MANILA, 9 January 2004 — Willie Miller, a devil-may-care pointguard, has been traded by Red Bull to Talk ‘N’ Text in a major post-season player movement in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
The Thunder dealt Miller to the Phone Pals in exchange for any two players of their choice, except 2003 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Asi Taulava and Jimmy Alapag, plus a first round choice in the 2005 rookie draft.
Miller will bring to Talk ‘N’ Text in the next season his crowd-drawing slasher moves, an MVP trophy, a Rookie of the Year award and two conference championships adorning his credentials.
Actually, the swap did not come as a surprise after reports that Red Bull management was unhappy over the showing of the 5-foot-10 Miller, especially against Talk ‘N’ Text in the quarterfinals of the Reinforced Conference. In the deciding Game 3, Miller could only score a measly 2 points.
Interestingly, Red Bull management had already offered Miller, whose three-year contract has already expired last week, a guaranteed three-year contract with maximum pay. That proposal, however, was thumbed down.
“When we were told that they wanted to look at other options, we knew Willie was no longer happy with us,” said Tony Chua, the Red Bull team manager. “So with a heavy heart, top management came to a decision. We believe both parties will be served in good stead.”
Miller’s agent, Molet Pineda, opted to test the value of his ward in the free-agent market rather than immediately sign the three-year, maximum contract with Red Bull worth 12.6 million pesos.
Exclusive of perks and bonuses, Red Bull was dead-set on paying Miller the maximum monthly wage of 350,000 pesos.
“We decided to trade him thinking it would serve both parties better in the end,” said Chua. “We appreciate everything that he did for us. We won two championships with him and we only hope the best for him.”
Miller was a vital cog in Red Bull squad since crossing over from the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association in 2001, helping the Photokina franchise win the Governors Cup in 2001 and 2002.
Talk ‘N’ Text matched the 12.6 million pesos, three-year contract Red Bull earlier dangled on Miller.
“Actually, it all depends on the negotiation but we are willing to offer him the maximum for three years,” Talk ‘N’ Text team manager Frankie Lim said.
Thunder coach Yeng Guiao, under whose guidance Miller matured and won the 2002 MVP trophy, said he knew that a deal — in a move that surprised many — was underway even before Christmas.
“It was a top level decision to which I eventually conceded,” he said. “Willie probably wanted to make a career move. For Red Bull, on the other hand, player movement like this is part of the team’s maturing process.”
He denied, however, that the falling out was due to the Olongapo City cager’s disappointing performance in the recent playoffs.
“You could just call it the last straw,” he said. The acquisition of Miller, who was also named to the All-Defensive Team this year, will surely be beneficial for Talk ‘N’ Text because he will be teaming up with Alapag, this year’s top rookie, to form the league’s most formidable backcourt.
Red Bull may find the void a little too wide to fill, what with Jimwell Torion, the Thunder’s top point guard, still serving an indefinite suspension for hitting Alapag in the nose in the waning seconds of the Thunder-Phone Pals playoffs.
“We’ll know after the rookie draft what direction we’ll take,” said Guiao. “But right now, we’re not interested in any of their players outside Asi and Alapag. If those two are unavailable, then their offer isn’t applicable to us.”
Miller, known for his acrobatic plays and unpredictability, is being seen as a National Basketball Association (NBA) material.
According to a visiting US coach, Miller is the Filipino player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) who has the vast talent and armed with the heart to play in the NBA.
But Miller has to set his mind into it if he wants to make it big in the NBA, said Colon.
“In trying out for the NBA, a player should be willing to take the chance and not be afraid of the odds,” said Colon earlier.
The 47-year-old Colon, who once coached at Sacramento State, said Miller could easily play a starter’s role in a Division I school.
“I’ve been a coach for 26 years and I’ve watched basketball all over the world. I’m convinced the closest league to the NBA is the PBA. Offensively, PBA teams do things like they do in the NBA — they use the triangle, play up-tempo. The Fil-Ams are doing their share in improving the quality of play. Defensively, there are some lapses in the PBA but it’s just a matter of practice to fix things up,” said Colon.
A former Harlem Globetrotters coach himself, Colon played for former University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) coach Jim Harrick and Jacobs at Morningside. He later coached at Morningside himself.
Before turning to coaching, Colon represented Puerto Rico in track at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He won a gold medal at the 1982 Pan American Games and made it to the semifinals of the 800-meter run in the Olympics. As a coach, Colon has logged extensive experience in Mexico, Sweden, the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and various high school and collegiate leagues.
“Miller can score when he wants to. He’s as good as (Los Angeles Lakers guard) Derek Fisher was at the same age. He’s bigger than (Allen) Iverson and in the NBA, there’s a preference for smaller guards,” he said.
Miller became the first guard in six years to win the league’s highest individual award following the footsteps of Johnny Abarrientos who first did the trick in 1996.
Four other guards who won the MVP honors were Robert Jaworski in 1978, Atoy Co in 1979, Ricky Brown in 1985 and Ato Agustin in 1992.
Known for his acrobatic plays and unpredictability, Miller became only the fifth first pick to win the award. The first four were Venancio Paras in 1989 and 1999, Allan Caidic in 1990, Vergel Meneses in 1995 and Danny Ildefonso in 2000 and 2001.
Miller also earned the distinction as the second fastest player to win the award following Paras who was both MVP and Rookie of the Year in 1989.
Aptly called “Thriller” in the PBA, Miller won the award at the expense of a dominating Fil-American teammate and the sentimental choice of players who wanted the trophy to go to a homegrown talent.
Miller amassed the needed votes to beat teammate Davonn Harp, the leader in the statistical race. The sophomore playmaker led the Thunder to a successful title-retention bid in the Commissioner’s Cup and a fourth-place finish in the All-Filipino Cup.
