Extending Andre: The Philadelphia 76ers and point guard Andre Miller's new agent, Andy Miller, have agreed they should sit down and talk about the possibility of an extension at some point soon. Miller's contract expires after this season; he will be paid about $10.2 million for 2008-09.
So what's the case for Andre? Should the Sixers commit a significant amount of dollars to keeping him long-term, after committing over $190 million in contracts this summer to players like Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams?
First, the pros: He was seventh among starting point guards in scoring last season at 17.0 points a game. His 6.9 assists tied him for 11th in the league among guards. His 4.0 rebounds tied him for fourth among all starting point guards. He is also durable, giving missed just seven games in his 10-year career that began in Cleveland in 1999-00. Also, since being acquired from the Denver Nuggets halfway through the 2006-07 season, Miller has become a leader on the court. The Sixers were 18-12 in the final 30 games of the 06-07 season (Miller played 30 games of the Sixers) and after starting 2007-08 poorly rebounded to not only make the playoffs, but earn the seventh seed with a 40-42 record, taking the Detroit Pistons to a hard-fought six games before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
And now, the cons: Miller is 32 years old and while his scoring average and overall shooting percentage was the best of his career in 07-08, this three-point shooting (8.8%!) was downright pathetic. His assists average was the lowest it had been in four years, but that may be overlooked with the increase in scoring (do those cancel out?).
Outside of three-point shooting there is nothing not to like about extending Miller, unless the deal is for more than three years. At his age even a three-year deal would make him 36 at the end of it, very nearly the end of the line for most point guards as starters. However, Miller's game has never been predicated on quickness and athleticism, instead he relies on court vision and b-ball smarts – and those don't get old. As long as an extension is for reasonable money, say no more than $10 million per year on average, perhaps even scaling downward as he gets older.
Keeping Miller, one of the better point guards in the league, would ensure stability at the point. If he did leave via free agency next summer, the Sixers will not have cap space to sign another free agent point guard for more than the mid-level exception. Of course, it's also possible Louis Williams might be ready to fill the role, in which case perhaps it may not matter.
Keeping Jordan: Washington Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan had his 2009-10 option year on his contract picked up by the team on Monday. He's the third-longest tenured coach in the NBA, behind only Utah's Jerry Sloan and San Antonio's Gregg Popovich.
The total value of his contract with the option year was three years and $12 million. He is entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Wizards and has posted a won-loss record of 196-214.
Jordan has also coached the Wizards to the playoffs in the past four seasons, reaching the second round once, and has a playoff won-loss record of 8-18.
"Eddie has done an outstanding job and has been instrumental in making us a perennial playoff team," team president Ernie Grunfeld said.
Of course it doesn't hurt to have a core of All-Stars like Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, either. Now, if they could only stay healthy…
We'll All Remember Reef: Steve Kyler did a good job encapsulating the essence of retiring Sacramento Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim this morning, but I have to add to it.
I was a fan of Abdur-Rahim's in college, when he played a season at California. Since I was attending another PAC-1- university, you can guess that was a little hard to reconcile, but his tenacious game around the hoop, ability to hit inside and out, and his demeanor on the floor were all things I respected. I even followed his career with the Grizzlies, once winning my fantasy league because I was the only one who knew Shareef was a 20 and 10 player. Heck, I even bought tickets when the Grizzlies came to town because of Shareef, probably one of the few people who did that.
By the time Reef was traded to Atlanta and then subsequently to Portland in the Rasheed Wallace trade I was covering the Trail Blazers, so getting time to talk with Reef was a treat. In this business you get preconceptions of a lot of players and usually they never bear out – either positively or negatively – when you finally get a chance to sit down and talk with someone, but Reef was a rare case where I had high expectations and he not only didn't let me down, he exceeded them. Relaxed and polite, Reef always was insightful into his position on the team and the state of the team in general.
Given he was forced to play out of position at small forward in favor of Zach Randolph at the four – partly because Randolph can't play another position and partly because of the miles on Reef's legs in the post – that's quite the accomplishment. He always complimented Randolph's game and mentored the young player, even when he wanted those minutes.
It was sad to see Shareef leave Portland and end up in Sacramento (after being rejected by New Jersey), but the writing had been on the wall for awhile. He simply couldn't keep up; his heart and mind have been willing but his body says no.
Abdur-Rahim finishes his career with averages of 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and a 47% shooting percentage. He was part of the Kings playoff team in 2006, played in the 2002 All-Star Game (nine points, six rebounds), and was an All-Rookie Team member in 1997.
Abdur-Rahim will be remembered as a class act on all levels. His off-court charity work with his Future Foundation has touched many lives and will continue to do so, so check it out.
