Why I think Mike Miller should start...

[Poe]

When looking at championship teams in the past, they usually consist of a few common areas...

 

 

One is they have three top notch scorers that are capable of putting up 20 points on any given night. The '09 and '10 Lakers had Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum. The '08 Celtics had Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. The '07 Spurs had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. The '06 Heat had Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, and Antoine Walker. And the 2011 Heat have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

 

 

 

Another aspect championship teams tend to share is the starting line ups usually consist of at least 1 defender and 1 "glue guy". For the '09 and '10 Lakers, the defender was Ron Artest/Trevor Ariza and the glue guy was Derek Fisher. For the '08 Celtics the defender was Kendrick Perkins and the glue guy was Rajon Rondo. For the '07 Spurs, the defender was Bruce Bowen and the glue guy was Michael Finley. For the '06 Heat, the defender was Udonis Haslem (though he also had some glue guy characteristics) and the glue guy was Jason Williams.

 

 

This is where starting Mike Miller comes in. Obviously, the Heat's defender is Joel Anthony, but unfortunately, Chalmers isn't a glue guy. He doesn't have any leadership qualities, and he's too young and inconsistent to know when to make the right decision as a point guard.

 

On the the hand, Mike Miller has the versatility to bring whatever the team needs on any given night. He shoots, handles, penetrates, rebounds, and can create plays for others, though doesn't command the ball and doesn't need to be a star. All great qualities for a player with the role of a glue guy.

 

 

 

Now the question people might have if Miller starts is "then who plays point"? With the Heat having 3 ball handlers on the court, all three capable of running an offense at any time, they wouldn't need a traditional point guard on offense. Some possessions LeBron will bring the ball up, and sometimes he'll play off the ball. Same thing with Wade, and same thing with Miller, though I can imagine LeBron and Wade will spend more time handling than Miller.

 

Defensively, Wade would guard the smallest and quickest player, and LeBron would defend the bigger wing player. I remember last year Wade said he doesn't mind guarding point guards, though I believe Spoelstra wanted him to remain as an off ball defender so he can disrupt passes and block shots. Now that the Heat have LeBron, that aspect of Wade's game isn't needed from him as much as it was before.

 

 

So overall, if the Heat start Mike Miller they can still match up defensively, they don't lose much ball handling (Chalmers isn't a very good ball handler for a PG), and most importantly, the Heat get a much needed glue guy in the starting line up.

Edited September 20, 2010 by Poe

[Newman]

I don't think Miller needs to start, but he definitely should play at least 25 minutes, so technically you can say he got starter minutes but starting off the bench.

[Check my Stats]

It depends really... I think having Chalmers on the floor makes it easier, you have to imagine he will shoot better than last year from 3 with all the wide open looks he will get this year, and he is pretty good defensively. Starting Miller is good in theory but I heard Wade doesn't want to play the 1 (you have to imagine the reason is defensively not offensively). Chalmers and Miller will have identical roles, shoot the 3 and play defense, the only difference is having Chalmers on the floor makes it easier for defensively matchups.

 

Not to mention I doubt Spo wants to have 3 new faces in the starting 5, better to have 3 guys who are familiar with his system at the start of the year starting the games, Miller should probably be in the game at the end, and maybe he will even start 10 games into the year. But I think to start the year you keep it simple, start Chalmers and if he sucks again then you switch it. I would even consider starting House instead of Miller, I just don't want Wade/LBJ defending 1's for the majority of the game, especially at the start of the season.

 

There are a ton of options for this team, it will be interesting to see how it works. I still imagine the starting 5 opening night will be Anthony-Bosh-LBJ-Wade-Chalmers, but that could change as quick as 5 games into the year.

[AboveLegit]

Those championship teams also had one bench player that made an impact in big games. Believe it or not, LeBron and Wade might not be having great nights because they aren't great shooters, that's where Mike comes into play, and where he most excels.

 

As for the glue guy, no one thought Rondo would emerge as a good player for the Celtics. They thought he wasn't ready to be a starting PG on a championship team, but Doc Rivers gave him a chance. You gotta believe Spoelstra is thinking the same thing with Chalmers.

 

I'm sure when they need to close out games late in the fourth, they will substitute Miller in for Chalmers, and use him as a spot up guy.

