It’s been a rough change for the Denver Nuggets this season, and injuries to key players haven’t made thing easier. Not too long ago it seemed like Andre Miller was done with the team and waiting for the trade that sends him somewhere else. However, the situation has changed which means he might still play for them this season.
The Nuggets have been trying to trade him, but not getting a lot of response. Miller is still productive at 37 if he gets the 25 minutes a game he’s used to (only 19 a night this season), but he hasn’t placed in close to two months. He has $4.6 million on his contract for next season ($2 million of that guaranteed). The $2 million is reasonable for a backup point guard, especially if you’re a contender looking to add something that helps you take a step forward, but people are wary of his age.
The Nuggets preferred playing with Ty Lawson and Nate Robinson while Miller was pretty much driven away from the team after his public confrontation with head coach Brian Shaw, who tried being diplomatic about it, but probably doesn’t want to see Miller play for him again either. But Lawson is out with a rib injury, and Robinson won’t play again this season. The Nuggets don’t really have a choice at this point but sign someone from free agency, trade for a point guard or start using Miller again.
According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, the Nuggets are considering bringing him back, with Miller actually dropping 12 pounds since his banishment from the team. But not all sources agree on where this is going. According to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports, Miller has been practicing away from the team and has no intention of returning, referring to it as a burned bridge, and he expects that the next time he plays an NBA game, it’ll be with a different team.
The Nuggets are six games behind the 8th playoff spot in the West, and it’s hard to see them actually making up for lost time and ground without a viable point guard. According to nbawowy, things are pretty bad without their three point guards: Their season net rating is -1.5. Without any of those three point guards, it’s –21.9, usually coming to light on the defensive end. Andre Miller might help with that, but not save the situation. The problem is that he doesn’t even want to.