Brad Miller made the rounds Thursday, apologizing to Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie, expressing embarrassment to coach Reggie Theus and issuing a statement echoing his "mistake."
Miller received a five-game suspension for violating terms of the NBA/National Basketball Players Association anti-drug program. The veteran center will serve his suspension without pay during the first five games next season.
"I think first of all, everyone is disappointed," Petrie said. "He feels real bad about it."
The NBA did not disclose the nature of Miller's anti-drug violation. However, the most common reason for a five-game suspension under the league's anti-drug policy is testing positive for marijuana a third time. A positive test for other prohibited drugs such as cocaine and opiates results in a player being "dismissed and disqualified" from the league, as outlined in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.
Steroids or other performance-enhancing substances result in a 10-game suspension for a first offense.
Petrie and Theus said they were not aware of the drug involved in Miller's case.
"There is no excuse for it, but it's a mistake, and it's going to be an expensive mistake for him," Petrie added. "We are going to start short-handed at the beginning of the season because of it."
Miller will lose approximately $693,000 of his team-high $11,375,000 contract next season.
Drug tests are administered randomly four times a year from Oct. 1 through June 30. After the first positive test for marijuana, a player is required to enter the league's substance abuse program. A second positive test results in a $25,000 fine, and the third carries a five-game suspension. The suspension is doubled to 10 games for a fourth positive test.
"This is something that I'm sure he never wanted to happen," Theus said. "But now that it has, he's just going to have to do everything he can to come back ready to play. The only way to fix it is to come back ready to go."
Miller is coming off a much-improved season in which he averaged 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds in 72 games. He missed the final seven games of the season because of a stress fracture in his left leg and a bone chip in his right elbow. He underwent successful surgery in April to repair the bone chip.
His 2007-08 performance followed one of his worst campaigns the previous year, when he struggled with a left foot injury that led to conditioning and weight issues.
"I made a mistake," Miller said in a statement. "It was an error in judgment, and I'm very sorry. I regret it deeply. It's something I won't and can't take lightly. I hope to bounce back from this as a better person, and I'm excited about the upcoming season."
The last King suspended for the violating the anti-drug program was Maurice Taylor in 2006, and the team waived him one month later. Most notably, former Kings Chris Webber and Jason Williams served five-game suspensions in 2004 and 2000, respectively, for positive tests.
Second-year center Spencer Hawes likely will start for Miller.
"He is disappointed that it turned out the way it did," Hawes said of Miller after summer-league practice Thursday. "But the only thing we can do is move on and make the best out of it."
Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.
