It's official! Thanks to the Miami Heat Organization, Mr. Arison, Pat Riley, the fans and the players that made this happen!
Mike Miller on Twitter. I wish him the best of luck, but I think this tweet sums up my feelings on him leaving.
almost 2 years ago
Mike Prada
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Winston Churchill, we hardly knew Ye.
Seriously, was glad to have him even if it wasn’t an ideal pairing. I’d say good luck in Miami, except I won’t.
We're from the city with the highest murder rate in the country. Why WOULDN'T they call us the Bullets?
by Bullet Nation in Exile on Jul 15, 2010 12:59 PM EDT reply actions
It really steams me that that deal was essentially a salary dump.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ernie Grunfield took three players and the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft – and turned it into absolutely 0 players that will be on the 2010-11 Washington Wizards.
/fuckthatguy
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Additionally...
Where in the hell would this team have been if, instead of trading for Foye and Miller, we moved down a spot or three and taken Brandon Jennings?
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Can't think like that
The Foye and Miller trade looked good at the time…adding those two guys to a playoff team.
Hindsight is 20/20. Can’t get made at EG for not knowing how good Brandon Jennings was gonna be.
by HIBACHI GOLD on Jul 15, 2010 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
You're right..
about the whole hindsight thing. Buuuuuuut – Ted should think long and damn hard about EG’s future employment with the org., based on past performance.
Besides, a ton of people were high on Jennings. We were a lottery team without a true PG (Gil coming back from surgery was not a sure thing) that was getting older by the second. I appreciate that the whole show was blown up after Gungate, but by then it was too late. Gil had zero value, we got minimal return for both Jamison and Butler, and so on and so on. We finished out the season with NBADL guys and Shaun Livingston. And we were happy with that!
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I doubt that at the time you could say we lacked a true point guard. We have invested ALOT of money into Gil and I feel like we put a lot of faith in him. I think you would have a whole different outlook if the gungate never happened. At the time of the trade, we looked like a strong playoff team.
People were high on Jennings, but there was a reason he went 10th and not 1st. I do understand the critism tho…I’m still upset about Kwame!
by HIBACHI GOLD on Jul 15, 2010 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
No disrespect...
But they were 10-17 when JC and Gil had their little confrontation. I know it was the East and all, but this was not a good team at that point.
Sunk costs wrt the contract, Gil was scoring at that point but wasn’t playing the position well. We had no depth (EB and Gil were completely unable to distribute and play defense) at the PG position. Worse yet, Foye and Miller weren’t doing their part.
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Just realized...
you said “looked….playoff team” at the time of the trade, so consider my first statement withdrawn, my bad.
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
But many of us were upset to give up the 5 pick for these 2
Moreover, it is sobering and depressing to see how little we got for a 5 pick! Miller was, and remains in decline, and obviously EG misjudged Foye’s talents and fit with the Wiz. The old EG was always trading away picks and young guys; under new ownership, fortunately it’s not happening.
I will say that saying we should have taken Jennings is tricky
Because nobody was saying Jennings would go that high.
Stephen Curry (the guy I wanted), on the other hand…
I wouldn't have gone with him at the #5 overall...
but considering the Wolves took Rubio (who everyone said wouldn’t sign unless it was LA or NY), a flier on an American player that would’ve been a lottery pick if high schoolers were still draft eligible doesn’t seem so crazy. Certainly not with Curry’s…physical disadvantages.
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Ben Gordon > Randy Foye
Getting buckets since 2003.
by Icantfeelmyface on Jul 15, 2010 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
a good read a year later
When you try to have it both ways
In any case, while I liked Miller on the Wizards, I’m gonna hate him on the Heat. It’s like signing with the Cowboys or Yankees or Darth Vader.
by Johnnie Futbol on Jul 15, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah...
another reason why Chad Ford is a hack.
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Having it both ways...
I think EG probably knew the team as constructed (GA, AJ, CB) was a long shot to win it all, but he also knew his boss was in the ultimate “win now” situation with regards to his health. So when he traded the #5 pick for vets, he also wanted to make sure he wasn’t saddling the team with long term obligations. The result was trading the #5 to a team that was willing to give him something right now. I have no idea what his options were, but he ultimately decided to take Minnesota’s two vets, Miller and Foye. A lot of people on this site like to take shots at EG, as have I, and that’s fine, but you have to do it while acknowledging that EG may not have liked this team either. For four years he had to support a coach he didn’t pick, hand out contracts to the owner’s favorites, and who knows what financial restraints were put on him. Look at the cap room and blank slate we had this off season. Did everyone enjoy that? Well it didn’t happen by accident. It happened because a year or so ago EG began making deals to set it up. Deals that satisfied his boss, but also put his new boss in a great position to build the team in his vision. Then he purged almost every long term contract at the deadline. I’d say we got the better end of those trades, what do you think? To me, any criticisms of EG need to be made with this framework in mind.
That is a completely subjective statement
I hated that trade at the time and it never got better.
I was nodding my head in agreement with this statement
but then realized that the trade did look good — for one game. Opening night, Dallas v. Wizards. But I was still probably grumbling about Rubio during that game.
we wouldn't have john wall
that’s for sure. i’d take wall over jennings any day
by ToughHibachi on Jul 15, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Ok...
