Surgery, amnesty leave Miller's future in doubt

Mike Miller's father said Thursday his son underwent surgery Monday for a sports hernia and the Miami Heat guard was told he would be out about four weeks.
 
So will that surgery make it more likely the Heat will use the NBA amnesty clause on Miller?
 
"That's interesting," Miller's father, Tom Miller, said by phone. "I don't know how they (the Heat) perceive things."
 
Tom Miller said his son, who has four years and $24 million left on his contract, has heard plenty of rumblings he could be released by the Heat as part of an amnesty provision in the new collective bargaining agreement. He was asked if his son is worried about that.
 
"Yeah, I'm sure that he is," said Tom Miller, who said his son doesn't know what will happen and has heard nothing from the Heat. "But he's been around long enough to know that this is a business. I've done a lot of research and it's my understanding they don't have to do anything until Dec. 25 (the day the Heat are expected to open the lockout-shortened season at Dallas). So we'll see."
 
If let go by the Heat, the 11-year veteran still would get his full salary. The reason Miami might do so would be to save money under future luxury taxes and to perhaps be able to use a $5 million exception on a player this season rather than a $3 million one. Teams more than $4 million over the luxury tax only can use the smaller one under the new CBA rules.
 
Heat forward Udonis Haslem, also once Miller's teammate at Florida, told reporters at the Heat practice facility Thursday he believes Miller would be out eight weeks and after that time there's "a couple of weeks of rehab." But Tom Miller said it's his understanding his son will be out a much lesser amount of time and that "he'll be able to shoot around in a couple of weeks."
 
Regardless, don't look for Miller to be able to practice with the Heat when they open training camp Dec. 9.
 
"He was working out a few weeks ago in Albuquerque, where his brother (Ryan Miller) is an assistant coach for the (University of New Mexico) Lobos and it was bothering him," said Tom Miller. "He saw a trainer and was told to take a little time off. Then he went back to Miami. It was still bothering him and he had an MRI."
 
Miller, who averaged 5.6 points last season in an injury-riddled campaign, then had the surgery done in South Florida.
 
As for whether Miller, 31, will be back with the Heat, there has been speculation he is selling his home in Pompano Beach because he doesn't expect to return. But his father said his son expected to put the house on the market anyway, and also has a home he owns in Memphis, Tenn., for sale.
 
"He had been thinking about it," Tom Miller said of putting up for sale the Pompano Beach home his son had bought as a foreclosure and fixed up. "He's testing the market (with both his homes for sale). With the lockout and everything, you didn't know how things were going to be .... It's kind of a drag on your pocketbook."
 
Now, his sports hernia is a drag of another kind.
 
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson.