What if Reggie Miller had joined the new Big Three?

[gotjoker?]

This particular article is old, but since Reggie Miller is set to be inducted...  I thought that I would start this discussion for anyone who maybe interested in talking about him in relation to Boston.

I think Miller would've pulled off a Rocky Balboa-like story.

Where does he rank in your mind among the great shooting guards in NBA history from his generation?

Lastly, could you've played for another team if you were a Hall Of Fame player nearing the end of your professional basketball career and without a championship ring?

You've to respect him for his decision to not go the Karl Malone or Gary Payton route.

Personally, I wanted Patrick Ewing to win one, and I still want Grant Hill to win one as well.

By the way, I think that was incidental contact by Miller on Jordan.  Jordan overrated. Or, maybe, not.  Who knows...

"My suggestion to him was, 'Go for it,'" his old Pacers point guard, Mark Jackson, says now. “He had it in his tank to play again."

Eventually, Allen would’ve passed Miller’s 3-point record, but Miller could’ve created a greater gulf in the 2007-08 season. Over and over, Miller believed he was close to picking up the phone, calling Boston general manager Danny Ainge and telling him he wanted to do it. He had gone into the gym long and hard that summer and tried to get back into shape to ultimately make the call on the comeback. Here was an old boxer returning to the heavy bag to see what was left in those legs, in that flick of a wrist.

With the way he was working, with the glowing reports from Garnett, Miller’s workout partner in Malibu, Ainge had come to believe Miller was destined to play for the Celtics.

"I thought there was a good chance he was coming to come play for us," Ainge says. "He was going hard at it with two-a-days and really working to make it happen. We were very serious. …We wanted him."

Looking back, Miller has never been clear on the reason he turned down the job offer – except that he had come to the cusp of accepting it. Even now, Ainge isn’t sure. Miller declined to discuss it, but Jackson never believed it was because Miller couldn’t still play, or that the desire was gone.

"It was not wanting to wear another uniform, and not wanting to feel like somebody else got him a ring,” Jackson says.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-millerallen020911



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPRbt1rrSFc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YpBP2mJe2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDCjzonaDMI

[CelticsFan9]

You know, I would have loved to have had Reggie on the team for that veteran presence and shooting ability, but I totally respect his decision.  Mark Jackson was spot on.  Miller's dedication and loyalty to the Indiana Pacers was too much for him to go and become a ring-chaser.  Hopefully, Paul Pierce will do the same for us when he's at the end of his career.

[Surferdad]

As I recall, it wasn't so much the Pacer Pride that kept him away, but rather that he realized once he got into near NBA shape again that an 82-game season was just out of reach at his age.  Someone jar our memories here.

[arambone]

As I recall, it wasn't so much the Pacer Pride that kept him away, but rather that he realized once he got into near NBA shape again that an 82-game season was just out of reach at his age.  Someone jar our memories here.

You got it. He was over the hill, way past where Ray Allen is now.

Off topic a bit, but this could be the year Paul and Kevin start to fall off. 82 games is a long ass grind. Hopefully the bench stays healthy, because it's probably only going to shorten their careers if they are forced into over-extended playing time for an extended period of time.

That's part of why I'm all for KG playing PF and taking less punishment over 82 games. Last year at this time, we never would have expected KG to be our starting center and playing big minutes in '12-'13.

Even if KG IS able to physically do it, I'd rather lighten KG's mental and physical load and extend his career for the full 3 seasons of his contract.

Big 3 era had a 3-4 year life expectancy. I hope Doc leans on the youth this year.

[biggs]

As I recall, it wasn't so much the Pacer Pride that kept him away, but rather that he realized once he got into near NBA shape again that an 82-game season was just out of reach at his age.  Someone jar our memories here.

You got it. He was over the hill, way past where Ray Allen is now.

Off topic a bit, but this could be the year Paul and Kevin start to fall off. 82 games is a long ass grind. Hopefully the bench stays healthy, because it's probably only going to shorten their careers if they are forced into over-extended playing time for an extended period of time.

That's part of why I'm all for KG playing PF and taking less punishment over 82 games. Last year at this time, we never would have expected KG to be our starting center and playing big minutes in '12-'13.

Even if KG IS able to physically do it, I'd rather lighten KG's mental and physical load and extend his career for the full 3 seasons of his contract.

Big 3 era had a 3-4 year life expectancy. I hope Doc leans on the youth this year.

Disagree. Part of KG's legacy is his longevity. You will never see another big man play with such vitality in his elder years for another century. It's not Shaq at 36, its KG.

[CantBeRight]

Dwight and lebron need to take lessons from Reggie. He did not abandon his legacy for a ring.

[pearljammer10]

I am in the same boat here. I would have loved Reggie to hit the floor for us but 100% stand by the decision he made and not jumping ship to another franchise just to wear the ring. Reggie was a legend as a Pacer and it is rightfully so that he stays that way.

[gotjoker?]

In accordance to Basketball Reference, Miller was age thirty-nine in his last season, 2004-2005.  He was born in August so he would've been forty-two during the 2007-2008 season.  I don't know, it depends on one's strength and conditioning.  And Miller has always looked anorexic physically.

In my opinion, I believe it was more to do with not liking the idea of seeing himself in another team's uniform when he has been the face of the Pacers for so long.  Also, there's this...  Evidently, Miller said back in 2003 that he wouldn't sign a new contract to play elsewhere after he'd resigned with Indiana.  I reckon he'd meant it.  But why even entertain the thought of coming out of retirement, then? Odd.  He must have liked the attention.

