Q&A: Reggie Miller

Courtesy of Justin Terranova

Q: If you are a free agent, how much are you turned off by the Knicks’ awful season?

A: You are going to look at this year and you are going to look at the style of play. Can I play in the triangle system? The Knicks are going to have to overpay because of the season they are having. Why would Marc Gasol or LaMarcus Aldridge want to leave a one-paper city where they are beloved for all the pressure to go play in The Garden?

Q: Is Carmelo Anthony right to play through this injury?

A: I don’t know what the doctors have told him … but they have nothing to play for this year. If you are just playing for London and the All-Star Game then I would say just shut it down. To me, that’s selfish. I know [the All-Star Game] it’s in New York and you’re the face of that, but to me that’s very selfish. The team is tanking, and to have a guy just to represent your organization, I have a problem with that. You have to take care of yourself and your body long-term. Shut it down now, rehab and get ready for next year.

Q: How concerned are you about the Cavaliers’ funk?

A: Very concerned. The disconcerting part is that defensively, if they think they are going to compete for a championship, they are sadly mistaken. Right now, especially with Anderson Varejao going down, they are nowhere near Washington, Toronto, Chicago and Atlanta. I knew it would take time for their Big 3 to gel, just as it did in Miami. But it happened at a much quicker curve in Miami because [Dwyane] Wade had already won a championship and [Chris] Bosh had been to the playoffs. [Kevin] Love and (Kyrie) Irving had never been to the playoffs, and that chemistry is taking longer than expected. On top of that you now have J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, which re-changes the makeup of that team.

Q: Are the Hawks for real?

A: I am a true believer that the Hawks can win the East. If you look at them, they are a mirror image of San Antonio and they have that Spurs pedigree obviously under coach [Mike] Budenholzer. They have a penetrating point guard [Jeff Teague], shooters on the wing in [Kyle] Korver and [DeMarre] Carroll and a post presence [Al Horford and Paul Millsap]. On top of that now they have the confidence. They feel like they are the best team, and they are doing this against tough teams.

Q: What about your former TNT colleague Steve Kerr has made him a successful coach?

A: He’s a leader, No. 1. And the thing about Steve: He’s always played the supporting role in his career. He played with Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, so he knows what the star player is going to demand. But I think his biggest strength as a coach is understanding what the bench players need because he was that guy.