With Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus, the West All-Stars find themselves with an open roster spot to fill. Most of the shoo-in picks are already on the team, but it wouldn’t be an All-Star Game if there wasn’t some sort of controversy about a player or two being snubbed. So who should we get to fill Paul’s place?
It’s pretty safe to say that the player chosen is going to be a guard, so that eliminates tempting choices such as Memphis’ Marc Gasol, Utah’s Carlos Boozer, and Denver’s Nene. Two guards immediately suggest themselves: Denver’s Chauncey Billups, and Golden State’s Monta Ellis. Both are having career years and would be able members of an All-Star team.
One capable player, however, does not come as readily to the mind. He’s also having, if not a career year, an above-average one for a team in the thick of the playoff hunt. Not sure who I’m talking about? I’ll give you a hint: along with Billups and Ellis, he also has a double L in his last name. And his name’s in the title of this article.
If it helps, I’ll give you a spider graph to look at (if you’re new to spider graphs, be sure to read this introductory article):
Still not sure? Alright, here it is.
Portland’s Andre Miller.
Admittedly, his numbers aren’t nearly as impressive as Billups or Ellis. His spider graph is nearly completely enveloped by both of theirs, and he comes across as a poor man’s Chauncey. But take just a moment to think about this: Miller has taken a team decimated by injuries and put them on his 33-year old back, keeping them in the running for a top-4 seed in the West. He’s overcome every obstacle the season has thrown at him and still put up impressive numbers.
Portland's Andre Miller has quietly performed at an All-Star level this season
He started the season coming off the bench behind Steve Blake because superstar Brandon Roy said he felt more comfortable with Blake (i.e., Blake would let him dominate the ball in a way Miller probably wouldn’t). Guess who’s starting now?
He watched sharpshooters like Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, and even Roy go down to injury. Even though he’s passing to rookies Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph, he still has a respectable assist total.
He watched the Blazers’ top seven scorers go down with an injury at some point this season, shrugged it off, and single-handedly propelled his team to win after win with turn-back-the-clock performances.
Want another reason to name him to the team this year? Miller, despite being a top point guard in the league for years, has never been an All-Star. Ten seasons, and he’s watched the All-Star Game from home ten times.
Admittedly, Miller’s All-Star candidacy is a long shot at best. Billups has the added advantage of playing for a team contending for the West’s second seed. Ellis has the advantage of playing for the Warriors, whose run-and-gun offense pumps up his offensive statistics. Miller, meanwhile, plays for the snail-paced Blazers, whose pace is by far the slowest in the NBA. So what would happen to their stats if we adjusted for pace, as well as used per-48 data to accommodate for Ellis playing complete games nearly every night?
Once again, we turn to the spider graph.
There’s still a difference in the numbers, to be sure, but this time, the gap isn’t quite as wide. Miller looks like he’s holding his own.
To make a long story short, I’m fully aware that Andre Miller will probably not be named an All-Star this year. I’m not happy about it, especially as a ravenous Blazers fan, but I can understand it. I’d be surprised if the spot didn’t go to Billups, who has been keeping the Nuggets on track for the second seed in the West (and the third best record in the league!) despite the absence of Carmelo Anthony. But Miller has been doing the same thing with the Blazers in the absence of Brandon Roy, just without the spotlight. His recent 52 point outburst against the Dallas Mavericks might cause a few people to take notice, but probably not enough.
But considering everything he’s done for his team, and further considering we’ve already sent one player to the All-Star team after years of being kept out (I’m looking at you, Deron Williams), why not give Andre Miller a chance?
Love this article. Man, Miller is a terrific player who, I feel, hasn’t really ever had the right team or whatever. Maybe Portland is the team, but it still feels kind of sad to me–he’s always been a real contributor to every team he’s played for, and they keep bumping him around.
I agree with you. I love Billups, but I’d be just as happy to see Miller. I’ll go further: if Miller is picked as the reserve, I will *watch* the All-Star game.