Charter and Notre Dame star Rob Kurz, NBA Developmental League 2007-08 Rookie Of The Year Blake Ahearn, D-Leaguer Gary Forbes and Marcus Slaughter, who has logged time in Germany and France. Holiday is the Sixers' point guard of the future; Ahearn, with 15 games of experience with San Antonio and Mimai, will challenge him in practices.
The Sixers will practice July 3-4-5 in Orlando, then begin a five-game schedule July 6 against Indiana. Utah, Orlando, Oklahoma City and Boston are the other entries.
Holiday and Speights, by the way, will also participate in Tim Grgrich's skills camp later this summer.
Ed Stefanski, ever mindful of the value he places on his local ties, reached out late Thursday night to Temple's Dionte Christmas, inviting him to join the Orlando summer league team the 76ers will be sharing with the New Jersey Nets.
Christmas, who had been projected as a second-round selection during Thursday night's NBA draft, went unclaimed. He is likely to have multiple summer league and European offers. The Sixers leave July 2 for Orlando; Stefanski is awaiting a decision whether Christmas will join first-round draft choice Jrue Holiday and second-year big man Marreese Speights on the summer roster.
''He's a great kid, he's local,'' said Stefanski, the Sixers' president/general manager. ''Now, he has to prove it all over again.''
The 6-5 Christmas is the first player in Atlantic 10 history to lead the conference in scoring in three successive seasons; he finished his career with 2,043 points, the fourth Owl to surpass 2,000. He set school records for career three-pointers with 319 and for one season, with 107 as a senior.
If there was anything that kept him from being drafted, it might be his reputation as a volume shooter as opposed to a guy who could come off an NBA bench and provide instant offense. On the other hand, he is known for having a quick release and an ability to catch and shoot off screens.
Phil Jasner joined the staff of the Daily News in 1972. He has covered the 76ers and the NBA on a full-time basis since 1981. He won the 2004 Curt Gowdy Media Award, presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for outstanding contributions to the sport during his career; he was a finalist for the award in 2001, when he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association during the NBA Finals. He is a past president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and the Philadelphia College Basketball Writers Association. Along the way, he has covered high school sports, the Big 5, the Eagles and the NFL, the World Football League, the North American Soccer League and what was then the Major Indoor Soccer League. He is a proud graduate of Temple University, and spent his early professional days at the Pottstown (Pa.) Mercury, Montgomery Newspapers (Fort Washington, Pa.), the Norristown (Pa.) Times-Herald and the Trentonian.
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