As an unrestricted free agent, Reggie Miller apparently had an opportunity to join Karl Malone in Los Angeles with the Lakers.

But instead of taking shots alongside Malone, Miller sounded like he was taking a few shots at Malone. At least indirectly.

"I didn't want to be like some other guys who jump on another team's bandwagon just to get a ring," Miller said.

"I can't see myself playing after this contract," Miller said. "I came in as a rookie skinnier than I am now, and I had to prove myself to the great fans of Indiana," Miller said. "They've seen me grow from a young boy into a young man. I know I get to finish my career here and be a lifetime Pacer."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1599888

[BUTerrier]

Lastly, could you've played for another team if you were a Hall Of Fame player nearing the end of your professional basketball career and without a championship ring?

You've to respect him for his decision to not go the Karl Malone or Gary Payton route.

See, here's my thing: I do agree that Malone and Payton seemed desperate in latching on to get a ring (though I might give Payton a pass because the Sonics DID trade him for Ray, so it's not like there was a lot of team loyalty by the Sonics there). But then again, I had absolutely no ill will toward Ray Bourque when he engineered a trade to the Avalanche and won a championship with them, and I don't know that I hold a lot of ill-will for Nash for joining the Lakers; I mean, I don't like the Lakers, but I don't dislike Nash.

I think that if a player gives their heart and soul to a particular team, doesn't play around with free agent overtures or mislead his team, etc., I can respect them going to management quietly -- not in the papers, but face to face -- and saying "Look, I love playing here, but I really want to win a championship before I retire. Can we see if there's some way to make a trade that helps both me and the team?" I don't think it's disloyal if it's handled correctly. And I think that if there was ever a player who I could forgive for changing teams at the end of his career, it'd be Reggie Miller, who's arguably on my Mount Rushmore alongside Tim Duncan, John Stockton, and Elgin Baylor as "Guys who you HATED seeing the Celtics play against, but still respected the hell out of."

[soap07]

Dwight and lebron need to take lessons from Reggie. He did not abandon his legacy for a ring.

Given the choice, I'd rather be a champion that played on multiple teams.

[gotjoker?]

I think that if a player gives their heart and soul to a particular team, doesn't play around with free agent overtures or mislead his team, etc., I can respect them going to management quietly -- not in the papers, but face to face -- and saying "Look, I love playing here, but I really want to win a championship before I retire. Can we see if there's some way to make a trade that helps both me and the team?" I don't think it's disloyal if it's handled correctly.

An excellent point was brought up yesterday or Monday on the local sports radio where the argument of great career versus winning a championship was briefly discussed.  Basically, it was: Would you rather be Charles Barkley or Robert Horry? Tough.  You want to believe that your career meant something and you'd an important impact on the league for the duration of your career.  But to retire and never win at least one championship to your credit has to eat away at your competitive spirit.  If it were me, I concur with what one of the host sided on.  I'd rather have been Horry.  I mean what do you play for in sports? Championships.  Also, he likely won't get inducted into the Hall Of Fame.  But, he can say that he was a teammate of Hall Of Fame players during his long career.

[BballTim]

I think that if a player gives their heart and soul to a particular team, doesn't play around with free agent overtures or mislead his team, etc., I can respect them going to management quietly -- not in the papers, but face to face -- and saying "Look, I love playing here, but I really want to win a championship before I retire. Can we see if there's some way to make a trade that helps both me and the team?" I don't think it's disloyal if it's handled correctly.

An excellent point was brought up yesterday or Monday on the local sports radio where the argument of great career versus winning a championship was briefly discussed.  Basically, it was: Would you rather be Charles Barkley or Robert Horry? Tough.  You want to believe that your career meant something and you'd an important impact on the league for the duration of your career.  But to retire and never win at least one championship to your credit has to eat away at your competitive spirit.  If it were me, I concur with what one of the host sided on.  I'd rather have been Horry.  I mean what do you play for in sports? Championships.  Also, he likely won't get inducted into the Hall Of Fame.  But, he can say that he was a teammate of Hall Of Fame players during his long career.

  Barkley's been out of the league 12 years and he's known as one of the best power forwards of all time. Horry's been out of the league 4 years and he's basically the answer to a trivia question.

[Eddie20]

NBATV show with Barkley, Smith, Webber, Kerr and Miller, and on it Miller was describing the summer of 07. He said that things came together too quickly and he didn't want to come to camp out of shape. He was working out with KG during the summer and after a couple of weeks contacted Ainge and told him he simply wouldn't be ready in time. He went on to say that if he had more time, he would have signed with the C's.

What it would have done?

It probably would've given us arguably the most lethal perimeter shooting team ever with Allen, Pierce, Miller, House, and Posey.

[Cman]

NBATV show with Barkley, Smith, Webber, Kerr and Miller, and on it Miller was describing the summer of 07. He said that things came together too quickly and he didn't want to come to camp out of shape. He was working out with KG during the summer and after a couple of weeks contacted Ainge and told him he simply wouldn't be ready in time. He went on to say that if he had more time, he would have signed with the C's.

What it would have done?

It probably would've given us arguably the most lethal perimeter shooting team ever with Allen, Pierce, Miller, House, and Posey.

Would the Cs have had both Posey and Miller, though?
One sort of imagines that if the Cs had signed Miller, it would have made it less likely that the Cs would have been able to sign Posey (and/or House).

[Eddie20]

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2011/11/22/opencourt_life_after_nba.nba/

Here it is, starts at around the 1:45 mark