Miller Time?: What Reggie Miller Would Bring to the Celtics

Jeez! You lose computer access for a day around here and you miss the next story.

Pardon me for being behind on this, but...

Yes, Danny Ainge has contacted soon-to-be-42-year-old retiree Reggie Miller about playing on the new star-studded Beantown Ballers.

Sometimes I wonder if Danny has the Globetrotters in mind. The Miller rumor just proves what a different thinker Danny is.

I'm almost getting used to it. Almost.

Reggie has confirmed the contact. Even more surprising, he's considering it—he says he'll mull it over "for a few weeks" before deciding whether he wants to take the risk.

What risk?

The risk of trying to come back and finding out he's just not "Reggie Miller" anymore.

Everyone seems to think Miller can still shoot effectively enough to be on an NBA court. Known as Mr. Clutch for most of his career, he should still be able to hit an open three-pointer with his eyes closed.

Agreed, right?

Hmmm...and...bonk!

That was reality I just bumped into.

I've gone through three emotional stages since I first heard the news. The first was surprise, then excitement. Now I really wonder.

I think about players who retired and then came back. Dave Cowens and Michael Jordan are the two biggest names. Didn't Dana Barros do the same thing?

Only Jordan returned with a lot left in his tank. He was always a very special player—and not anywhere near 42 when he returned from playing Whiff-le Ball.

Our boy Dave, on the other hand, just wasn't the same player...and spent a few nondescript years in Milwaukee before finally hanging it up.

In this game, at this level, a few inches...a few microseconds...a few second guesses...can be the difference between success and failure.

The argument that Miller would only be needed for 15 minutes a game is fine. So is the fact that he'd move for wide-open shots on the perimeter while the Big Three played three-on-five.

Reggie also has scads of pressure packed playoff experience—with legendary success.

And I'm thinking it's that last one that made Danny make the call.

Miller would be a fourth-quarter option that few teams could match. He'd also fit well with the roster, skill-wise. Instead of 6'1" Eddie House standing out there, you'd have 6'7" Reggie Miller. I can see that logic.

Do you think Eddie House gets a foul call in the fourth? Come within a few inches of Miller and whistles blow. I'm sure Reggie can still hit a foul shot.

Just ask Tony Allen about the respect Reggie gets. After he stuffed the ball into Reggie's chest early in a playoff series during his rookie year, Allen hardly saw the same kind of daylight again. Though I'm not sure why. I guess Doc thought it was a bit much...and I'm sure it guaranteed that Reggie would get the best of every close foul call in the future.

Rooks aren't allowed to show up stars like Reggie Miller.

Still, I'm not in love with the prospect of Reggie coming out of retirement for us. I worry that his shot may, in fact, be gone. That he won't get open, even playing with our stars. That the Celtics will have to play four-on-five at the other end of the court.

Two years off at that age gives me reason for pause. I think the roster spot might be better filled by someone else. But if Danny doesn't fill it and Reggie wants to come to camp to see if he can still cut it in real competition—let him come.

It's a crazy enough idea for me to want to see how it might play out. After all, the Globetrotters aren't in town for awhile.

It should be entertaining, if nothing else...and insanely gratifying if it works.