Andre Miller Should be the Starting Point Guard

Yesterday, Brian T. Smith of the Columbian caught up with Andre Miller and got some juicy offseason quotes, if there is such a thing. Instead of the previous talk about I'll do what it takes to fit in, he was more direct about where he sees himself on the 2009/10 Blazer team.

Gavin Dawson posed the question on Twitter, and I've gone back and forth with Casey Holdahl on it too. Should Andre have to battle Steve Blake for the starting gig? Here's some of what Andre Miller had to say:

I want to do what's best and what the team is. And if any player then tells you that he (doesn't want) to be a starter, then he's lying. I mean, I'm going in there as the starting point guard - there's nothing else to it.

If you read the whole article, you may come away with a different view of what Miller is saying. On one hand he speaks to the team concept and battling for the starting position. On the other hand he talks as if he is the point guard. A lot of this just sounds like confidence, which is very good.

Either way we have Andre Miller who is a true distributor and will help out our big men, and frankly the whole team.

My real question is this; regardless of whether Andre Miller thinks he's the starter or not, should he be the starter?

The answer is yes. Unless Dre has an injury in camp or somehow underwhelms so badly we realize he isn't who we thought he was. I think a lot of Blazer fans have no idea what a good point guard like Andre Miller can bring to this team.

He's made countless NBA players look better than they are and he's going to make our guys reach their potential. A point guard with real vision and the cojones to actually make a tough pass is going to go a long ways this season.

Andre Miller is the perfect fit for us at point guard. Would I rather have had him two years ago? Yes, but that's beside the point. Andre is a good source of points, a solid rebounder, he's tough and willing to take to the hoop and best of all he is a dimer. I think his 10.9 assists per game in '01/'02 say it all.

Do you even realize how ridiculous it is to have 11 assists per game? That's insane and speaks to his consistency as a passer and him knowing what his real role is on the team.

Steve Blake on the other hand only does one, single thing better than Miller. Shoot the three ball. Besides that he has nothing on Miller. With our potential starting lineup and overall roster, we don't need another three-point shooter.

Whether it's Webster and Roy in the starting rotation or Outlaw, Batum, and Rudy, we have shooters all over the place. Andre will get them the ball because that's his number one objective on the floor.

Blake is a great player and perfect for the organization. But he was meant to be a back-up. He'll fit in well with the bench. He knows what he is, the ceiling is not very high. He's hit the ceiling and that's okay. I think it's a flat out no brainer that Andre Miller was brought here for a reason...to help Portland advance in the playoffs and compete with the best teams in the NBA.

It doesn't really matter who's been here longer or who gets paid more. If you know the Blazers and you know basketball, Andre Miller is a slightly older version of the perfect piece to this puzzle. Hopefully we can get some serious winning done before Miller reaches his mid 30s, you never know when a guy with so much mileage will start to slow down.

Regardless of who the starter is on opening day, I know who will be the starter come playoff time. Andre Miller is our guy.