Although the Denver Nuggets will finish this season with a similar record as last year, they have made some progress in the right direction. The Nuggets have a lot of young, talented players who have showed flashes of their potential, and because of that Denver hopes to take a big step next year.
Included in that big step is Denver's hope to be active in the free agent and trade markets looking for a star player, but they are also big on good locker room guys. That guy for them this year has been Mike Miller, and they want him to be that guy again next year. Miller, though, is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and isn't sure what he will do.
Miller signed with the Nuggets just before training camp started, and the expectation was that he would play sporadically but be a mentor to the young players on the roster. Miller is fine with that role, but he says his body feels great and he thinks he can help a team on the court, and because of that he doesn't know if he will be back next season.
Despite being 36 years old and playing in his 16th NBA season, Miller has no intention of retiring. The former Florida Gators star said that he wants to play a couple of more years as a matter of fact. Miller said he has used this season to rebuild his body and that he wouldn't continue to join NBA rosters if he didn't feel he could help. The veteran has appeared in just 46 games this year and has averaged just 7.8 minutes per game, but he thinks he could have done more if he was given the opportunity.
Head coach Mike Malone has made it clear that he wants Miller back next year at all costs because of the influence he has had on the young guys, but Miller will at least look to see if there is a team out there that will give him a shot at consistent minutes. Miller said that he would be willing to come back to Denver in the same role next season, but it seems like his intention is to find a place to play, with Denver being his backup plan.
You would think Miller is the kind of guy contending teams would look at next season considering he is a marksman from deep and has a ton of postseason experience. That wasn't really the case last season, though, and if he doesn't get much interest again this offseason it is a very reasonable possibility that he will return to the Nuggets in the same role.
