December 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Mike Miller was back at Miami Heat practice Tuesday. The oft-injured swingman came off surprisingly confident that he is here to stay. Despite recently undergoing recent surgery for a sports hernia, and despite standing as a prime candidate for the Heat to unload to the amnesty provision in the new collective-bargaining agreement, the veteran swingman said, "Right now, it seems like I'm pretty secure here." Teammate Udonis Haslem agreed, "As far as I'm concerned, Mike Miller is here to stay and I'm looking forward to playing with him this year." Of the possibility of the Heat instead choosing to invoke the amnesty clause and save on Miller's salary-cap and luxury-tax hit, Haslem said, "I'm"
December 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The issue about whether the Miami Heat might cast aside Mike Miller under the league's one-time amnesty policy might already have been decided by the 3-point specialist himself. Miller confirmed Thursday to the Sun Sentinel that he underwent surgery for a sports hernia this week and could be sidelined for up to two months. "That's just my luck right now," he said when reached by phone. "I've just got terrible luck. I don't know what's going on." Already on the way back from offseason thumb and shoulder surgeries, Miller recently said he finally felt that he had turned the corner on his injury issues. But he also said he felt a lingering soreness. That's when he went to see Heat physician"
November 10
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The NBA lockout is real. So is amnesty. And for Mike Miller so is rehab from a pair of offseason surgeries. So, yes, that is Miller's Hillsboro Shores estate that recently was placed on the market for $9 million. And no, the Miami Heat forward is not looking to move. Or at least is hoping there is no need. The veteran forward said Wednesday he is just taking stock of the current situation in both his career and the NBA. And that means taking stock of his 9,968-square-foot estate with the $180,000 in annual property taxes. "It's a couple of things," Miller said. "Just preparing myself; never know what can happen.""
October 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The NBA lockout might have prevented the Miami Heat from returning to the Hurlburt Field Air Force installation for training camp, but Heat forward Mike Miller has found another way to make an impression with the military. Miller is one of nine NBA players who have committed to a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour Oct. 23-28 in Hawaii. The tour is scheduled to include visits to multiple military bases, two youth clinics and time with military families."
June 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Heat forward Mike Miller is recovering from surgery for a ruptured tendon in his left thumb. Miller was injured during the latter stages of the regular season, finishing the postseason in protective bracing on his non-shooting hand. Miller sustained a similar injury to his right thumb during the preseason, with the ensuing surgery sidelining him for two months and limiting his effectiveness for the balance of the season."
June 5
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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At the time, Udonis Haslem was accustomed to being spoiled at the University of Florida. There, he had a training staff available to provide whatever he needed. That changed when he left college and played professionally for one season in France. Haslem quickly learned this wasn't Gainesville when there was no trainer in the locker room to tape his ankle before the game. "I was like, 'man, I can't tape my own ankle,' " Haslem recalled. A few days later, he was surprised by a package in the mail. Help came from a reliable source. Mike Miller, then in his second NBA season, offered an assist to his old college teammate by sending a box of ankle braces. Stories as such are plenty in a"
June 3
Miami Herald
columnist Linda Robertson
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Mike Miller put the hospital bracelet around his wrist the day his baby girl was born. He hasn't taken it off. He intends to wear it through the NBA Finals. The bracelet is a symbol of survival. Miller has survived. He has endured a basketball season of agony and ecstasy. First, he joined the Heat as a projected starter alongside the Big 3 of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh and his former Florida teammate Udonis Haslem. Then, he was sidelined by a series of injuries, including severely sprained thumbs, knee soreness and concussion symptoms. Now, with the Heat near the pinnacle in the NBA Finals, Miller is coping with the medical crisis of his newborn daughter. Jaelyn Miller has"
June 2
Miami Herald
columnist Linda Robertson
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Mike Miller put the hospital bracelet around his wrist the day his baby girl was born. He hasn't taken it off. He intends to wear it through the NBA Finals. The bracelet is a symbol of survival. Miller has survived. He has endured a basketball season of agony and ecstasy. First, he joined the Heat as a projected starter alongside the Big 3 of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh and his former Florida teammate Udonis Haslem. Then, he was sidelined by a series of injuries, including severely sprained thumbs, knee soreness and concussion symptoms. Now, with the Heat near the pinnacle in the NBA Finals, Miller is coping with the medical crisis of his newborn daughter. Jaelyn Miller has"
June 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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This injury thing is new for Dirk Nowitzki, the mangled middle finger on his left hand putting these NBA Finals in jeopardy for the Dallas Mavericks. By contrast, for Miami Heat forward Mike Miller, talking about an injury has become as common as lofting 3-pointers in practice. The latest issue is a left shoulder hidden under a sleeve for Tuesday's series-opening 92-84 win over the Mavericks, the shoulder protected by a sling as he exited AmericanAirlines Arena late Tuesday night. The issue, the Heat insist, is a non-issue. "Old age, I'm fine," Miller said after Wednesday's practice, one completed without the protective sleeve, at least for the portion of practice witnessed by the media."
