http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13674475p-14517002c.html
By Sam Amick
Not long after the Kings' season had ended in Seattle, Brad Miller was walking out of a despondent locker room on his way to the offseason.
A media member asked him for a phone number for those next few months, somewhere to reach him if big news broke and an interview was desperately needed.
"Ain't nothing important enough for anyone to find me," Miller said before he was gone.
The only thing worth finding was his sanity, which gets lost every year in the madness of the NBA grind but this time more than ever. There was the broken left leg and contusion that forced him out of the last 26 games of the regular season, the trading of Chris Webber and Doug Christie that left Miller higher on the veteran chart than he cared to be in just his second season as a King. And there was the failed attempt to play Superman at the end, when Miller rushed back to action but was never truly back as the Kings lost in five games to the Sonics.
So, of course, there had to be a way to forget about all of it and get back to the basics.
Enter Kendallville, Ind. Literally.
Miller and his mind were rehabilitated in the town of 15,124, where his house sits on the shores of Big Long Lake not far from his hometown of Fort Wayne. He watched a close friend's son play in a college baseball scrimmage, cheered for his 12-year-old sister as she performed in a horse show, and even took in a few high school football games.
He fished for bluegill and bass off the dock behind his house, then moseyed over to the trusty Shady Nut bar as a matter of routine for drinks on the water. Or Miller Time, you could call it.
"You know that Toby Keith song, 'I Love This Bar?' " Miller asked. "That's pretty much what it's like."
But mostly, he tried to forget the season that he said hurt worse than any other.
"Last year was probably the hardest year since I've been in the league," said Miller, who's entering his eighth season. "It was just everything around the team - the trades, the people that got traded. I looked around and the only ones here were Mike (Bibby) and Peja (Stojakovic). It was a little bit weird, but that's the business."
He's ready as only Miller can be now, with his head straight and plenty of time for the body to catch up. Two days into training camp, coach Rick Adelman said his center is - per the norm - a few weeks away from looking good. He's not bulky as some fans had hoped, or as he alluded to in May with talk of hitting the weights so he could win battles against the likes of former Sonics center Jerome James.
Technically, he kept his word. On most days, Miller was alone in his personal weight room that isn't as fancy as it sounds, with simple equipment to complement the simple man. His small bench press can handle only a fraction of his weight, so he focused on higher repetitions geared toward muscle definition.
"I've got a machine we bought when I broke my leg, too, so I did some jumping range-of-motion stuff," Miller said.
The other stuff didn't need work, like the reliable jump shot and passing touch. While Miller set his career high in scoring last season (15.6), it's his smooth ball movement that may be the most vital, with proven scorers Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Bonzi Wells being added to shoulder much of the offensive load. In the absence of Christie and long past the Vlade Divac era, Miller dishing passes from the high post will matter even more.
"Brad's going to come to play every night," Bibby said. "We're still looking for him to move the ball, to pass the ball around, probably be the same way. Brad will be all right. Brad's Brad."
Like Bibby and Stojakovic before him, Miller said it will be up to the trio to guide the team's crop of new players.
"We're the only ones who have been in tough game situations, so we'll have to step up," Miller said. "That's something that progresses with time. All three of us are real quiet, but it's something we'll have to do."
In hindsight, Adelman said Miller never should have returned to face the Sonics. He averaged just 8.4 points in 27.8 minutes in five games against Seattle, playing out of necessity but unable to leg it out.
"He was playing on one leg," Adelman said. "He didn't have any timing or anything. He tried, though."
Making a healthy - and happy - Miller all the more encouraging. "I don't see any repercussions from his injury at all," Adelman said. "He's shooting the ball well, doing fine."
By Sam Amick
Not long after the Kings' season had ended in Seattle, Brad Miller was walking out of a despondent locker room on his way to the offseason.
A media member asked him for a phone number for those next few months, somewhere to reach him if big news broke and an interview was desperately needed.
"Ain't nothing important enough for anyone to find me," Miller said before he was gone.
The only thing worth finding was his sanity, which gets lost every year in the madness of the NBA grind but this time more than ever. There was the broken left leg and contusion that forced him out of the last 26 games of the regular season, the trading of Chris Webber and Doug Christie that left Miller higher on the veteran chart than he cared to be in just his second season as a King. And there was the failed attempt to play Superman at the end, when Miller rushed back to action but was never truly back as the Kings lost in five games to the Sonics.
So, of course, there had to be a way to forget about all of it and get back to the basics.
Enter Kendallville, Ind. Literally.
Miller and his mind were rehabilitated in the town of 15,124, where his house sits on the shores of Big Long Lake not far from his hometown of Fort Wayne. He watched a close friend's son play in a college baseball scrimmage, cheered for his 12-year-old sister as she performed in a horse show, and even took in a few high school football games.
He fished for bluegill and bass off the dock behind his house, then moseyed over to the trusty Shady Nut bar as a matter of routine for drinks on the water. Or Miller Time, you could call it.
"You know that Toby Keith song, 'I Love This Bar?' " Miller asked. "That's pretty much what it's like."
But mostly, he tried to forget the season that he said hurt worse than any other.
"Last year was probably the hardest year since I've been in the league," said Miller, who's entering his eighth season. "It was just everything around the team - the trades, the people that got traded. I looked around and the only ones here were Mike (Bibby) and Peja (Stojakovic). It was a little bit weird, but that's the business."
He's ready as only Miller can be now, with his head straight and plenty of time for the body to catch up. Two days into training camp, coach Rick Adelman said his center is - per the norm - a few weeks away from looking good. He's not bulky as some fans had hoped, or as he alluded to in May with talk of hitting the weights so he could win battles against the likes of former Sonics center Jerome James.
Technically, he kept his word. On most days, Miller was alone in his personal weight room that isn't as fancy as it sounds, with simple equipment to complement the simple man. His small bench press can handle only a fraction of his weight, so he focused on higher repetitions geared toward muscle definition.
"I've got a machine we bought when I broke my leg, too, so I did some jumping range-of-motion stuff," Miller said.
The other stuff didn't need work, like the reliable jump shot and passing touch. While Miller set his career high in scoring last season (15.6), it's his smooth ball movement that may be the most vital, with proven scorers Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Bonzi Wells being added to shoulder much of the offensive load. In the absence of Christie and long past the Vlade Divac era, Miller dishing passes from the high post will matter even more.
"Brad's going to come to play every night," Bibby said. "We're still looking for him to move the ball, to pass the ball around, probably be the same way. Brad will be all right. Brad's Brad."
Like Bibby and Stojakovic before him, Miller said it will be up to the trio to guide the team's crop of new players.
"We're the only ones who have been in tough game situations, so we'll have to step up," Miller said. "That's something that progresses with time. All three of us are real quiet, but it's something we'll have to do."
In hindsight, Adelman said Miller never should have returned to face the Sonics. He averaged just 8.4 points in 27.8 minutes in five games against Seattle, playing out of necessity but unable to leg it out.
"He was playing on one leg," Adelman said. "He didn't have any timing or anything. He tried, though."
Making a healthy - and happy - Miller all the more encouraging. "I don't see any repercussions from his injury at all," Adelman said. "He's shooting the ball well, doing fine."
.
