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Wizards' Andre Miller: Nuggets portrayed me as the villain

Evan Habeeb / USA TODAY Sports

After being unceremoniously shipped east following an ugly in-game spat with Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, Washington Wizards guard Andre Miller will return to Denver to tip off against his old mates on Sunday for the first time.

Although the trade was made in mid-February, and the incident with Shaw occurred nearly three months ago when the Nuggets hosted the Philadelphia 76ers on New Year's Day, the taste in Miller's mouth remains decidedly bitter. 

"I was made out to be the bad guy, the villain because I was the one complaining about minutes," Miller told Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. "That wasn't the issue at all."

Despite the egotistical optics, Miller maintains that his actions were to fulfill his leadership role on the team, but management opted to protect the logo by choosing him as a scapegoat for their troubles.

"They gave me an opportunity to represent Denver," Miller said. "I tried to do that the right way, but I was looked at as the bad guy, a disgruntled player. [The Nuggets said] I was complaining about minutes and that was never the issue. They made it look that way, and that I was upset. I understand that they have to protect themselves as an organization, but don't blast the player.

"I came out and represented the organization, played games, practiced and did it the right way. Don't bash me. It's not true saying I was disgruntled about minutes and complaining. In reality, I was just speaking up for guys on the team and being a veteran leader. I was just doing my job."

Well-behaved in Washington, Miller's tenure with the Wizards gives credence to his argument. In 14 games, the 15-year veteran has been allotted fewer minutes than he had averaged in Denver. 

"I've never been a guy with an ego. I've always been a team guy to a fault."

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