Andre Miller: The Portland Trail Blazers Cool Hand

After the 2009 offseason, Portland fans were underwhelmed. Not only had they been one of the few teams with cap space, but they were also a young team needing a steady old hand to count on.

Hedo Turkoglu? No.

David Lee? No.

Paul Millsap? Nope.

Andre Miller? Well I guess..."If we have to."

That was the mentality concerning the Andre Miller signing in Rip City—until about a month ago.

In the month of January Miller has averaged 19.6 points, seven assists, and just around five rebounds. Miller's offseason counterpart, Hedo Turkoglu, is averaging 12.2 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Not only has Miller taken pressure off of Roy in key moments, he has carried the team while Roy has been out.

In the last 10 games, Miller has scored: 23, 22, 16, 17, 14, 19, 19, 22, 24, and 28 points, and the team is 18-8 with Miller in the starting lineup.

After the Miller signing, ESPN named the Portland Trail Blazers the "Losers of the offseason," but in hindsight, it is the exact opposite.

The Blazers knew what they were getting in Miller.

-They knew they were getting a player who plays in every single game. Miller's current streak has him playing over 560 consecutive games, having only missed 3 games in his entire career.

-They knew they were getting a player with an incredibly high basketball IQ.

-They knew they were getting one of the only point guards comfortable playing in the post.

Coach Nate McMillan wanted a heady/consistent point guard who can run the break, pass the ball, score in the paint, and take pressure off of Roy.

Andre Miller has done all of the above.

So enough with the "trade Andre" talk. Because within all the chaos that has been the Portland Trail Blazers this season, Andre Miller has calmly commandeered the team to a 26-18 record.