"Andre Miller seems to have meshed well with big men Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge, but coach Nate McMillan has relegated the veteran point guard to the second unit, for now at least.

Andre Miller is being paid almost $7 million to play the game of basketball this season, so there are more than a few people with a worse lot in life than the Trail Blazers' veteran point guard.

But I've wound up feeling bad for Miller, the best passer and playmaker on the team.

Miller, in his first season with Portland, has been relegated to a reserve role behind starting point guard Steve Blake. Coach Nate McMillan seems uncomfortable with Miller, at least in a professional sense.

The primary reason for this move, of course, is the lack of chemistry between Miller and the Blazers' star, shooting guard Brandon Roy.

Miller doesn't care at all about shooting, but he does need the ball in his hands to be effective. Roy, though, is the Blazers' meal ticket. He made the All-Star game the past two years off his ability to break down a defender and create on his way to the basket.

After the Blazers signed Miller to a free-agent contract last summer, it quickly became clear that Roy was less than enamored of the deal. Roy had grown comfortable in the role of pseudo-point guard, with Blake spotting up at the 3-point line and letting his backcourt mate do his thing.

It worked well for the Blazers last season. Blake was the best option at the point and deserved the starting nod. Roy was one of the best guards in the league, and a young, improving Portland team won 54 games.

When Miller came aboard, though, the picture changed. He's not a shooter - though he is pretty accurate with his old-fashioned set shot from medium range and is excellent from the foul line."