http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/
FROM KEITH GROLLER
got a chance to spend a good half-hour on the phone last week with David Miller, the Allentown native and Allen High graduate who has become a star on the Time-Warner SportsNet channel in Los Angeles that is to the Lakers what the YES Network is to the Yankees.
Most of the time was spent talking about Miller's journey through the collegiate coaching ranks and how he wound up being one of the most recognizable sports media personalities in the country's No. 2 market. Hopefully you saw the feature I did on him in Friday's paper.
But I also asked Miller about how tough it is to talk about his Lakers this season, one of the worst in many years for the proud franchise. At last glance, the team was 25-51 and had the second worst record in the Western Conference. LA was eliminated from playoff consideration weeks ago.
Miller, who knows as much about the team as anyone anywhere, remains optimistic.
"The only way you can predict the future is to look at the past," he said. "When you look at the Lakers and look at their past, for over three decades they've stood for excellence. They win championships.
"Right now with the passing of Dr. [Jerry] Buss, the reins have been handed over to his kids, Jim and Jeanie. He trained them. It's a family-run business. I call it a 'mom and pop' business. Right now, this is a family that's feeling out their roles and responsibilities without their father.
"The new salary cap and new CBA [collective bargaining agreement] has made it a lot tougher. Dr. Buss would always just open his checkbook. He played for championships, he didn't play for division titles. And when much is given, much is expected. But with the new rules, they're handcuffed like the rest of the league so they're really going to have to piece this thing back together and I have great faith in them."
Miller said the reason so many people on the West Coast are disappointed is "because the Lakers have spoiled us. Because this franchise has always been about parades."
I asked Miller what the key to the rebuilding process would be. Not a surprise, he started with Kobe Bryant (seen with him in photo at right)
"Which Kobe Bryant returns next year?" he said. "They've committed financially to Kobe for the next two years. So what is he going to be like when he returns? Also, what do they do with Pau Gasol? Do they bring Pau back or does he leave because he's a free agent at the end of the year? And then the X-factor is Steve Nash. If those three guys come back healthy -- Kobe, Gasol and Nash-- you should be able to make a playoff run."
Miller gets asked about these things all the time all over LA, whether he's at the beach or the mall. Sometimes, celebs like Will Ferrell (below left) ask him for his opinion.
He has become synonymous with the franchise and frankly, it remains one of the best franchises to be associated with because it has a legacy of great teams and great players.
"The NBA has its gold standards, but the Lakers set what I like to call the purple and gold standard," he said. "The problem is compounded that we're in the entertainment capital of the world and it's not just a game when you see the Lakers at the Staples Center. It's an event. Dr. Buss made it the place to be. The Who's Who is there. Every night there's a buzz. Who can be seen on Gucci Row? What stars are going to be there?
"That makes it different. People don't just want to want to win, they want to win in an entertaining form."
Miller has no doubt the team will return to its winning ways and he's so good at what he does that I have no doubt that he will stay in his current role for a long time and get to describe another Lakers championship parade before he's through.
See below a sample of Miller's work on the Time-Warner SportsNet channel. He's superb at what he does:
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