May 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Mike Miller will play these NBA Finals with a heavy heart, amid concerns of a tiny heart, but at least with his newborn daughter closer to his heart. The Miami Heat forward said Sunday that his daughter, Jaelyn, was released from a Broward hospital Saturday, after spending the initial days of her life in intensive care due to a ventricular septal defect, in this case, according to Miller, "four holes in her heart, which were causing problems with her breathing." Miller left his daughter's side to fly with the team for Thursday's Eastern Conference finals-clinching victory against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, but otherwise the schedule has allowed him to fulfill his Heat"
May 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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How do you celebrate with a troubled heart? That's what Mike Miller wondered as he left AmericanAirlines Arena in his rear-view mirror Tuesday night, left the media peppering him with how'd-you-do-it questions for once, left people congratulating him in the hallway, left the party outside the arena, left the idea that finally he contributed to the Heat in a manner he expected to all season. And he entered his real world. "Have you ever left a big game before to visit someone in the the hospital before?" he was asked Wednesday afternoon. "Not like this,'' he said. "Not for my daughter." His daughter, Jaelyn, is a week old. She remains in a Broward hospital's intensive care unit. She has a"
May 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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For months, Erik Spoelstra was left with little option but to spin the wheel of lineups. Sometimes the wheel stopped at Erick Dampier or Juwan Howard or Jamaal Magloire. Once it even stopped with Jerry Stackhouse in the starting lineup. But through those months of uncertainty, the vision remained something closer to what the Miami Heat have offered the past two games, home victories that have given them a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Bulls in these best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference finals. No, the Heat bench has not necessarily been expansive the past two games, but it has been efficient, with Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers the only reserves called upon in support of the"
May 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Dwyane Wade wasn't Dwyane Wade until the waning minutes. That was a significant concern Tuesday night. But Mike Miller wasn't Mike Miller, at least the version that had been on display in recent weeks. And that represented a significant gain. Mostly, though, LeBron James was LeBron James, and sometimes that's seemingly all it takes. With Miller compensating for what Wade was unable to provide, and James taking control on both ends, the Miami Heat moved within one win of the franchise's second appearance in the NBA Finals with a 101-93 overtime victory at AmericanAirlines Arena. "This series is an absolute bloodbath," coach Erik Spoelstra said when the three-hour marathon was over, "and"
May 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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Late Wednesday night in the United Center, disappointed Chicago fans walked past two symbols of the city's former greatness, Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, in a hallway outside the Heat locker room. "Can we still win?" a man in a Bulls cap asked Pippen. "Are those guys gonna look like that the rest of the way?" Pippen said, jerking a thumb toward the Heat. That's the question now. Is Wednesday who the Heat are? It replaces other questions the Heat answered for weeks. Like: What happened to Erick Dampier? Like: Why isn't Zydrunas Ilgauskas playing and Jamaal Magloire is? Like: When's Udonis Haslem ready? "I was getting tired of that one,'' Haslem said. Down the hall from Rodman and"
May 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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OK, it wasn't exactly a frat party. The stakes are a bit extreme for Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller to blurt out, "Toga!" in the middle of the Eastern Conference finals. But the former University of Florida roommates sure looked like they were having fun when they finally got to share meaningful minutes Wednesday for the first time since their Gators days a decade ago. This, however, is about more than rekindling memories. This is about making new ones. And that could be a potentially huge development for the Heat as they head into Sunday's Game 3 of this best-of-seven series, now tied 1-1 with the Bulls. While Miller has yet to regain his fire-at-will shooting confidence, his scrappiness,"
May 17
