http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14098610p-14928456c.html
Ailene Voisin: Miller is the right choice
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 21, 2006
They messed up. They were myopic. USA Basketball officials committed fatal personnel turnovers - and failing to offer Brad Miller an Olympic roster spot in 2004 was the equivalent of dribbling the ball off a sneaker - long before the hastily-assembled national team arrived in Athens.
Miller was an easy choice, for the obvious reasons. He shoots, he passes, he rebounds. He can be physical. He wanted to be there.
He was still ignored.
He caught it all on tape, though, didn't miss a defeat. While he works overtime at cultivating an image as a casual, carefree professional who could walk away from the game and never glance back, he studies the NBA with the practiced eye of an obsessed schoolboy. He scrutinizes trades, religiously peruses box scores, memorizes the standings, analyzes his opponent's statistics. And between the hunting and fishing trips that he loves to chat about, he kept up with the developments in Athens in 2004, including the losses to Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Argentina.
Mostly, he noticed how teams sagged inside and frustrated Tim Duncan into uncharacteristic fits, and frankly, believed he could have made a difference. Could have assisted with his high-post presence, his precise passes, his lethal mid-range jumper, his width and his willingness to exchange elbows with Oberto and Nocioni and that versatile, if aging stud from Puerto Rico, Jose Ortiz.
Could have. Should have. Would have.
So when you're a country boy and your nation's basketball program is under siege - and the finishes in the 2002 World Championships (sixth) and the Athens Games (third) amount to a serious and protracted slump - you do what you can do. You enlist.
All is forgiven. All they have to do is ask.
"Watching the World Championships and especially after the Olympics," Miller said, "it becomes a matter of pride. Losing gives you a lot of motivation. I'd be very interested."
After his recent chat with USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo, there are strong indications the feelings are finally mutual. Colangelo traveled to Sacramento last Tuesday strictly to meet with Miller and assess his interest.
Without ranking the other candidates outright - and the crop of American centers is a pretty short list - Colangelo effusively praised the eight-year veteran and rated Miller a "legitimate" prospect.
"If you truly intend to build a team of complementary parts, not 12 All-Stars, you can build a great case for a guy like Brad Miller," said Colangelo. "He also made it very clear that if invited, he's there in a heartbeat."
Under USAB's revised system, the plan is to contact approximately 20-25 players between now and the All-Star break, invite the interested parties to a training camp that begins July 18 in Las Vegas, then trim the roster to 12 players (plus three alternates) to represent the U.S. in the World Championships later this year in Japan. The winner gains an automatic berth to the 2008 Beijing Games, while everyone else is required to compete in a qualifying tournament in the summer of 2007. For most of the American pros, this would mean sacrificing significant vacation time in three consecutive offseasons - a departure from the previous approach.
Yet unlike the prelude to Athens, where several players withdrew because of security concerns, Colangelo hasn't resorted to any arm-twisting. LeBron James committed weeks ago. Kobe Bryant officially was invited on Friday and accepted immediately. In fact, of the NBA's other elite stars, only Duncan and Kevin Garnett have consistently rebuffed overtures.
Mike Bibby, however, who emerged as a favorite of head coach Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich as a member of the 2003 national team that dominated the qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico, does not appear to be receiving serious consideration - for whatever reason. Lingering resentment from his withdrawal from the Athens Games? The fact he travels with several friends? The abundance of scoring point guards openly coveting roster spots?
"They don't want me," a frowning Bibby said late Thursday, "so I'm done with all that."
Meantime, Miller waits and wonders. He also plans to tweak a few memories and mention the loyalty factor. It was the undrafted Miller, USAB officials might recall, who stepped in and performed admirably when NBA players boycotted the 1998 World Championships because of the labor impasse.
"Colangelo said he thought I'd be a good fit," added Miller, "so we'll see. Playing in the NBA is one thing, but getting an opportunity to play in the Olympics is something really special."
