Around 10pm on Tuesday evening, Shams Charania of RealGM.com tweeted out that our Denver Nuggets plan to release backup small forward, and fan favorite, Quincy Miller. Chris Dempsey, of the Denver Post, also has the Nuggets planning on releasing the small forward.
This is certainly sad news for those (including me) who got to know "Q" well over the past two seasons, as the young Miller was always gracious and affable with media and fans alike.
But it’s clear that the 21 year old Miller had not yet developed enough to crack a very crowded 15-man roster. A roster that has become even more crowded with the presence of forward/guard hybrid Alonzo Gee, whose five seasons of NBA experience prior to the 2014 training camp probably gave him an edge over the still raw Miller.
According to Charania …
The Denver Nuggets are releasing forward Quincy Miller, league source tells RealGM. Miller’s deal was partially guaranteed for the season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 22, 2014
Note that we are still awaiting official confirmation from the Nuggets ourselves.
In just two seasons with the Nuggets, Miller rarely displayed flashes of his upside but when he did the fans were elated. Appearing in 52 games last season – and starting in 16 of those – Miller averaged 4.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg in about 15 minutes per game. But regrettably Miller shot just 36.7% from the field, unacceptable for a 6'9" forward.
Miller’s two best games as a Nugget came on January 11th versus Orlando (16 points, 11 rebounds) and late in the season on April 6th versus Houston (19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks). But while starting the final 12 games of the 2013-14 campaign, Miller failed to produce for head coach Brian Shaw, connecting over 50% of his field goal attempts only twice in that span.
I might argue to keep the young / raw Miller over the five-year veteran Gee given that Miller might – just might – have more upside long term whereas Gee's ceiling is pretty much known at this point. But, really, we're grasping at straws here if you want to get into a Miller versus Gee debate.
And for the record, I miss the good ole days when NBA teams saved the 15th roster spot for a big, white Stiff rather than someone athletic who can actually play. With the Nuggets making seemingly astute decisions like these for the end of their bench, how will ever elect newcomers to the Denver Stiffs Hall of Fame?
If indeed this news is true, here's wishing Quincy Miller all the best in his professional basketball journey. "Q" was always a class act in Denver and will be missed.
Update:
The Nuggets might be trying to work a trade for Quincy Miller, as an ESPN Insider article suggested. If a trade cannot be worked out, the Nuggets may release Miller and would owe him $150,000 from the guaranteed portion of his non-guaranteed deal. For now, Miller is still practicing with the team as the Nuggets have until Oct. 27th to decide Q's fate.
