Andre Miller Rumors: Why The NBA Trade Deadline Is Both Awesome And Annoying

Truth. It’s a pinnacle of journalism, a value that is more fundamental than any other within the institution. And yet, when it comes to NBA trade rumors, it gets completely tossed out the window as general managers and NBA front offices play their own game with each other, with the press acting as eager pawns.

Take the situation involving Andre Miller, for example. The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t been satisfied with him all season, though Miller’s play has really picked up in the last few weeks. I think it’s pretty clear that the Trail Blazers have an opinion of Miller and his future with the team, and while that may change on a given day, it’s not like they have literally no idea what to do with him.

So what, then, do you make of the following two articles?

First, via Jason Quick of the Oregonian:

In fact, Miller has been so good recently that general manager Kevin Pritchard on Saturday made this declaration:

“We have no interest in trading Andre Miller. Zero. None. Write it.”

Case closed? Not so fast. Here’s what Bob Finnan of the News Herald in Ohio wrote on the very same day.

The Trail Blazers are secretly shopping point guard Andre Miller.

From the perspective of the reader, that’s some pretty clear double-speak. Who are we to believe? The local reporter, who is ostensibly closer to the team and has a better pulse on the situation, or the national guy who has the benefit of being outside the situation and is therefore less prone to merely representing his subjects’ interests?

It’s all a fun game, where everyone is experts because nobody knows the truth. Depending on your perspective, this is either awesome or unbelievably annoying. Me personally? I’ll go with awesome.

(Oh, and I don’t think Andre Miller ends up getting traded).