These days, Mike Miller is one of the Wine and Gold’s grizzled vets. For starters, he literally spent half of his 14-year NBA career as a Memphis Grizzly. But it’s also because he’s one of the squad’s wise men, an NBA Champ who’s seen and done it all with six different teams – including the one Cleveland faces in the Magic Kingdom tomorrow night.
Fresh off an NCAA Tournament for the ages with Florida – canning the memorable game-winner to beat Butler and leading Billy Donovan’s Gators to the title game where they fell to the Flintstones – Miller was tabbed by Orlando with the fifth overall pick in the 2000 Draft.
Miller joined a Magic team on the rise. They had the NBA’s reigning Coach of the Year, Doc Rivers, had recently acquired a pair of big guns from Conference foes, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady, and were loaded with tough, savvy veterans like Bo Outlaw, Dee Brown and Darrell Armstrong.
But an ankle injury ended Grant Hill’s first season in Orlando – and Miller was ready for the opportunity. Miller started seven games over his first couple months but grabbed that role full-time just after Christmas, and never gave it back. The South Dakota native went on to average 11.9 points per game – 15.4 after the All-Star Break – and was the only rookie to play in all 82 games that year. The Magic reached the postseason before being knocked out by the Bucks, and Miller was named the 2000-01 Rookie of the Year.
In today’s Rookie Tales, the man who went on to become one of the best three-point marksmen in league history talks about his freshman season in the NBA with Doc at the helm at T-Mac as a running mate …
When you look back on your 2000 Draft class, you might have had the best career – in terms of titles, awards, durability …
The 2003 Draft class is famous ...
That was a great Draft class ...
It was amazing to still see Michael Jordan ...
Mike Miller: I don’t know how you ever judge ‘best.’ That’s for fans (and media) to do. One thing I know for sure is that I’m still playing and longevity, I think, is big. When you go to draft kids these days, if the kid you draft plays for 10 years in the NBA, you’ve done a pretty good job.
What I care about now is my longevity and what I’ve been able to accomplish as a teammate.
What were some of the veterans you leaned on as a rookie?
Miller: Monty Williams was really good for me. T-Mac was good for me too, but we were about the same age. He just had a lot more experience in the league. But they were both really helpful. Darrell Armstrong was really good too.
I had veterans around me – and that’s back when you had SERIOUS veterans. And I was the only rookie. You can add 1 + 1 there, when you’re a rookie and you have a bunch of vets like that.
What was it like coming into that situation with Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill and Doc Rivers?
Miller: Well, like for T-Mac – sometimes you have to move on and get out of your comfort zone to be who you are. And obviously, Vince (Carter) was really, really good in Toronto. And there were a lot of teams offering that to T-Mac, but he came back to Orlando, where he’s basically from. And obviously, him playing at that level was great.
But Doc had won Coach of the Year the previous year, too. So you know what we had there. We had a foundation to build on. We had a lot of veteran pieces. And obviously, for me, it was a great opportunity. And I took the most of it.
How was Doc Rivers for a rookie coming in?
Miller: Awesome. I mean, obviously, he’s tough on his rookies. But that was good for me. I needed that. But he also gave me a lot of opportunity and a lot of rope. He’s an incredible player’s coach. And he made it easy on me as a player.
Did it help that you were coming into the league from an established program and with Tournament experience?
Miller: It definitely helps. Success definitely helps, because you have to go through things. But, really, you’re really NEVER going to be ready for it.
People don’t understand that you’re talking about the best of the best out there on the floor. You’re playing against grown men. I was 19 or 20 years old, playing against men. The speed is completely different. So you’re never ready for it.
It took me time, though. And I had good players around me. But it was all opportunity. That’s why the things I learned (in Orlando), the lessons I learned there, I’ve been able to help young kids with these days. I went from not playing at all until Grant (Hill) went down. And then Grant gets hurt, I wind up starting, playing a lot and winning Rookie of the Year.
It’s about taking advantage of your opportunities – because anymore in this league, you’re going to get one, maybe two. So you have to stay ready. Fortunately for me, I made the most of the opportunity.
Were any veterans particularly tough on you?
Miller: I was pretty lucky, man. I fell in line! I knew my spot. Plus, one of my best friends was Tracy McGrady who was playing really well at the time and led the team – so that helped.
Was it important to your career that you joined a solid, winning organization early?
Miller: Oh for sure! Just being comfortable and knowing right from wrong. And the structure of a team and an organization is big. You know, you bring that winning culture.
I think that one thing about it is you’re start seeing young guys now with tons of talent, but they go to a team that’s winning 16, 17 games, they think that’s how it is. And breaking that culture and seeing what it takes to win (and what it doesn’t take) is really big.
I was fortunate enough to come to a team that made the playoffs first year. So I knew the pressures of making the playoffs, but I understood the expectations of what comes along with that, too. Those things make your job easier going forward.
How is the game, itself, different than it was when you entered in 2000?
Miller: (It was) a lot more physical when I came in. Illegal defense hadn’t really started – so you were basically on an island by yourself. The game was a lot different – just the physicality of the game. And the game was a lot slower.
But you’re looking at an era now where you have a hard time winning if you don’t have a stretch-4. We never had that. Actually, we did have that in Orlando, and it was weird. We played Pat Garrity there and he was 6-10, and that was before they had a name for that. And, to me, that was a completely different basketball game.
But it’s like fashion – you go in trends. You had to be 6-7, 6-8 to get drafted as a 2-guard then, and you had to be 6-3, 6-4 if you wanted to get drafted at point guard back then. Now, it’s totally different.
But the NBA is a ‘trends’ game – and it always will be.
What do you preach to rookies coming in?
Miller: Professionalism. That’s the one thing I always tell them.
I think the one thing you can always take care of is your game. Never get too high, never get too low. It’s a long season. It’s a rollercoaster. You’re going to be playing well in spurts; you’re going to be playing poorly in spurts. But it’s never as bad as it seems and never as good as it seems. For me, that’s what it’s all about.
Because if you come in here and continue to take care of your game and work on the things you need to work on and be professional, you’re always going to give yourself a chance to be successful.