Miami Heat Rumors: Mike Miller out 8 Weeks, NBA Amnesty Clause Cut Looming

Mr. Glass has made his triumphant return to the E.R.

After recovering from injuries to his thumbs for the duration of the 2010-11 season as well as the offseason, it has been announced by teammate Udonis Haslem that sharpshooter Mike Miller will now miss another eight weeks due to hernia surgery. This comes on the same day that members of the Heat showed up to American Airlines Arena to practice for the first time since May. 

With only four weeks until the start of the regular season on Dec. 25, it means that Miller won't be returning to the court until at least mid-January, and he still won't be 100 percent even when he does return. While it is a ray of sunshine that the injury doesn't involve his thumbs or an ailment that he has already suffered from, this is still an unbelievable setback for a player that had planned on making 2011-12 his year of redemption.

Now that Miller is hurt, the Heat will be on a frantic search for a consistent perimeter threat to come off the bench. They'll have their options in Shane Battier, Grant Hill and Tayshaun Prince all being viable options, but their itinerary for the next few years has Miller in their plans and it's a supreme disappointment that the Heat will have to deal with another injury to their greatest perimeter threat.

Or maybe they don't even have to deal with it. With the amnesty clause in place, the Heat could cut Miller and have $24 million wiped off of their salary. They'll still owe the money to Miller, of course, but the amnesty clause allows the remaining $24 million on Miller's contract to be put to use to sign a free agent.

With money tight and a number of suitors looking to join the Heat and fill in some holes, cutting Miller at this point may be the only thing to do. Overcoming a surgery of any kind takes a long recovery period, and something as serious as a hernia could affect the way a player contributes to his team for the duration of the season.

It's also going to be difficult for Miller to return when he has such little time to recover and will be playing in an NBA season where there is a possibility of teams playing three games in three nights. The Heat cutting their losses and admitting defeat on the Miller experiment may be the right thing to do at this point after the series of injuries he suffered last year and this new hernia surgery development.

Miller is coming off of a disappointing first year with the Miami Heat in which he only played in 41 games and averaged six points per game while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc and nailing a career low one three-pointer per game. The Heat signed Miller for his ability to stretch the floor and for the consistency of his shot which has allowed him to shoot 40 percent for his career prior to his time with Miami.

The intentions of signing Miller was a terrific idea for the Heat when it first occurred. With the big three sure to take up so much attention within the perimeter, Miller would be left open time and time again for open three-pointers that he would hit at the usual clip he's been shooting at for the past decade.

Instead, Miller suffered an injury to his finger prior to the start of the regular season and would return in late-December. His shot would be off for the entire year as he would shoot 5 percent less than his career average and would continue regressing, as he'd shoot 30 percent from the field overall during the postseason. James Jones would end up having to take his spot for the majority of the regular season.

With a number of suitors that want to come to the Heat and produce, the door should be wide open in a few weeks as the proposition of using the amnesty clause on Miller becomes more and more enticing.

I have always been an opponent of using the amnesty on Miller because I truly thought he could return, but this surgery may just be a sign of more to come from this suddenly oft-injured sharp shooter.