 

If all fails and Chalmers doesn't live up to expectations, I can also see Eddie House being inserted into the starting line up. They need Mike to come off the bench and provide some offense in that second unit.

[Real Deal]

Pulling Chalmers back out of the five, as a true point guard (scoring or pass-first, doesn't matter), will be a major blow to his confidence.

 

Plus, you don't want elite guards to start the game hot. Guys like Bryant will light Miller up from the start, and Bryant is one guard (maybe the most important) in the way of that championship.

 

Miller will also give Wade some rest. LeBron works extremely well with shooters, and most teams will go to their second unit around the time the other team does, so bringing Miller off the bench more than likely means he comes in NOT having to defend a superstar, or defended by one.

[Nitro]

Plus, you don't want elite guards to start the game hot. Guys like Bryant will light Miller up from the start, and Bryant is one guard (maybe the most important) in the way of that championship.

 

Eh...the one thing the Heat will offer is versatility. The only team out of the elite group that I think could give the Heat problems with matchups would be the Celtics because they have a lightning quick PG and two difficult wing matchups. Against the Lakers the Heat could always sticks LeBron on Kobe and have Miller defend Artest, or have Wade defend Kobe and rely on Miller/LeBron to take care of Fisher because of Fisher's poor speed. Against the Magic, Miller/LeBron will be fine defending VC. The Celtics will be an issue because I can't see Miller having success against Allen.

[Real Deal]

Eh...the one thing the Heat will offer is versatility. The only team out of the elite group that I think could give the Heat problems with matchups would be the Celtics because they have a lightning quick PG and two difficult wing matchups. Against the Lakers the Heat could always sticks LeBron on Kobe and have Miller defend Artest, or have Wade defend Kobe and rely on Miller/LeBron to take care of Fisher because of Fisher's poor speed. Against the Magic, Miller/LeBron will be fine defending VC. The Celtics will be an issue because I can't see Miller having success against Allen.

1) I would love LeBron defending Kobe. He didn't do a good job of it while Kobe was injured, so I'll definitely welcome it again.

2) Miller can't defend Fisher. No idea why, but we had a topic about that at TLN a while back, had a laugh or two because it seems like it wouldn't take much to defend him. Fish just took him to the rim and physically got the best of him when Memphis was trying that, and against Washington last season, and I believe there was a Minny game the year before.

 

EDIT: Here was the Memphis-LA game where the Grizz switched Miller over to Fisher.

 

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200801080MEM.html

 

Of course, it wouldn't take much for LeBron, but the problem with that is we know for a fact that he'll be roaming...and I don't think that's a good idea. Fisher has had some of his best games in the last 2-3 years from guys helping on Bryant and even Ron (when Ron gets in the post, not much though), and Fisher turns into a ghost and disappears out to that corner three, every single time.

 

The biggest reasons why I'm not worried about the Heat as much include us having an offense that they will find hard to defend. While they can surely come up with enough teamwork to beat us, I look at that team as more of a "who defends who" scenario, and if that's the case, the Lakers have the on-ball defenders to really hurt them at each position.

 

I actually hope that's what they do, LeBron on Bryant. If Kobe was a slasher, like Maggette, I'd have second thoughts...but that match-up is welcomed in the triangle.

[Poe]

Not to mention I doubt Spo wants to have 3 new faces in the starting 5, better to have 3 guys who are familiar with his system at the start of the year starting the games, Miller should probably be in the game at the end, and maybe he will even start 10 games into the year. But I think to start the year you keep it simple, start Chalmers and if he sucks again then you switch it. I would even consider starting House instead of Miller, I just don't want Wade/LBJ defending 1's for the majority of the game, especially at the start of the season.

If the reasons to start Chalmers/Arroyo are to have more players in the line up that are familiar with the system, then I suppose starting either for the regular season is fine. Come playoff time, starting Miller would be the better option. 82 games is more than enough time to learn a new system.

 

 

Those championship teams also had one bench player that made an impact in big games.

That's where Udonis comes in.

 

 

As for the glue guy, no one thought Rondo would emerge as a good player for the Celtics. They thought he wasn't ready to be a starting PG on a championship team, but Doc Rivers gave him a chance. You gotta believe Spoelstra is thinking the same thing with Chalmers.

Rondo is a much, much different player than Chalmers. I'm sure the Celtics staff knew what they were doing when they decided Rondo was the right PG to start next to the big three.