But was it worth last year just to get Wall?
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions
are you serious!!!!
yes….hell yes
is it worth loosing to get Ivo in his prime? Duncan? Chris Paul? LBJ? WADE? DHoward? all those teams sucked before they got here star. in other words, they lost. Maybe not so much timmy
by back_to_the_future on Jul 15, 2010 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't hold MM responsible for EG's call
And he wasn’t ideal, as I said. We have HE, so I’m over it. You should be, too.
We're from the city with the highest murder rate in the country. Why WOULDN'T they call us the Bullets?
by Bullet Nation in Exile on Jul 15, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
JW not HE
damn T9
We're from the city with the highest murder rate in the country. Why WOULDN'T they call us the Bullets?
by Bullet Nation in Exile on Jul 15, 2010 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions
That was Abe's call IMO
I’m alot less worried about EG now that Pollin isn’t the owner anymore.
by BayAreaBullet on Jul 16, 2010 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, maybe because of the Lebron connection
I find I have a lot less affection for Miller than for Livingston (though neither has any for the DC area). That five year contract was something I would never have wanted to see the Wizards waste on him, particularly since his skills were very obviously in decline last year.
Livingston is another matter. Not only did he end by being more valuable to the team, but even an objective observer has to wish him well in coming back from a horrendous injury. Whatever, we’ll be seeing a lot of both of them this year—almost as much as we saw of them last year. We just don’t have to pay them as much.
Is it now considered appropriate to send thank yous via twitter instead of thank you cards?
We need to ask Miss Manners about this.
I hope Miller didn’t injure himself typing that tweet. He may be writhing in agony as we speak.
Well, if I were trying to be objective I guess I could see how last year here would have been hard on a player. An idiot with guns. Plus a crazy person with guns. Plus an owner teetering on the edge of death after making crazy financial decisions, oh and then he dies. More crazy person stuff happens. Little or no team defense and weak play in the middle. All the good players are gone — oh but the crazy might be back next year.
That’s only my attempt at a lopsided view. So, I don’t begrudge him on his decision to try to win a championship with his douchebag friend. At least the douchebag friend is a Player.
Worst Team??
There’s been alot of talk about how good the Heat have gotten over this off season…who do yall think is gonna be the worst next season? Nets? T-Wolves? Raptors? Cavs?
The Cavs
Plus Gilbert’s diatribe against LeBron who is so revered (at least on the court) probably won’t attract many big names. They did nothing in the draft and I don’t know who they could get in free agency.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they scratch out a 40-win season and make the playoffs
They have some decent veteran talent (guessing Antawn plays much better, for one), and Byron always does well with these kinds of teams.
I forgot about Byron Scott
He is a good motivator. But, they did lose a some players however, Big Z, West (possibly), Shaquille O’Neal, Jawad Williams and Lebron James. They probably won’t be the worst but bottom 2 or 3.
I am hoping that Cavs 2010-2011
turn out to be the team that definitely proves Bill Simmons’ Ewing Theory. Seriously, if the Cavs make the playoffs next season, won’t you root like crazy for them?
Actually, it will be a two-fer: sticking it to LeBron, and disproving the notion that Eddie Jordan was the secret behind Byron Scott’s Nets success. Let’s go Cavs!!!!
Le Boulez
But that’s probably just my 20 years of Bullets fandom talking….
No it's not
On paper (as matters now stand), the Wizards are now the weakest team in the East, and rank overall just behind the Nyets, Philadelphia, Golden State, Minnesota, Sac, Cleveland, NO, and Toronto. If Deron Williams gets injured add Utah to that list, likewise Stoudamire and NY.
Luckily for Grunfeld, Leonsis has already endorsed the “Second Straight Lottery” strategy; unluckily for us all, next year’s draft looks to be very weak.
Are judging management as well as players?
If so, definitely Minny as Khan has shown himself to be a complete moron. Wizards product on the court might be slightly better, but that is entirely dependent of Arenas I would think.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
On paper, yep
We’ve got fewer warm bodies, the team leader/star is a raw 19 year old rookie, the fading former team superstar is one awkward fall away from another lost season, and the team’s only other reliable scorer has a broken foot. We have no proven starting center or small forward.
That’s not to say I don’t love some of the parts we’ve got or am not looking forward to tonight’s telecast. Or to say that in three years this might not be a very good team. But if the season started tomorrow, McGee’s total lack of defense and Thornton’s total lack of offense, plus the absence of a quality bench would guarantee a last-place finish—even if Agent Less-Than-Zero could be counted on to finish out the full year.
Again, Minnesota has the following lineup next year
PG: Flynn/Ridnour
SG: Brewer/Webster
SF: Johnson/Hayward
PF: Love/Beasley
C: Darko/Pekovic
There’s no way this Wizards team is worse that that.
On paper
We are. I think you’re banking on intangibles this coming season. Minnesota at least has a healthy line-up and a couple of players who can play good defense. I think our coaching is slightly better. But too precise a comparison is actually pretty pathetic in this case; let’s just agree that both are very low lottery-bound teams.
