Pritchard Gets His guy: Portland Blazers Sign Point Guard Andre Miller

This offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers have been tossed aside by Hedo Turkoglu and wasted their time pursuing restricted free-agent Paul Millsap, whose contract offer was matched by the Utah Jazz.

General Manager Kevin Pritchard had a hellish first few months, as he watched these two stars, along with many other possibilities, slip through his fingertips.

Despite crushing blow after crushing blow and the fact that talent grew thin, he vowed to stay aggressive, and pursue whoever was deemed a perfect fit.

He found that player, someone they have coveted for years: point guard Andre Miller.

Miller, as I wrote here, has his drawbacks: He’s 33-years old, has little playoff experience, and can’t hit the side of a barn from three-point land.

Yet, Pritchard and the rest of the Blazers front office saw him as an upgrade at the point guard position, someone of star quality who could take the pressure off stars Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.

He saw a player who has missed an unbelievably low five games during his 10-year career.

He saw a player that can score 20 points and dish 10 assists when called upon—Miller’s career averages are 14 points and seven assists per game.

He saw a player that can help the Blazers attain their goal: a championship.

After opening discussions with Miller this past week, the guard Portland.html" target="_blank" title="Miller signs with Portland">signed a three-year, $22 milion contract with Portland.

The Blazers worked their magic in negotiating this deal, as the third year is a team option. So, if Miller falters during the 2010-11 season, they can release him from his contract following the season.

The Blazers are hoping he’ll work out, and by giving him essentially a two-year contract worth $14 million, it’s a low-risk signing that could par immense dividends in the short-term.

Though I have been skeptical of the Blazers pursuit of various point guards this offseason, I really like this deal.

Steve Blake was a good player, but the Blazers wanted more scoring and more versatility. Blake shot the three-pointer nearly 15 percent better last season, but with the return of guard Martell Webster, they already have three or four guys who can drain threes on a regular basis.

Miller, who has been a starter for his entire career, unlike Blake, could be a valuable mentor to 20-year-old guard Jerryd Bayless, who has demonstrated the skills of a scoring guard rather than a point guard.

Because the contract is so small, compared to the five years and $53 million Portland offered Turkoglu, it’s a very low-risk, high-reward signing. It also give the Blazers more money to throw at Roy and Aldridge, whose contracts expire at season’s end.

Miller can run an up-tempo offense, though he didn’t necessarily do so with Philadelphia, and is a very good perimeter shooter. Despite his lowly three-point percentage of 28 percent, he still managed to shoot 47 percent overall.

He’s strong, excels in the post—which is uncanny for a point guard—has a very quick release, and knows his limits. He is also unselfish, so given that the Blazers have so many outside shooters that spread the floor, he will certainly rack up the assists.

Pritchard said that, “nothing is done yet,” so the deal isn’t finalized, but since he talked about him, saying “He’s got great savvy and leadership,” it means that a deal is very, very close. Rarely do General Managers, especially Pritchard, discuss free-agents or other players of interest, unless talks are serious and a deal is imminent.

After saying all year, on this site, and even more adamantly in my conversations with my father and my cousin Matt, that the Blazers don’t need a point guard, I have officially changed my tune.

I am excited, not only because the Blazers were actually able to sign one of their targets, but because that player was Miller—someone who can give them a serious leg-up in the fierce Western Conference.