<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Andre Miller may or may not suit up as a Sixer tonight in Boston. Miller, acquired with Joe Smith in the blockbuster trade that sent Allen Iverson and Ivan McFarland to the Denver Nuggets, is trapped in the Mile High City. The National Weather Service recorded over 20 inches of snow as of noon on Thursday and as much as 52 inches in Fort Collins, Colo. "It's actually pretty bad out here," Miller said during a conference call on Thursday. "Everything is closed -- airports, stores. It's the worst since I've been here. So I have no idea when I'll be there." With Denver International Airport scheduled to reopen on Friday, Miller likely will have a shot to make it to the East Coast in time for the Sixers' game with the Celtics. The newcomer surely would be welcomed with open arms as the team looks to snap a season-high 12-game losing skid. "I know they've struggled this year," Miller said of his new team. "But they have a lot of young talent there and I feel like, if I go in with the right attitude, I can help the younger guys. "They've got a great shooter in (Kyle) Korver, an athletic guy in (Andre) Iguodala and a shot blocker with (Samuel) Dalembert." Although the two have yet to speak too much about game strategy, Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks echoed Miller's words a day earlier, before his team's loss to the Indiana Pacers Wednesday. "I've always liked his demeanor on the court. He has a very calm demeanor that allows his teammates to be who they are, makes them better, and he still can score the ball," Cheeks said. "His demeanor on the floor will help our young guys (a lot)." Now in his eighth NBA season out of the University of Utah, Miller has developed a reputation as a consistent point guard with a pass-first mentality. He's averaged 14.1 points and 7.6 assists per game in his career. In 2001-02 with Cleveland, Miller had a career-high 16.5 points per game and led the league with 10.9 assists per game. "He's a guy who really is an extension on the court. He doesn't have to look to me for directions," Cheeks said of Miller, who is averaging 13 points, 9.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game this year. "Once he understands the offense, we'll let Andre have the ball a lot more. He's going to make Kyle better. Those kinds of things are going to make the difference when you have a point guard that knows the game." While Miller used the word "surprised" and never said he was excited with the prospect of moving from a possible playoff team to a rebuilding one, he did say that he's followed the 76ers since he was a kid." "Growing up in L.A. with the Lakers-Sixers rivalry back in the day, it was something that all of the little kids followed," Miller said. "We'd talk about what it would be like if you were a Laker or a Sixer or Celtic, because those were the (top) teams." Of course, one of the Sixers' top players during that era was the point guard -- their current coach, Cheeks. "That's the one thing I'm looking forward to the most," Miller said. "I've been told that I kind of play like him, so I'm looking forward to playing for a coach who understands the position and thinks like I do." For Miller, this is the third time he's switched uniforms. He was drafted by Cleveland in 1999, traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2002 and signed as a free agent by Denver in 2003. But it's the first time he's had to switch teams in the middle of a season. "It's real tough, especially when you have a son that's supposed to come out for Christmas, but it's a part of the business and something I'm ready for," Miller said. "Sometimes change is good." Miller's first goal is to get out of Denver. After that, he'll focus on helping his new team win its first game since Nov. 24. "I may not bring 30 points a game," Miller said. "But I'll bring consistency, hard work and commitment. And I'll definitely make the players around me better." </div> http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs...361/1002/SPORTS
I hope he does. The Sixers got ripped badly in this deal. Andre Miller needs to show that it wasn't so bad by making the players around him much better, by playing like a Jason Kidd or Steve Nash.
