Because the Blazers were sufficiently below the salary cap, they did not have to get involved in a sign-and-trade scenario with the 76ers .

Miller signed with the Blazers because: a) the Sixers had no interest in offering more than 1 year at the midlevel exception of $5.8 million for a point guard who will turn 34 in March; b) the Sixers had no interest in delaying the growth and development of Lou Williams and first-round draft choice Jrue Holiday; c) the Blazers struck out in attempts to acquire Hedu Turkoglu, Paul Millsap and David Lee.

The Blazers thought they had an agreement with Turkoglu, leaving the Orlando Magic, but he made an eleventh-hour U-turn and signed with Toronto. They signed Millsap, a Utah Jazz restricted free agent, to a rich, complicated offer sheet, only to see the Jazz match it. And while they were negotiating with Miller, they were unable to reach terms with Lee, the New York Knicks' restricted free agent.

Miller turned out to be the last man standing, in large part the result of a lengthy dinner meeting with Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan in Las Vegas.

"He knew everything about our team," Pritchard said. "He has a tremendous Basketball IQ. He feels he can get our guys 4-6 more points a game . . . He knew our team, how to play our team, how to get us extra possessions. I was really impressed with his leadership abilities. He seemed like a coach. Nate and him hit it off in the first 5 minutes."

The Sixers had concerns with Miller's age and defense. The Blazers didn't seem to share that.

"He's played in 530 straight games," Pritchard said. "You look at some players who play at a higher level later [in their careers]. He's more of a team defender now than he's ever been before, and we have guys - Joel Pryzbilla, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge - who defend the paint pretty well. We think [Andre's] going to be fine there."

Miller admitted he didn't feel the Sixers' offer was fair, "but at the same time they had to figure out what direction they were going to go in. I guess it was due to the economy. I can't blame that on the organization."

"I had to weigh my options," he said. "The offer they threw out there, I didn't feel was fair for me."

Andy Miller, Andre's agent, said, "This isn't the best deal I've ever done, but maybe that's because I'm being too critical of myself. In my heart, I know this is a good deal for Andre, and it's a great deal for the current marketplace."

Andre Miller earned $10.3 million with the Sixers last season. And he has credentials: 16.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds last season, when for the most part he was the Sixers' most important player. Despite a lack of three-point shooting skill (28.3 percent last season, 21.0 percent for his career), he has excellent ability as a quarterback. He likes to say he wants to be "the loudest player on the court, the quietest one off it."

Steve Blake, the Blazers' incumbent at the point, averaged a career-high 11.0 points and shot a career-best 42.7 percent from three-point distance and was No. 5 in the league in assists/turnovers ratio; his backup was young Jerryd Bayless.

Asked what the loss of Andre means to the Sixers , Andy Miller said, "I look at this as an opportunity for Andre to upgrade Portland at the position and help them get to the next level. I'm not focusing on what it means to Philadelphia. What I do know is, the marketplace [in a declining economy] has had an impact on everybody."

Andre Miller said: "It was a tough situation [with the Sixers ] due to the market. Philadelphia had to make some decisions and they stuck with their decision . . . I accomplished my goals while I was there, to help the team get better, get to the playoffs."

The Sixers , though, were staunch in not offering anything beyond a 1-year deal, and finally pulled that off the table.

"I said from the beginning that we would never take the mid-level," Andy Miller said. "I didn't care what the market was, no matter the level of Andre's career. He's too impactful, too valuable as a player."

Andre Miller met with Trail Blazers officials and New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni during summer league competition in Las Vegas. Andy Miller said discussions with the Blazers intensified Wednesday and Thursday.

"I'm just there to add another piece to the puzzle," Andre Miller said. "I'm just looking forward to the challenge. Portland wants to accomplish a lot of things. I hope I can add to that."

Six shotsThe Sixers have been searching for four players to fill out their roster on 1-year contracts, the same way they added Kareem Rush, Royal Ivey, Donyell Marshall and Theo Ratliff last summer. In a touch of irony, two of the guards in whom they have shown interest, Sacramento unrestricted free agent Bobby Jackson and Orlando unrestricted free agent Tyronn Lue , are also represented by Andy Miller . . . The Blazers expect to sign second-round picks Dante Cunningham , of Villanova, and Arizona State's Jeff Pendergraph within the next week. Of Cunningham, Kevin Pritchard said, "He's had a terrific summer. Nate [McMillan] thinks he has a chance to be in the rotation. We really like him; he's very poised" . . . Andre Miller, on Sixers' heir apparent Lou Williams : "He's going to be fine . . . He's going to exceed people's expectations." *

For more Sixers coverage, read the Daily News' Sixers blog, Sixerville, at

http://go.philly.com/sixerville.