Hopefully, it's Miller time for a long time

By Michael Rushton

We didn’t want to admit we needed it, weren’t sure we even wanted it, and began a new era when we got it.

What was it?

Change.

When the 76ers dealt Allen Iverson to the Nuggets, they were throwing their hands up, admitting it was time for a change. Dealing an icon who became the face of a city was no easy thing to do. And admit it, deep down inside you didn’t want to see him leave but knew it had to be done.

With that face lift complete, the 76ers knew they were in deep so it became necessary to bite the financial bullet as well, aka the buyout and jettison of Chris Webber.

Think of it as a tummy-tuck to compliment the botox.

So now that it has a new identity, explain to me why Philadelphia would want to trade Andre Miller because I can’t figure out why.

For starters, he is the anti-Iverson. A quite, low-key point guard who looks for open teammates. If that’s not change…

Secondly, the man can play. Almost everyone, including some of us on these pages, felt Miller was good, but pointed out his talent pool in Denver was better than here. Hence, none of us felt he would be able to maintain his 9.1 assists per game total.

And if you want to split hairs, we were right. But go ahead, click on Miller’s stat page. I’ll wait.

That’s right, Miller is still dishing out 8.1 assists each night with Philly and is on the mark at 13 points a game, just like in Denver.

Age is a factor as well. Miller is just over nine months younger than Iverson, but we all remember the beating A.I.’s body took, and still takes. Miller is 30 and probably feels like it. Iverson, well…

Finally, with new cap room and a lottery pick on the horizon, the 76ers need a veteran point man to compliment the scorer they are going to bring in. Without Iverson, the 76ers biggest weakness is scoring. Andre Iguodala is nice, but widely inconsistent. When the Sixers bring in a playmaker in the offseason, he will surely play a position other than the point.

Otherwise, what was the point of change?

The potential of a Greg Oden or Kevin Durant running the floors at the Wach is exciting, but think of how your image of one of those two throwing it down starts. That’s right, a nice crisp pass into the lane.

Miller is a good fit for this club long-term. It should be obvious to any general manager. Which means someone better get me Billy King on the phone…

You can try reaching Michael Rushton on the phone, but he usually won’t pick up. Instead, hit him up at rushpac@msn.com or phanaticmag@comcast.net.


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The Phanatic