Farewell, 'Dre: Blazers move veteran point guard, acquire Nuggets' Ray Felton

Farewell, Andre Miller. It was a fun ride. There is now a new era of point guards in Portland. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Andre Miller was the glue that held the Portland Trail Blazers together. He fit extremely well as the ideal point guard, getting his teammates consistently involved while dependably producing offensively. He was their heart and soul. And now he’s gone.

The veteran was traded, along with 2007 first-round pick Petteri Koponen, to the Denver Nuggets during the NBA Draft in exchange for point guard Raymond Felton.

For the direction Portland wants to go in, this trade is a good one. They get younger; Felton is eight years younger than Miller and he averaged nearly eight assists last season. And they get someone who can spread the floor offensively with superior shooting range; he was 116 for 329 from three-point land this past season while Miller was 4 for 37. The move is still difficult to stomach.

Miller had many memorable moments. Two stick out: when he dropped 52 points in a win over the Dallas Mavericks in January of 2010, and, this past season, when he made an amazing lob pass to Nicolas Batum from out of bounds as the Blazers came back to beat the San Antonio Spurs. He hit big shots from his tippy-toes and played with an extraordinary amount of passion. He backed down defenders with his strong frame, and worked his magic in the post. He never took a play off. He was everything the Blazers could have asked for in a veteran point guard.

The Blazers will miss him, but Felton certainly isn’t a downgrade. Miller shot 46 percent from the field to Felton’s 42 percent, but Felton is a much better three-point shooter. And he is far quicker, suiting the Blazers athleticism in their clear efforts to play more of an uptempo style. He only has one year remaining on his contract, so Portland has some work to do if they want to keep him longterm, but there is a reason they have coveted him for years.

There is the belief, at least among some of the Blazers fans on Twitter, that Nolan Smith was a confusing selection at pick number 21. Kenneth Faried, who many, including myself, thought Portland would undoubtedly pick if he was available, was passed up in favor of the former Duke Blue Devil.

Head coach Nate McMillan thinks his Blazers made a good choice. “Nolan gives us versatility in the backcourt,” he said. He’s right about his versatility, as Smith has the lethal jumper of a shooting guard and the passing ability and poise of a point guard. He is also far more experienced than many selected in the draft, as he played four years at Duke and excelled in the very competitive ACC conference.

Right now, with him on the roster and Felton in the fold, the Blazers have five point guards. That’s a problem. If I were running this in Portland I would trade Patty Mills and Armon Johnson, two young guards, for future picks. This would give them the adequate depth of Felton, Elliot Williams, and Smith.

There is nothing wrong with this.  And if Williams and Smith see time at both guard positions this next season and show promise they could be key parts to a bright future.

McMillan thinks Felton will, too. He called him a “guard for the future”, and believes he will be around for more than just next season. He also said that, with Felton and Smith, the team’s “core of guards now is really solid.” I agree. That said, Portland’s drafting is suspect. They didn’t fill a need; they should have taken a big man with the 21st pick. Faried was the obvious choice, but maybe they let Denver pick him next as a condition of the Felton-Miller deal. This seems plausible. Either that, or they thought Smith was a better fit, which is far from true given their gaping hole at the backup power forward spot behind LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Blazers made another interesting move. They had their chance to take a big man with the 51st pick, perhaps Michael Dunigan, but instead took Jon Diebler, who essentially did nothing but shoot three-pointers for Ohio State. He was a terrible defender, didn’t create off the dribble, and wasn’t a good passer. Basically, Portland selected a one-dimensional player, a skinnier and smaller version of San Antonio’s Matt Bonner. His nickname isn’t Jon Threebler for nothing.

Prior to making this pick the Blazers traded Rudy Fernandez, who didn’t live up to his hype. He had his moments in Portland but was consistently a disappointment. He is now with the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, and should fit nicely as part of their bench unit. He needed a fresh start, and I certainly hope he makes something of his career.

In return, Portland received the 26th pick, forward Chris Singleton, who they the then sent to Denver as part of the bigger deal. Fernandez’s Three Goggles (although not often flaunted), brilliant passes (although not often made), enthusiasm (although sporadic), and shots taken from a game of Horse will be missed.

Fernandez didn’t have a definitive future in Portland, and some are thrilled to see him go. On the other end of the spectrum, every part of Miller’s game will be missed. He was a tough guy to see leave. He made everyone better, and has the type of game that could keep him productive for five or six more years. As the old saying goes, to get someone good you have to give up someone of similar value. They certainly did that.

Overall, I thought Portland’s evening was satisfactory, losing fan favorites but getting depth at guard and an added scoring punch. It’s safe to say they are heading into an uplifting direction as they continue their quest to be one of the Western Conference’s elites.