Maybe they'll get it right this time.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Miller is the right choice
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 21, 2006
They messed up. They were myopic. USA Basketball officials committed fatal personnel turnovers - and failing to offer Brad Miller an Olympic roster spot in 2004 was the equivalent of dribbling the ball off a sneaker - long before the hastily-assembled national team arrived in Athens.
Miller was an easy choice, for the obvious reasons. He shoots, he passes, he rebounds. He can be physical. He wanted to be there.
He was still ignored.
He caught it all on tape, though, didn't miss a defeat. While he works overtime at cultivating an image as a casual, carefree professional who could walk away from the game and never glance back, he studies the NBA with the practiced eye of an obsessed schoolboy. He scrutinizes trades, religiously peruses box scores, memorizes the standings, analyzes his opponent's statistics. And between the hunting and fishing trips that he loves to chat about, he kept up with the developments in Athens in 2004, including the losses to Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Argentina.
Mostly, he noticed how teams sagged inside and frustrated Tim Duncan into uncharacteristic fits, and frankly, believed he could have made a difference. Could have assisted with his high-post presence, his precise passes, his lethal mid-range jumper, his width and his willingness to exchange elbows with Oberto and Nocioni and that versatile, if aging stud from Puerto Rico, Jose Ortiz.
Could have. Should have. Would have.
So when you're a country boy and your nation's basketball program is under siege - and the finishes in the 2002 World Championships (sixth) and the Athens Games (third) amount to a serious and protracted slump - you do what you can do. You enlist.
All is forgiven. All they have to do is ask.
"Watching the World Championships and especially after the Olympics," Miller said, "it becomes a matter of pride. Losing gives you a lot of motivation. I'd be very interested."
After his recent chat with USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo, there are strong indications the feelings are finally mutual. Colangelo traveled to Sacramento last Tuesday strictly to meet with Miller and assess his interest.
Without ranking the other candidates outright - and the crop of American centers is a pretty short list - Colangelo effusively praised the eight-year veteran and rated Miller a "legitimate" prospect.
"If you truly intend to build a team of complementary parts, not 12 All-Stars, you can build a great case for a guy like Brad Miller," said Colangelo. "He also made it very clear that if invited, he's there in a heartbeat."
Under USAB's revised system, the plan is to contact approximately 20-25 players between now and the All-Star break, invite the interested parties to a training camp that begins July 18 in Las Vegas, then trim the roster to 12 players (plus three alternates) to represent the U.S. in the World Championships later this year in Japan. The winner gains an automatic berth to the 2008 Beijing Games, while everyone else is required to compete in a qualifying tournament in the summer of 2007. For most of the American pros, this would mean sacrificing significant vacation time in three consecutive offseasons - a departure from the previous approach.
Yet unlike the prelude to Athens, where several players withdrew because of security concerns, Colangelo hasn't resorted to any arm-twisting. LeBron James committed weeks ago. Kobe Bryant officially was invited on Friday and accepted immediately. In fact, of the NBA's other elite stars, only Duncan and Kevin Garnett have consistently rebuffed overtures.
Mike Bibby, however, who emerged as a favorite of head coach Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich as a member of the 2003 national team that dominated the qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico, does not appear to be receiving serious consideration - for whatever reason. Lingering resentment from his withdrawal from the Athens Games? The fact he travels with several friends? The abundance of scoring point guards openly coveting roster spots?
"They don't want me," a frowning Bibby said late Thursday, "so I'm done with all that."
Meantime, Miller waits and wonders. He also plans to tweak a few memories and mention the loyalty factor. It was the undrafted Miller, USAB officials might recall, who stepped in and performed admirably when NBA players boycotted the 1998 World Championships because of the labor impasse.
"Colangelo said he thought I'd be a good fit," added Miller, "so we'll see. Playing in the NBA is one thing, but getting an opportunity to play in the Olympics is something really special."
Maybe they'll get it right this time.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Last edited:
