Trade rumors are part of life in the NBA, but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier when it’s your name that comes up.
“It’s part of the business,” said Nuggets point guard Andre Miller, whose name was bandied about in the offseason by several teams, including the Boston Celtics.
With training camp in full swing, the Nuggets are adamant Miller isn’t going anywhere but the head of the line.
“Andre, to me, is our guy,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “He makes us go. When he plays his ‘A’ game, we’re a very tough team to beat. Andre has shown me he’s a big-time point guard in this league. Can we do better than that or change it where we can be better, I don’t know. But I think Andre can be part of the equation no matter what happens.”
General manager Kiki Vandeweghe, meanwhile, calls Miller one of the top five point guards in the league. He points out Miller wasn’t the only Nugget involved in trade rumors this summer. So, too, were forward-center Nene and forward Kenyon Martin.
“What do you say to Nene? To Kenyon? All those guys?” Vandeweghe said. “What you say is, ‘Look, that’s a compliment.’ I tell them: ‘Teams call about you. Teams call about all the players.’ They call and inquire. I’m not looking to trade anybody.”
Miller said nothing would shock him.
“In this job, you’ve just got to up and move if it happens,” Miller said. “It kind of bothers you. But you have to understand that it can happen to anybody.”
Hearing his coach back him so strongly has given Miller peace of mind in training camp, though the Nuggets are logjammed at point guard, with Earl Boykins and newcomer Earl Watson behind Miller.
Miller averaged 13.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and team highs of 6.9 assists and 1.48 steals a year ago. The durable 6-foot-2, 200-pounder also played in every game for the second consecutive season. He ranked eighth a year ago in assists.
With solid backup point guards in Boykins and Watson, Miller’s playing time and statistics will likely take a dip this season. But as long as the team improves, he isn’t concerned about his statistics.
“I can’t worry about that,” he said. “I know I can’t play 48 minutes every night. I know my limits, and I play to that.”
Miller spent the offseason at his summer home in Sacramento, Calif., and worked out and played pickup ball with Memphis guard Bobby Jackson and players from the Sacramento Kings and NBDL. He worked out with Watson at UCLA in his hometown of Los Angeles.
“I got good two- to three-hour workouts every day out there (in Sacramento),” Miller said. “It’s organized like a practice, and we play full-court.”
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
