Behind the Locker Room Door: The 'Dre Edition

[Darkwebs]

Very good article by Quick about Dre's childhood and basketball background.

There were packs of kids growing up in the streets of Watts, and Miller was the chubby one who always had a basketball under his arm.

Every day during the summers, he said he would walk the streets between Watts and Compton looking for hoop games. He had a big family, and ran with mostly cousins, hopping fences of schools to get on a court.

"In the streets. I was in the streets," Miller said. "In the park, in the neighborhood, wherever. Wherever there were people playing basketball, I was there. Me and my cousins would play basketball every day, all day, in the summer. We would jump parks, or go to different neighborhoods."

Read the article. It's pretty interesting to learn a little about some of the experiences that molded Dre as a bball player and as a person.

 

[PapaG]

Very good article by Quick about Dre's childhood and basketball background.



Read the article. It's pretty interesting to learn a little about some of the experiences that molded Dre as a bball player and as a person.

I can't, because I'm sure Quick inserted himself into the article. That's just wrong. :MARIS61:

 

[Darkwebs]

I can't, because I'm sure Quick inserted himself into the article. That's just wrong. :MARIS61:

LOL. Nah, Quick did a good job of focusing all of the article on Dre.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Wow, that was a great story!

Thanks for posting it!

 

[jlprk]

I can't, because I'm sure Quick inserted himself into the article. That's just wrong.

It's okay in this one case, because Quick was actually a little black child who was there watching Miller grow up. So I didn't even consider counting all the "I"s and "me"s like his last article.

 

[jlprk]

Miller was a kid, still not yet in high school, but he would tag along with his older cousins to the Midnight Leagues, driving through the unfriendly streets of Compton, Inglewood and Lynwood.

About 20 years ago, the Republicans started ridiculing this Democratic experiment. On TV they would rail against, and ridicule, "midnight basketball" as some kind of luxury ghetto entitlement. The purpose was to decrease crime, but they succeeded in cutting off funding.

 

[Run BJM]

Good article.

 

[THE HCP]

Good article.

By a bad writer!

 

[handiman]

There is little interaction with teammates, and he's certainly not going to join any pregame banter with media as would the more engaging Blazers like Wesley Matthews, Patty Mills, Rudy Fernandez or Nicolas Batum.

I find it very telling that Miller is among our most consistent players and the highlighted "outgoing" group is the most inconsistent.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Good read. Thanks for posting.

 

[MARIS61]

I find it very telling that Miller is among our most consistent players and the highlighted "outgoing" group is the most inconsistent.

Age and experience.

 

[james3921]

Age and experience.

whoa. is this what i think it means? have you changed your opinion on miller?

 

[oldmangrouch]

I find it very telling that Miller is among our most consistent players and the highlighted "outgoing" group is the most inconsistent.

But hey, what's more important?

According to the Goryonion, it is more important to kiss-ass off the court, than to kick-ass on it.

 

[mook]

Good read. I just can't help wondering why I'm reading it now, right before Miller's last potential game as a Blazer. Shouldn't this have been written about two years ago when the fan base was just learning about him? It's shit like this, Oregonian, that pisses me off. "Life story" pieces should come when we acquire a new Blazer, not when he's potentially on his way out.

Anyway, better late than never. Assuming it looks like there's a season next year, I hope we pick up his option. My guess is that the team is waiting as long as it can to make that decision in hopes that they have a better idea of what to expect next year.

 

[Draco]

Good read. I just can't help wondering why I'm reading it now, right before Miller's last potential game as a Blazer. Shouldn't this have been written about two years ago when the fan base was just learning about him? It's shit like this, Oregonian, that pisses me off. "Life story" pieces should come when we acquire a new Blazer, not when he's potentially on his way out.

Anyway, better late than never. Assuming it looks like there's a season next year, I hope we pick up his option. My guess is that the team is waiting as long as it can to make that decision in hopes that they have a better idea of what to expect next year.

I highly doubt the Blazers are going to let Miller go. He is worth more to us than other teams, even if his contract somehow expires I bet we'd resign him for 2-3 years. We are already missing a backup PG, you need that first before you cut the starter. Not to mention that starter has performed better than anyone on the team in the playoffs.

Teams always wait to pickup options. See the Knicks and Chauncy, its just standard protocol to wait until the deadline.

 

[LittleAlex]

They pretty much have to keep Miller because they don't even have anyone even close to taking over that role on the team outside of Dre.

Even though Portland has drafted at least one point guard in every freaking draft the last 4 years.

 

[mercykersey]

Dre is a stud, great read and im positive we resign him.. He deserves it plus he has a great contract..

 

[BBert]

This is what Quick does. He writes melodrama. That's good when that's the objective. When he's supposed to be objective, and isn't, that's when I have a bitch with him.

 

[BBert]

Dre is a stud, great read and im positive we resign him.. He deserves it plus he has a great contract..

I'm good with resigning Dre. As long as we also find and sign his eventual replacement.

 

[PapaG]

Glad to see Miller is still taking his craft seriously and playing well in the playoffs. It can only increase his trade value in the coming offseason, when Cho revamps the roster and brings in an upgrade at PG.

 

[RR7]

Glad to see Miller is still taking his craft seriously and playing well in the playoffs. It can only increase his trade value in the coming offseason, when Cho revamps the roster and brings in an upgrade at PG.

I hope that's the case. As much as I like Andre, I'm for upgrading everyone if it's possible and reasonable. I just wonder what is possible at the PG position as an upgrade.

Looking at PGs in the league, it's tough to think who'd be both an upgrade AND available.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I hope that's the case. As much as I like Andre, I'm for upgrading everyone if it's possible and reasonable. I just wonder what is possible at the PG position as an upgrade.

Looking at PGs in the league, it's tough to think who'd be both an upgrade AND available.

Steve Blake! I'm sure the Lakers would pay us to take him of their hands, and the Blazers won 54 games with Blake as our starting PG. So, he HAS to be better than Andre Miller, right?

And, if Blake's team makes it past the first round of the playoffs this year for the first time in his career, it will just be further proof that he's better than Miller.

BNM

 

[mook]

The Blazers won 54 games with Blake as our starting PG.

That argument is like the Macarena. It made sense to a certain group of people at a certain time, but I think we're all kind of embarrassed anybody ever really thought it was a good idea.

 

[oldmangrouch]

That argument is like the Macarena. It made sense to a certain group of people at a certain time, but I think we're all kind of embarrassed anybody ever really thought it was a good idea.

 

[Boob-No-More]

That argument is like the Macarena. It made sense to a certain group of people at a certain time, but I think we're all kind of embarrassed anybody ever really thought it was a good idea.

That group consisted of bascially three people: one poster on this forum, Kristen Blake, and unfortunately, Nate McMillan.

Everyone else pretty much thought it was a bad idea from the very beginning (both the Macarena and starting Steve Blake over Andre Miller).

BNM