Mike Miller may not look all that manly to most these days, given his unfortunate choice of hair styles. But after the way he competed in Wednesday night's close loss to the Miami Heat, there's certainly no questioning his toughness.
Miller came out of the game early in the third with an injured left shoulder, and headed to the locker room for some treatment. It was considered a mild sprain at the time, and since it was his non-shooting shoulder, he re-entered the game late in the period.
Miller played through until early in the fourth, when he hit the deck on a drive to the basket, and landed on the already injured shoulder. The man was in visible agony, but as you'll see in the following video, he managed to stay in the game long enough to make the highlights.
The Wizards are hoping that a healthy roster, a few new additions and a new head coach will help the team get back to relevance and into the fairly stacked upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. But reconstructing a group that won just 19 games a year ago might be a project that will take longer than a single campaign to complete.
The good news is the Wizards have plenty of positives going for them as they head into the season.
Every Tuesday this offseason, two of our NBA experts will go at it with a Debate in the Paint. This week, the topic is which team will be the most improved.
There are two generally accepted ways to massively improve your team's chances during the summer offseason: draft new talent, or acquire new talent by trade or free agency. But the Wizards -- my choice for most improved team of 2009-10 -- have tapped a little-known third way: let all your injured stars return to health.
That was the biggest factor in the return of the Heat, 2008-09's most improved team: Dwyane Wade got healthy, and the team got back to contention. The Wiz stand at the start of a similar path, with Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood ready to roll. Of course, Wade is more vital than either. But together, it's like signing two major free agents at arguably the two most hard-to-fill positions.
There was a lot of activity in the NBA this week, and we're not just talking about the draft. Some of the NBA's big names and better teams were in on it.
Here's a quick look at the trades that went down and what they mean:
The Thinking: The Cavaliers get an aging O'Neal, with the hope that he can have a productive year playing alongside LeBron James. The only way this trade is a success is if the Cavaliers are the 2009-10 NBA champions. For the Suns, trading O'Neal means that they are beyond tinkering and are leaning toward turning over the personnel of a team that missed the playoffs last season.
One of the more bizarre on-court storylines of 2008-09 was the "death" of Mike Miller.
Long one of the NBA's great shooters, Miller's single season in Minnesota reeked of miscast talent. The great Britt Robson of Secrets of the City called Miller's Timberwolf season "one of the most perverse, distasteful wastes of player's tailor-made role on a ballclub" he's ever witnessed. It is incredibly difficult to disagree.
What happened to Miller last season, when he averaged single digits (9.9 points per game) for the only time in his career? And can it be reversed in Washington? Let's find out.
For those of us hoping that the draft would bring some exciting developments, it has at least started with a relative bang. And for Minnesota fans, it has brought with it the "good" exciting, rather than the "oh, what's that funny feeling in my stomach, oh, it's vomit" exciting. You know, their usual kind.
I'm not sure how David West can even try to justify what he was thinking when he hit Mike Miller in Sunday's game -- plain and simple, that's assault, not a hard foul. The NBA apparently agrees, announcing this afternoon that West will be suspended for tonight's game contest in Memphis. With Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler already sidelined due to injury, it shouldn't be considered an upset if O.J. Mayo and the rest of the Griz defend their home court.
I have some bad news for all the Bulls fans eager to see Larry Hughes switch uniforms: the Nets do in fact have some interest in Hughes, but only as a fallback plan. Who are the Nets really going after? Mike Miller, a pretty useful player who's been buried in mediocrity since being traded to the Timberwolves this summer.
Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger spoke with an "NBA general manager familiar with the discussions" who confirmed the news, saying the Nets have been pursuing the deal since the start of the week. So far the Wolves aren't biting, reportedly holding for a draft pick and a young player; all New Jersey wants to give up is salary cap relief.
Just as we receive word that one old-timer is interested in coming back, another becomes available. The Memphis Grizzlies today waived Antoine Walker, after coming to a buyout agreement on the remainder of his contract. I know what you're thinking: Antoine Walker was on the Grizzlies? Yes, yes he was. Although it was in name only, as he didn't play in a single game for them this season.
Walker was part of the eight-player draft day deal in June that ended up sending O.J. Mayo to Memphis, and saw the Grizzlies send Kevin Love and Mike Miller to Minnesota. Now that Walker's available, the question is, can he still play?
I'm guessing Walker wouldn't have bothered taking a lesser amount than his contract guaranteed him if he was done as a player -- that's just bad business. So assuming he can still contribute something, where might he end up?
The opening locale for our NBA Preview tour hosts a championship contender ... unless you believe in Vegas, where two teams have odds of at least 18-to-1 to win the title. Bettors have Utah at 18-to-1 and Portland, ahem Portland at 12-to-1. Clearly, folks expect big things from the newborn Trail Blazers.
That brings us to our first topic: how good will Portland be? The Blazers caught much of the nation off-guard last year, with a long winning streak through the early winter keeping the team alive in the rough Western playoff race. Clearly, Portland overperformed based on common expectation. Is that even possible this year? Win or lose, the Blazers will likely get more attention than any other Northwest team this season. The burgeoning tomorrow promises excitement, and no one wants to miss out the introduction of greatness. No pressure, kids.
Mike Miller may not look all that manly to most these days, given his unfortunate choice of hair styles. But after the way he competed in Wednesday night's close loss to the Miami Heat, there's certainly no questioning his toughness.
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Every Tuesday this offseason, two of our NBA experts will go at it with a 
There was a lot of activity in the NBA this week, and we're not just talking about the draft. Some of the NBA's big names and better teams were in on it.
One of the more bizarre on-court storylines of 2008-09 was the "death" of 
For those of us hoping that the draft would bring some exciting developments, it has at least started with a relative bang. And for Minnesota fans, it has brought with it the "good" exciting, rather than the "oh, what's that funny feeling in my stomach, oh, it's vomit" exciting. You know, their usual kind. 
I have some bad news for all the Bulls fans eager to see 
Just as we receive word that 
