After a disappointing finish, no doubt the Dragons will need to make some changes in the off-season. Since Nakiea Miller wasted no time announcing he will not renew his contract to play for the Dragons next year, recruiting a starting center will be at the top of the to do list.Miller's announcement comes as no surprise; the writing was on the wall. He has been publicly critical of Dragons' Head Coach Goh Cheng Huat for several weeks. A comment from Miller following the Dragons' second loss to the Philippine Patriots in the ABL Semi-Final Playoffs via Twitter pinned the loss on the Dragons' head coach.
We lost, coach threw the game! Experimenting in the semi's wit dudes who never
play in regular season! I'm so mad
At one point during the Dragons' final post-season game, Miller emphatically implored Goh Cheng Huat to change the line-up on the floor. The head coach complied with Miller's wish by making an immediate substitution, which made me wonder two things. Who is actually coaching the Dragons? Second, how much respect and confidence does Miller have for his coach, or the ability of his fellow team mates?
When the star player and head coach do not see eye-to-eye, one of them has to leave. Miller's volunteered exit nullified what could have been a difficult decision for the Dragons' owners to make.
I don't prescribe to how Miller aired his grievances, but I do think his latest charge is valid. I was present at every Dragons home game this season, and the starting line-up varied from week to week. No team should be experimenting with personnel changes late in the season. By playoff time, a coach should know who are the starting five. It's hard to execute strategy, if the players don't know what to expect from their coach and each other.
Playing 'guess who is starting' does not create an element of surprise; it creates confusion. One only needs to see a replay of the final game between the Dragons and the Patriots to know that the Dragons' offensive and defensive schemes are a mess!
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