 

Miller fits better than Chalmers as a glue. He shoots better, which is more important since Wade and LeBron are slashers, and Bosh is a post player. He also rebounds better and is about an even distributor and ball handler. Biggest key though is that Miller is more experienced and has proven to be very comfortable in that role.

 

 

If all fails and Chalmers doesn't live up to expectations, I can also see Eddie House being inserted into the starting line up. They need Mike to come off the bench and provide some offense in that second unit.

Mike is best suited for feeding off of these players, and they don't need him to create baskets as much as to create space to make things easier for the big three.

 

As for creating offense for the second unit, one of the big three will be in the game at all times. All three are capable of having an offense run through them.

 

 

Pulling Chalmers back out of the five, as a true point guard (scoring or pass-first, doesn't matter), will be a major blow to his confidence.

Chalmers is not a pure point guard whatsoever, which is the very reason he was drafted so late. He's an off guard on offense and a point guard on defense. Spoelstra never trusted Chalmers on the court unless he was playing with either Wade or Arroyo at the same time. There's a reason for that.

 

And I don't see where there is a confidence issue. Chalmers has been pulled from the starting line up before for inefficient play, and he's not even guaranteed to start this year. Spoelstra recently said he's currently undecided for the starting line up, so Chalmers is perfectly aware that he may or may not start this year. Bottom line, I'd rather have the best line up to win a championship than worry about one role player's confidence level.

 

 

Plus, you don't want elite guards to start the game hot. Guys like Bryant will light Miller up from the start, and Bryant is one guard (maybe the most important) in the way of that championship.

 

Miller will also give Wade some rest. LeBron works extremely well with shooters, and most teams will go to their second unit around the time the other team does, so bringing Miller off the bench more than likely means he comes in NOT having to defend a superstar, or defended by one.

The superstars will defend the superstars. Miller will take the weaker defensive assignments, like Fisher on the Lakers.

 

On offense, if Kobe is assigned on Miller rather than Wade, then LA has a major problem.

 

 

Eh...the one thing the Heat will offer is versatility. The only team out of the elite group that I think could give the Heat problems with matchups would be the Celtics because they have a lightning quick PG and two difficult wing matchups. Against the Lakers the Heat could always sticks LeBron on Kobe and have Miller defend Artest, or have Wade defend Kobe and rely on Miller/LeBron to take care of Fisher because of Fisher's poor speed. Against the Magic, Miller/LeBron will be fine defending VC. The Celtics will be an issue because I can't see Miller having success against Allen.

The Heat have enough offense where they don't need to match up exactly perfectly, like the Lakers against the Celtics. Fisher had trouble against Allen, but the Lakers had enough weapons on offense to win despite his troubles, and enough help D to make up for Fisher's poor on-ball defense.

 

If Miller starts, his assignments would be Fisher in LA, Allen in Boston, Q-Rich in Orlando, Korver/Brewer in Chicago, Afflalo in Denver, Battier in Houston, and so on. Whatever is the weakest assignment out of the 1, 2, and 3 positions. Besides, he's not that bad of a defender, and if he has trouble, there is enough help D in Wade, LeBron, and Anthony where the weakest perimeter threat won't be thinking about driving too much.

 

 

1) I would love LeBron defending Kobe. He didn't do a good job of it while Kobe was injured, so I'll definitely welcome it again.

LeBron would guard Artest, and Wade would guard Kobe. Miller doesn't have enough strength to match up against Artest, at least I don't think. Miller can take on Fisher/Blake.

 

 

2) Miller can't defend Fisher. No idea why, but we had a topic about that at TLN a while back, had a laugh or two because it seems like it wouldn't take much to defend him. Fish just took him to the rim and physically got the best of him when Memphis was trying that, and against Washington last season, and I believe there was a Minny game the year before.

 

EDIT: Here was the Memphis-LA game where the Grizz switched Miller over to Fisher.

The Heat are a more defensively disciplined team than the Grizzlies, and Fisher is a few years older. Playing under Spo's defensive system, I don't see Fisher pulling off the same thing twice.

 

Besides, the game your mentioning 6'1'' Conley was starting. Starting 6'8'' Miller with a 6'4'' D-Wade will create matchup problems for the Lakers defensively. I'll take a more difficult matchup against the Lakers weakest offensive player if it means a difficult matchup for one of the Heat's better offensive players.

