Considering the options out there for FA point guards, good move. He will make this team better...

He'll be an upgrade from Steve Blake, though I never thought Blake was a problem. Inconsistent, yes. Couldn't make a shot on the road, yes. But always steady in terms of defense and ball handling. Wonder what happens to Blake now.

We still need a small forward. I love Batum, but he needs seasoning. The Blazers could have picked up Grant Hill for about $3 million a year for two years. Hill was the best player on Phoenix last year, and totally going against his recent past, played all 82 games and looked like the guy who starred with the Pistons a decade ago. As it is, we now are going to be stuck with Batum, an iffy Martell Webster and, eating up too many minutes, Travis Outlaw.

Haven't checked the sports intertubes. Have the Lakers signed Odom yet?

Now can they re-sign Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge?

What's his rap sheet look like?

winding down his career in the next few years or so (he's about 33 1/2). short-term fix. already slower than a lot of point guards in the league. best years likely already behind him.

but, given the slim pickings, it's a decent pickup. now, we have as many as *three* point guard contenders. and still no good power forward.

And we don't have to watch him eat Blake alive when the Blazers play the Sixers, anymore.

Doesn't mean I'm not a Blake fan--he does a lot of good things--but he's not at his best against guys like Miller.

we have as many as *three* point guard contenders.

No, we don't. Miller's going to start, Blake will come off the bench, and Bayless will be traded.

winding down his career in the next few years or so (he's about 33 1/2). short-term fix. already slower than a lot of point guards in the league. best years likely already behind him.

Sounds like Buck Williams or Dave DeBusschere. I'll take it.

As it is, we now are going to be stuck with Batum, an iffy Martell Webster and, eating up too many minutes, Travis Outlaw.

They can get along o.k. there until the new year, but don't expect much from any of those guys in the playoffs.

I heard on "sports" last night that he has missed 3 games due to injury during his career. Of course that means he will likely require major reconstructive surgery after his first practice with the Blazers and miss his entire first season here.

(I kid, but sometimes it feels like that.)

No, we don't. Miller's going to start, Blake will come off the bench, and Bayless will be traded.

you might be right about that one. I hadn't heard the Bayless trade scenario, though.

Looks like he's good for about as half again as many points as Blake, he averages three more assists per game, and he gets more steals (which indicates that he's a good defender). The downside, he averages 2.5 turn-overs a game to Blake's 1.5. He's extremely durable, which is huge plus given his age, and he has almost no history of injuries. His rap sheet is as clean as a whistle. 9 seasons as a solid reliable NBA point guard sounds pretty darned good in my book, and a 3 year contract sounds about right given the fact that he's 33 years old.

HMM , KP may have been nappin when OUR Local Stud , A.Brooks
tore us a new one in the playoffs , now we get another old guy ....

The key isn't that Miller is replacing Blake in the starting five, but that Miller and Blake will be covering all the minutes at point guard now, whereas 45% of the available minutes at point guard this past season went to Jerryd Bayless, Sergio Rodriguez and Roy or Rudy playing out of position.

Miller has made a career out of penetrating, making layups, drawing fouls, and executing fast breaks. These are precisely the attributes the Blazers lacked from his position since... Terry Porter? Miller can't shoot from deep and isn't a great defensive player, but he and Blake are a really solid tandem. I see both complementing Roy nicely in their own ways.

Great signing at a nice price. Luring Ramon Sessions (a comparable player) from Milwaukee would have cost twice this over five years, rather than two or three. Acquiring Kirk Hinrich (who also makes more than Miller now) would have cost the Blazers some combination of assets in trade. After those, no good point guards are presumed available.
Now please get those Roy and Aldridge extensions done, KP.

Roy and Aldridge will get their extensions now that the team's used its cap space.