The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Miller sits one more game as precaution
Shooting guard still has a stiff neck as he recovers from a concussion
Cavaliers swingman Mike Miller passed all five phases of the NBA’s concussion protocol.
He was still held out of the Atlanta Hawks game Dec. 17 as a precaution. He has missed the last seven games with a concussion.
“He still has some stiffness in his neck area,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. “We’re going to hold him out. We’re taking every precaution.”
Blatt said Miller could have played against Atlanta.
“We just wanted to give it one more day,” he said.
The 6-foot-8, 218-pound Miller suffered a concussion in the New York game Dec. 4. When he was injured, he appeared to be finally hitting his stride. He said that coincided with him getting consistent minutes.
“To get out there and play with the right group of guys and contributing, that part I’m not worried about,” Miller said. “It’s a long season.
“There are going to be ups and downs. It’s about finding our stride when it’s most important.”
After the injury, Miller said he did nothing for four or five days.
“There’s a protocol the NBA puts in place now,” he said. “I had to pass all those things.”
He said the first time he suffered a concussion in 2005, he turned around and got another one three days later.
“They are a little more sensitive with it now, which is good,” he said.
He said he’s not in tip-top condition. So-so thus far
The Cavaliers have been far from dominant at Quicken Loans Arena this season.
Heading into the Atlanta game Dec. 17, they were 8-4 at home. They were riding a six-game home winning streak.
“We’re in the process of doing that,” Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving said. “It takes a consistent effort. We have great fans. We have to play with better intensity at home.
“We started out the season and wanted to make our mark. We didn’t do so. We have to make up ground. We have to make this a tough place for teams to play.”
As Irving mentioned, they are getting there at home. During the six-game winning streak at home, they are outscoring opponents by an average margin of 14.3 points per game (106.8 to 92.5). They are shooting 50.6 percent from the field and averaging 25 assists and just 12.5 turnovers.
The opposition is shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from the 3-point line.
“We still have a long way to go,” Cavaliers forward LeBron James said. “We’ve played some good basketball here and some bad basketball here. As of late, we understand how important home court is.” Christmas coming
While you’ll be in your warm, comfy home on Christmas day, the Cavaliers will be in a swanky hotel in Miami getting ready to play the Heat.
“I saw it when the schedule came out,” James said. “It’s there. I’m excited to see my old teammates and guys I went to war with. We have too many games to think about that at this point. When it comes, it will be a great time.” Catching Barkley
James is 25 points shy of surpassing Charles Barkley (23,757) for 23rd place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Slowing down Kyrie
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer called Irving a “very unique and special talent.”
“We’ll do our basic stuff and, hopefully, contain him,” he said. “He’s really hard to guard and will test us, for sure.”
The Hawks will be prepared if James runs the point and Irving slips over to the “2” spot.
“That’s the beauty of having a player like LeBron, who’s skilled enough with the ball to move out and play the point,” Budenholzer said. “That frees up Kyrie, who does so much off the ball.” Long tenure
Cavs assistant coach Larry Drew compiled a 128-102 record in three seasons as the Hawks’ head coach. The Hawks made the postseason all three seasons.
He still follows the Hawks from afar.
“It doesn’t surprise me that they are doing as well as they are doing,” Drew told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Drew will keep his eyes and ears open about being a head coach again.
“If something else happens down the road for me, I’ll explore it,” he said. “I’m at the point in my coaching career where I’ve learned how to handle things, whether it be good or bad. That is what allows me to move on without any hard feelings.”