And with the bottom 5, less is always more.
They also have a terrible coach
Refuse to play their best player (Love) and don’t have Triangle players. Minnesota doesn’t beat anyone on intangibles.
OK, Mike, you win--
We’re the second-worst team in the league ;)
I don’t think that makes any of us much happier, though.
Thornton’s total lack of offense
I’m a little baffled by this. After watching him for 1/3 of a season my book on Thornton is that he is an offense first player, offense second player, offense third player, has an ability to score but not pass, and is mediocre on D.
I mean the guy scored over 10 points a game last year and his career average is 13 per game, 15.7 per 36. Sure he’s inefficient and has a poor PER, but I think saying he has a total lack of offense is completely mischaracterizing him as a player.
by MR on Jul 16, 2010 6:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Only because
Our best players (Wall, Blatche, maybe Arenas) are better than their best players. But I would be surprised if they are much worse than us.
Getting buckets since 2003.
by Icantfeelmyface on Jul 15, 2010 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions
who would you consider the leader on the t-wolves??
by HIBACHI GOLD on Jul 15, 2010 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Hard to find a team worse than Minny right now
"I'm George. George McFly. I'm your density... I mean, your destiny."
Toronto
They’re the least talented team in the league, anyway. Bargnani might be their best player (yikes).
The Knicks are going to be terrible as well.
The Nets and T-Wolves will improve this year. The Cavs have several veterans who can play solid roles and some decent scorers…they look like a 30-win team to me, and more if Hickson is ready to push Jamison to a 6th man role.
In response to wzzntzz tweet
Maybe Mike Miller was saving his shooting touch for a team worthy of his services……LOL
Cavs will be better than people think
I would think a lot of these guys are going to be motivated to try to show they can win without lebron and scott has been a proven winner in new jersey and new orleans.
JKidd, KMart, CP, and DWest...
all say hello!
CLE lacks a true scorer and a PG – if they win 30 I’ll be surprised.
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 15, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Hindsight
At the time adding the Mike and Randy made sense because we were a “veteran” team that was looking for more depth and not looking for a project to go along with Nick, Javale, and Andray. Whether or not Ernie was right to think we were only a couple of peices away from being a legitmate contender with Mike and Randy is another topic up for discussion.
As a fan, last season was difficult to endure, but it did force the organization to relook at the make up of the team. Ultimately, Ernie finally realized it was time to evaluate where the team was heading. The Wiz were able to unload CB and AJ and their huge salaries which helped us in the long term for rebuilding. Now Ted doesn’t have to worry about any long term salaries other than Gil and has and can focus on how he wants the team makeup to be going forward.
Another way to look at it is, if the wizards didn’t stink so much the team would have never been in a position to win in the draft lottery. We also wouldn’t have known that 7 day Dray would show as much promise during the second half of the season. We wouldn’t also have the wonder-WALL giving us reasons in Las Vegas to believe we have something special. Last season everyone was wondering what if we got Rubio, or what if we got Curry, or Tyreke, or Jennigns. From what I’ve seen from Wall I don’t have any reason to wonder about what we could have done last season and I can focus on how fortunate we are to have a talent like Wall on the team.
by Mojo_Jojo_02 on Jul 15, 2010 2:58 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Nothing to see here, folks...
Just move along, thank you…
Or if you want analysis… Even in hindsight, It was a reasonable decision to acquire Miller and Foye for the 5 pick and the ghastly Thomas contract, plus Stewie and Darius given where the team was at the time… four straight playoff appearances on the line and all…. Miller payed OK and Foye was a relative bust, but neither of them was responsible for the train wreck that occurred and both of them were and are decent people.
EG will face Judgement Day soon enough…
Well, according to ESPN...
He never even played here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5382899
Haha
Or Minnesota either.
I guess it’s appropriate. He forgot how to play like Mike Miller for two years.
Good bye and good riddance
I hated Miller. Cried like a baby every time he fell to the floor, was gassed after playing five minutes, and never shot the ball. He was garbage here. Hopefully he’ll be better in Miami.
Part of Pech's Posse since 2007.
by OleksiyPecherovsHomeboy on Jul 15, 2010 6:29 PM EDT reply actions
No, but I hope for his sake he's better there
Part of Pech's Posse since 2007.
by OleksiyPecherovsHomeboy on Jul 16, 2010 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions
So apparently
The Heat were contacting James’ buddy Miller in the opening seconds of free agency at 12:01 on July 1. According to reports Lebron was helping recruit Miller to the Heat.
So I think we can conclude:
1) The Heat probably knew Lebron was coming to the team before July 1
2) Lebron knew where he was going all along through the whole “Decision” period.
Although I know it will never happen, I think there needs to be a serious investigation of possible tampering before the free agency period by the Heat.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AtB9ojl.GwwB0YeI71NsY4q8vLYF?slug=ap-heat-miller
But that would...
force the Commish to actually give a shit about stuff like that.
I think the tampering began over a year ago, but the NBA really doesn’t mind having stuff like this go on.
by TerroristFistJab on Jul 20, 2010 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
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