No retirement - Mike Miller planning a return to Miami Heat next season: NBA News
After pondering over retirement over the last month or so, Mike Miller is planning to return to the NBA next season with the reigning champions Miami Heat.
Miller suffered with injuries throughout the 2011-2012 NBA season. He had an offseason Hernia injury, and then suffered from back problems that limited his playing time in the playoffs. But Miller fought against all injuries to
contribute towards the team’s success and was 7 of 8 from three point lane in the deciding game 5 of the NBA Finals, which the Heat won to clinch the NBA title.
After the troubles his back gave him, particularly during the playoffs, Miller contemplated retirement. However, Dr. Barth Green has given Miller a new hope of playing for the next season when he told him that his back could be
managed without needing surgery.
Miller is now going to undergo a rehab regimen that will include rest and training which will be enough to manage and control the back pain and allow him to play next season without needing a surgery. In case of a surgery, the
sharpshooter would have been out for months, but now, he is excited about defending the NBA crown next season with the Heat.
"No retirement," Miller said Tuesday.
"The plan is to avoid surgery. We're doing everything we can. The doctor says it looks fantastic. So we're going to continue to go in that direction, continue to rehab it, see how it goes,” added Miller.
Miller will visit Green again on Wednesday to discuss the rehab plan. Green is considered one of the best surgeons in the world, and Miller says that he gives credit to him for coming up with a way of preventing surgery and prolonging
his career.
“People that are the best at what they do also know how to do alternatives and what it takes to prevent having surgery. That's what I liked about him from the get-go. Even though he's known for being the best as a surgeon, he was
trying to avoid it, which is a credit to him,” said Miller.
Miller averaged 6.1 points in 39 games for Miami, and made 45% of his three point attempts. He has three years remaining in his contract, and is now looking forward at least to the next season, where the Miami Heat will defend
their title crown with an improved roster.
Miami signed shooting guard Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to the team in free agency this year, giving the team the shooting improvement they needed. Allen and Lewis will help spread the floor for the Heat and capitalize on open
perimeter shots that are a given with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the line-up.
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