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Erik Spoelstra has what he's looking for, just to his right, on the Miami Heat bench. He's just not sure that it's good to go. Coming off Sunday's 103-82 loss to the Chicago Bulls, the focus at Monday's practice was on the hustle, energy, effort plays the Heat failed to deliver in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals. It is the type of hustle that forwards Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, the former University of Florida roommates, are known for. It also is the type of effort that has been in short supply this season, with Haslem only now making it back from November foot surgery and Miller practically negated as an offensive threat by a pair of bum thumbs. So Monday, as the Heat"
April 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra continued to stress Friday that the timetable for a Udonis Haslem return to the lineup would not be determined by the timetable of the upcoming series against the Boston Celtics, making a Haslem appearance Sunday less likely. Haslem, who has yet to play since November foot surgery, went through another contact practice Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena. "Because the series is starting on Sunday," Spoelstra said, "that's not going to influence our decision. If we don't feel that he's ready to really contribute or help or he's healthy enough, then we'll be on a different timetable. "It may not happen the next week, two weeks. We're all trying to get on the same"
April 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Forward Mike Miller said just because he is cringing every time there is contact with his left hand does not mean those watching should not cringe. While the Miami Heat reserve forward said his injured left thumb likely will need offseason surgery, he insists he is managing the pain during this opening-round best-of-seven NBA playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.sp "Nah, it's going to be fine," he said Thursday. "Grimacing is all right. It's a little bit of pain. Pain never hurt anybody." Miller had been used in limited spurts by coach Erik Spoelstra, who then assessed how much the veteran reserve can contribute on a given night. He did not play in Thursday's Game 3 of the"
April 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Heat swingman Mike Miller could easily consider himself cursed this season. He's spent most of the season nursing some type of injury, and the playoffs will be no different. Miller will wear some type of protective covering on both hands to prevent further damage to both thumbs. He injured them during the regular season, but said he's ready for the postseason. "It is what it is," Miller said. "It's just something that you have to deal with and take care of it or fix it during the offseason." Miller's latest setback came against the Boston Celtics on April 10 when he sprained his left non-shooting thumb. He missed the second half and played just 12 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks before"
April 4
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers lost their limp. Dwyane Wade found it. No, this is not exactly a Miami Heat team striding to the finish line of the regular season, but it nonetheless continues to make strides. With Sunday's 108-94 victory over the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center, the Heat made it 11 victories in their last 13 games, as they clinched the Southeast Division title, the eighth division title in the franchise's 23 seasons. "We don't want to be jaded. We'll take what we can now," coach Erik Spoelstra said of the division. "It's the first step." Bursting out to a 26-10 lead and pushing the advantage to 21 in the second quarter, the Heat gingerly pushed to the finish,"
April 3
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Pending final pregame approval, Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers are poised to return to the Miami Heat active roster Sunday against the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center. The two went through the morning shootaround without discomfort after missing recent time with knee injuries. "We'll see. They're making progress," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It probably wouldn't be big minutes, but it is encouraging. They're both making progress." Chalmers has missed the past six games with a sprained right knee. "I feel good enough to play," Chalmers said after Sunday morning's one-hour session. Miller has missed the past three games with a bruised and strained left knee. "I want to play," he"
March 31
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Heat forward Mike Miller will not play in Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizard because of a bruised right knee. It is Miller's second inactive game since suffering the injury Sunday against the Houston Rockets. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Miller is making progress and will continue to be evaluated throughout the team's four-game road trip."
