You'd think that Brad Miller(notes) heading to the Houston Rockets is just another case of some team overpaying for need and overpaying to prevent another suitor from pulling in the wanted asset.

And then you remember Rick Adelman.

(Shoot, that's right. Rick Adelman.)

Brad Miller's best years, spent either replacing Chris Webber(notes) or Vlade Divac at that high post in Sacramento, were with Rick Adelman. Making his fantasy-league owners happy, finding cutters and shooters and sometimes getting his own.

Three years, $15 million for Miller. A below-average deal, with the third year only partially guaranteed. Longtime readers likely know my rooting interests, so Miller is one of the few players I've had the pleasure to have watched objectively, and as a simmering, often angry, fan. And while the versatile reserve center has gotten my goat on occasion, overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses.

At least at this stage. The 34-year-old would seem ripe to age in dog years, and while his effectiveness fell, well, rather significantly last season (to use a catch-all, his PER dove from around 17 to 13), if he sustains this sort of lo-fi play, he should make up for the length and cost of his deal.

Brad can shoot, score and pass. Not the greatest defensive rebounder at this point, and he's kind of terrible at guarding centers off the dribble. Then again, if you're a center and you're having to guard another center off the dribble, you're probably going to be pretty terrible.

Miller is turnover prone and too often forces passes to his favorite targets, but that kind of joie de vivre is understandable. What is less understandable is why I used the phrase "joie de vivre" in a column analyzing the play of Brad Miller.

Whether Yao Ming(notes) can be effective in his return to the Rockets next season is anyone's guess. Yao himself isn't going to know until he puts wheels to NBA pavement this fall. What is certain is that, best-case scenario, Yao has to top out at 30 minutes a game. Has to.

That's where Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) fell in his first full season back after dealing with what Yao went through, and Big Z rewarded the Cavs with nearly a decade's worth of fantastic contributions as a result. So even if Yao plays, and looks like the All-Star we remember, he's still going to need help.

Brad Miller is about as good as help gets in that position.

***

Speaking of our buddy Zydrunas, and keeping with that catch-all theme, few players saw a drop as big as Ilgauskas did in PER last season. From 18 (his third straight year around that line) to 12. And for someone who does most of his damage in ways that are accurately (and sometimes, overrate-ing-ly) documented by the typical box score, this is bad news.

Because Big Z does all the things necessary to pump up a solid PER. Gets offensive rebounds. Shoots a good percentage. Makes his free throws. Doesn't turn the ball over. This isn't a knock on Z or PER. And this isn't to say PER overrates Zydrunas.

It's to tell you that, despite all that, he was off last year. Perhaps a bit down, after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Shaquille O'Neal(notes), the trade rumors that followed, the actual trade to Washington that followed that, and the criticism that came with his subsequent waiving by Washington and the return to Cleveland. On top of that, Mike Brown was far from delicate in his handling of Z's possible winter as a Cavalier ... or it could just be that Zydrunas is a 7-3 guy with a lot of wear on those treads that turned 35 soon after the season ended.

Tread be damned, the Heat jumped on the chance to sign Z last week, and hopefully they'll be rewarded for their efforts. Ilgauskas can spread the floor, crash the offensive boards and win jump balls. This is to be appreciated, and if Z can at least split the difference between last year and the year before, then Miami will have struck huge.

***

If Ilgauskas falls further? Joel Anthony(notes) is back on board with Miami. For five years.

Five years?

Five years.

Eh. It's for $18 million, which isn't a ton, but this just reeks of an unnecessary millstone.

Anthony can really block shots. According to basketball-reference.com, 6.7 percent of the shots tossed up in his presence were sent back by Joel last season, a figure that ranks amongst the best in the NBA (Dwight Howard(notes) sent 6 percent back). And beyond that? He's awful.

Turns the ball over at a nasty rate. Doesn't rebound. Doesn't finish well for someone with his size and athleticism. So, he's a project, right?

Well, no. The guy turns 28 in three weeks. Twenty-eight. So, this contract will run through Joel Anthony's prime. And despite the need at center and his mention in The Decision, is Joel Anthony's prime worth five years (FIVE YEARS!) and $18 million?

We'll find out in five years. Assuming we're not all in space by then.