Miller Plight

Less than a month ago, Mike Miller was putting on his second NBA champs cap; on Tuesday, he was putting on a brave face as a casualty of the salary cap. Fewer than four weeks have passed since Miller, in game six of the Finals, swished a shot without a shoe, yet he's been shooed from the shores of South Beach due to the stiffer luxury taxes penalties slated to start this season. Owners, like contestants on The Price is Right, really want to avoid going over the amount, even if it means letting go of players like Miller, who rained seven threes on the Thunder during game five of the 2012 Finals. From now on, the only buddies from The Heat Mike Miller might see are Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy - and they'll be on the silver screen, not coming off of screens.

Miller isn't the only man who has more time for movies. The Bobcats were doubting Tyrus Thomas (now his career is in need of a resurrection), Drew wasn't Gooden enough for the Bucks* (a conclusion eight other teams had come about the vagabond veteran), and it was the end of the line for Linus Kleiza with the Raptors (maybe carrying around a blanket would bring this Linus comfort, too). If Keith Olbermann can re-surface with ESPN, these guys can catch on in new cities (that's where the sports expression "it ain't olber, 'til it's olber" originates).

*if that was Gooden's last stop, at least he owns a Wingstop.

Miller Lite

Like a low-calorie beer, Mike Miller hasn't been filling -- up the stat sheet. That means, also like a light beer, Miller's been unsatisfying. Miller has returned to the Heat, but to little fanfare and even less impact. Through 12 games, he's averaging 4 points in 14 minutes, but connecting on only 37 percent of his shots, 34% on 3's -- his supposed specialty -- and a sub-standard 60% on free throws. Those are lousy numbers for a player whose was brought in solely to shoot effectively, to spread the floor with his range and make defenses pay for double-teaming one of his more famous teammates. Last night (a loss to the resurgent Knicks) was no exception. In 21 minutes, Miller was scoreless, going 0-3 from the floor. His absence due to injury isn't an excuse for his horrid stats. It's not like a shooter needs conditioning or to get back in game shape to start putting the ball in the basket.

This summer, the Heat were presented like they were a blockbuster movie: Bosh, James and Wade, were the leads and Miller was billed as the stand-out member of the supporting cast, but his role has been reduced to that of an extra. The way Mike Miller was talked about while he was out -- that he'd be a cure-all for Miami's early struggles (which they've since overcome with his help) -- you'd have thought he was Reggie Miller. The reality is that Mike Miller has a long history of being overrated. He's the worst player to win Rookie of the Year in the 00s. It's foolish to think a player who's averaged 9 points-per-game in the playoffs and whose teams have never made it past the first round could be the difference between winning a championship or not.

Fortunately, another player with a local college connections, James Jones, (Miller went to Florida and was both teammates and roommates with the true glue guy on the Heat, Udonis Haslem, who might be back in action by March, while Jones attended the U) has filled the void, ranking 14th in the league in threes made this season. With Mario Chalmers inserted into the starting lineup, the Heat are in serious need of point production from the bench, but so far, Miller's been a bigger dud than David Hasslehoff's reality show.