Andre Miller Wants to Play for a Title Contender

Soon-to-be free agent Andre Miller – forever bucking against his backup point guard status — made his desires crystal clear after Denver’s season came to an end on Saturday night, and his future with the Nuggets is very much up in the air. Per the Denver Post: “It’s likely the Nuggets will attempt to bring him back after his at-times spectacular playoff series against the Lakers. Miller is the only unrestricted free agent on the roster, so the decision to stay or leave is solely his. ‘I’ll keep my options open,’ Miller said. ‘At this point in my career, if I’m going to be a backup, I’m going to be a backup on a championship-caliber team. Obviously, this team is a good team that’s going to get to the playoffs, but the thing is if they are committed to getting to that next level to compete for that championship.’ […] The Nuggets acquired Miller on draft night last season, a deal with Portland that sent Raymond Felton to the Blazers. While he played the fewest minutes of any season in his career (1,809), he still posted 6.7 assists per contest, only slightly under his career average of 7.2 and second-highest average since the 2006-07 season. ‘I want to be on a team that’s going to compete for a championship, and not use youth as a crutch or inexperience as a crutch,’ Miller said. ‘This team does have guys that can compete and can get out of the first round. It’s just whether I can swallow my pride and deal with being a backup point guard. I have no problem with it, but at the same time I definitely still see myself as a starter in this league. Like I said, you have to swallow your pride sometimes. These young guys are coming in and they’re working for it. So, that’s just part of the business that I’m learning.’”