March 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Heat forward Mike Miller was inactive for Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of a bruised right knee. Miller sustained the injury in the second half of Sunday's win against the Houston Rockets. Coach Erik Spoelstra termed the injury as "not serious," but said Miller would be evaluated before Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards."
February 28
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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After missing the past four games, Heat forward Mike Miller was cleared to play Sunday against the New York Knicks. Miller had been out since experiencing concussion-like symptoms after being involved in collisions in three consecutive games. After recovering, he missed the past two games because of an ear infection. Miller said during the morning shootaround that he felt "good." "He is going to go in, in his normal rotation minutes," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We'll have to see how he responds, what his rhythm is like and what his conditioning is like. He has been champing at the bit all week long. He is ready to go. He needs to get out there." The year has been full of setbacks"
February 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Heat forward Mike Miller will not play Thursday against the Chicago Bulls, marking the third consecutive game he will miss. Miller did not travel with the team Wednesday. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the decision was based on an ear infection and not Miller's recent battle with head injuries. He sustained three head-related injuries during collisions in games against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. "He still has a lingering ear infection and he's not able to fly, so we're not taking him with us," Spoelstra said. "It's not anything that has to do with the concussion. It's his ear infection. We need to take care of that. He's feeling better." Miller has been the"
February 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Heat swingman Mike Miller did not play Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings and it remains uncertain when he will return. Miller has missed the last two games after suffering a blow to the head against the Indiana Pacers Feb. 15. While Miller did not sustain a concussion, he has experienced similar symptoms in recent days. "We'll re-evaluate him," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He is feeling better. I think it looks encouraging that he'll be able to practice [Wednesday]." Miller is still awaiting clearance to fly with the team for Thursday's game at Chicago. The reason is because he is also battling an ear infection. "I'm going to be smart about it," Miller said. "Obviously, I know"
February 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Dwyane Wade regained his footing Monday, with the Miami Heat guard not expected to miss any time with the right-ankle sprain he aggravated during of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game. Mike Miller, however, apparently has not fully regained his senses, so it appears the Heat will open the final portion of their schedule yet again shorthanded, when they host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Wade, who sprained the ankle a week ago against the Boston Celtics, aggravated the injury when he stepped on the foot of Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams during the league's annual showcase, done for the night with 5:02 to play in the third quarter at Staples Center. Monday, though, he was back on the"
February 17
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Miami Heat received good news when tests revealed swingman Mike Miller did not sustain a concussion Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Miller flew home to South Florida Wednesday morning, missing the game against the Toronto Raptors. Miller is out with a right eye contusion after being elbowed by Pacers forward Jeff Foster. The hope is he ready for Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena. "Mike is back in Miami," Spoelstra said. "We are proactive with that. It's not a concussion. We took an X-ray, a CAT scan. Everything was negative." Spoelstra said Miller underwent tests Tuesday night in Indianapolis, but did not stay"
February 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Heat forward Mike Miller left Conseco Fieldhouse in a wheelchair following Tuesday night's 110-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers, taken to a local hospital for observation after absorbing yet another blow to the head. Miller, who was tested for a concussion following a blow to the head in last Friday's victory over the Detroit Pistons, also was observed following Sunday's loss to the Boston Celtics, after being leveled by a hard screen from Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. Miller was struck by an inadvertent elbow during the third quarter of Tuesday's game, initially diagnosed with a contusion above his right eye."
February 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Mike Miller was clear about what he needed to do Sunday against the Boston Celtics, even as he remains a bit fuzzy about the events leading to that moment. Left with a wide-open 3-pointer just before the buzzer in Sunday's' 85-82 loss at TD Garden, the Miami Heat swingman was off the mark. "All I know is I've got to make the shot," Miller said after an optional team workout Monday at Conseco Fieldhouse in advance of Tuesday's game against the Indiana Pacers. "That's what I'm out there to do." Miller was so open, he said he rushed the attempt. "I wasn't expecting to be that open," he said. "It's still my job to make it, no excuses, move on, hopefully have another opportunity to make another"