 

And like I said in response to Nitro, there is more than enough help D in Wade, LeBron, Anthony, and even Bosh where I'm not too worried about Fisher or Blake attempting to slash to the basket.

[Real Deal]

That's not the only time Miller had trouble defending Fisher. There were three other games, actually...and we (Lakers fans) never had a clue why coaches were moving him over to defend Fish. One was when he was in Washington.

 

Fisher is older...and so is Miller, the guy that could be still trying to recover from injuries.

 

Superstars will guard superstars? Doesn't leave much room for help defense, then. Ron may have struggled shooting in the second half of the season, but that's due to the hand/thumb injury and the plantar fasciitis. If LeBron wants to leave him open to help on Fisher, of all players, that's fantastic.

 

And Miller defending Blake...he would need even more attention from Miami's help defense. And these are two guys (Blake and Fisher) who aren't exactly worthy of that any other game.

 

And Chalmers is a true point guard, not a pure one. Two different things. His true position is at the point. He's been playing it all his life, at KU and in the NBA. If you're saying you want to play him at the two, well...okay.

[Poe]

That's not the only time Miller had trouble defending Fisher. There were three other games, actually...and we (Lakers fans) never had a clue why coaches were moving him over to defend Fish. One was when he was in Washington.

 

Fisher is older...and so is Miller, the guy that could be still trying to recover from injuries.

 

Superstars will guard superstars? Doesn't leave much room for help defense, then. Ron may have struggled shooting in the second half of the season, but that's due to the hand/thumb injury and the plantar fasciitis. If LeBron wants to leave him open to help on Fisher, of all players, that's fantastic.

 

And Miller defending Blake...he would need even more attention from Miami's help defense. And these are two guys (Blake and Fisher) who aren't exactly worthy of that any other game.

 

Neither Artest or Fisher are real offensive threats compared to Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum. Those players will be matched against Wade, Bosh, and Anthony. Bron as enough strength to guard Artest, and Miller has enough quickness to hold his own against Blake and Fisher with enough help defense.

 

 

And it's not LeBron individually playing help defense. Help D is a combination of all defensive players on the court playing off the ball. Great help defense always brings the most out of on ball defenders. Poor help D makes on ball defenders look worse. Just ask Ray Allen in Boston, or Rip Hamilton in Detroit.

 

With the defense the Heat have plus the coaching of Erik Spoelstra, I am not at all worried about the matchup of Mike Miller on Derek Fisher or Steve Blake.

 

 

And Chalmers is a true point guard, not a pure one. Two different things. His true position is at the point. He's been playing it all his life, at KU and in the NBA. If you're saying you want to play him at the two, well...okay.

 

All I can say is "no he's not". He never played PG offensively for the entire 09-10 season, though he does set up the offense when the Heat run a play for Wade off the ball (when he manages to get past half court without Chris Quinn ripping it from him).

 

I don't know about college, but he's been a 2 on offense his entire NBA career. Scouts know this, and Spoelstra knows this. He's a 2 on offense but guards the 1 on defense. It's the very reason he only plays while either Arroyo or Wade is on the court simultaneously to take the bulk of the ball handling. That won't change until Chalmers' ball handling becomes up to par with starting NBA point guards.

[Real Deal]

Chalmers ate up 45% of the team's minutes at point last year. That's 22 minutes of the 24-25 he averaged. Derek Fisher doesn't run the offense, either, but that doesn't mean he's not a point guard. When Spo is drawing up plays on offense, Chalmers is the one, Wade is the two. A "2 Double" would be a play drawn for Wade to score (just making a play up, of course).

 

You can't change where Chalmers is on the court. If you slot him at the two, you're going to run more scoring plays for him, and I'm sure the Heat won't want that, nor do they want to re-write the playbook.

 

And the help defense...doesn't matter who it is, you're still leaving your man. Houston's method of beating the Lakers was forcing Bryant into help (Battier is the best in the NBA at doing this), and it would require his teammates knocking down shots to beat them. You expect the Heat to help Mike Miller defend Fisher? Just because Fisher doesn't score 20 a game doesn't mean he can't paralyze your team. Ask Boston what he did in the NBA Finals, Game 3. But I'm not going to dig too deep into that, because I doubt Spo wants Miller defending the point (especially Blake).