February 20, 2009 5:56 PM

Death of Larry H. Miller sad news

By Chris Tomasson
Rocky Mountain News

There was sad news in the Northwest Division on Friday. Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, the NBA's most accessible owner outside of Mark Cuban, died at 64 due to complications from diabetes.

I had the opportunity to deal with Miller often over the years, most of it related to the drama surrounding when the Jazz finally might get around to retiring the jersey of former Utah star and current Nuggets assistant Adrian Dantley.

Miller, who sat in his familiar courtside seat at Utah home games, always was accessible. I'd generally catch him as he was walking from his seat to the locker room at halftime (so how many owners other than Dallas' Cuban hang out in the locker room at halftime?).

Sometimes a security guard would attempt to intercede. But Miller always would say it wasn't a problem and give me the time I needed. His manner was in stark contrast to some NBA owners, who hide away in suites above the court.

I never agreed with Miller, a former Littleton resident, when he said he was in no hurry to retire Dantley's jersey. He always would go into some diatribe about how Dantley hadn't played long enough in Utah for his jersey to be retired when it fact the jersey of Jeff Hornacek, who played 6 ½ years with the Jazz to seven for Dantley, already was hanging in the rafters.

The real reason was Dantley had a lot of friction with Utah management in 1985-86, the first season Miller had an ownership stake in the team and Dantley's final season with the Jazz before he was shipped to Detroit.

Thankfully, Dantley, who won two scoring titles while with the Jazz from 1979-86, finally had his jersey raised to the rafters in April 2007. It was an emotional ceremony that night in Utah.

As much as his passion for the Jazz and for owning automobile dealerships that made him millions, Miller was known for his strict adherence toward traditional family values. I'll never forget talking to Miller at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City in the summer of 2003 shortly after Lakers star Kobe Bryant had been charged with sexual assault in Colorado (charges were dropped the following year).

"I've been surprised and even shocked,'' Miller said at the time. "But more than that, I felt let down because here's a guy who we're trying to have be an icon in the whole doggone league that you would think would hold himself to a higher standard, especially after a recent marriage.

``Too many of the other stars have all the earrings, the piercings, the hair, the tattoos and everything else. But here's Kobe, a straight-laced guy, we all think. It's going to be tough on the image (of the NBA).''

Agree or disagree, Miller was never shy with an opinion.

I will remember Miller, who had his legs amputated below the knees in January as he fought diabetes, for his frankness when I dealt with him and an accessibility that was rare among NBA owners.

No doubt members of the Nuggets organization also will miss Miller.

Posted by Chris Tomasson at 5:56 PM | Comments (4)