MIAMI -- Mike Miller was a luxury that the Miami Heat decided they could no longer afford. Miller was designated Tuesday as the teams amnesty player, a move that may save the Heat more than $30 million in luxury tax payments over the next two years and comes only a few days after team president Pat Riley said the two-time defending NBA champions were hoping to keep the core of the roster largely intact for next season. But with the teams tax bill set to be bigger than ever -- depending on what the final payroll numbers are, the Heat could pay as much as $2.50 per $1 they are over the salary-cap threshold for this coming season under the leagues new and more punitive rules -- the team ultimately made the call to part with Miller, a move that he suspected was coming. "I understand the business side of basketball," Miller told The Associated Press. "Its a combination of being very, very thankful for the opportunity that Ive had, but it hurts that we had a chance to do something very, very special and Id love to have been a part of it." Riley said the team tried to trade Miller, then had to make "a very difficult decision" to use the one-time amnesty provision on him. He said the teams managing general partner Micky Arison, CEO Nick Arison and coach Erik Spoelstra all struggled with the decision. "Mike had an incredible impact on the Miami Heat; helping us to three finals appearances and winning back-to-back World Championships," Riley wrote in a statement released by the team. "This was a very difficult decision for me personally, the Arison family, Erik and the entire Miami Heat organization. Mike was one of the best we have ever had here, and will be sorely missed. We wish Mike, his wife Jennifer and their family nothing but the best." Miller would have made $6.2 million this season, and $6.6 million next season. He still gets that money, but his salary will not count against Miamis cap, nor will it count against a luxury-tax hit that was in line to exceed $30 million this coming season alone. "I love Mike. We all love Mike," Heat guard Dwyane Wade told AP as the news of the teams decision broke. "Its tough to lose one of our brothers. But I think we all understand its not personal. Its a business decision." If Miller is not claimed off waivers, he becomes a free agent later this week. Its believed he would like to play for a title contender, and a return to Memphis -- where he spent parts of six seasons -- would likely appeal to Miller. "I know I can be very, very productive for a couple years for sure," Miller said. "But at the same time, it would be very difficult to go into a situation where youre not competing for a title. So Im going to have to weigh those things, and well see how it plays out." Miller spent three seasons in Miami, helping the Heat win two titles and playing big roles in each playoff run. He started the last four games of this years NBA Finals, the highlight of that run possibly being how he lost a shoe during play early in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against San Antonio, flipped it over to the bench, came downcourt and swished a 3-pointer anyway to help the Heat rally from 10 points down in the final 12 minutes. He also came off the bench to make seven 3-pointers in the title-clinching Game 5 win over Oklahoma City in 2012. "Ive had a pretty good career and Ive been a part of a lot of special things," said Miller, the NBAs rookie of the year in 2000-01 and sixth man of the year in 2005-06. "Ive won some individual awards and now two rings, so Im going to have some pretty good memories." Miller plans to keep playing for at least a couple more years, saying that he feels better now than he has in several seasons. He expressed disappointment that not only will he not get to help the Heat try for a third straight title, he will no longer be playing alongside Udonis Haslem, his former college teammate at Florida. Reuniting with Haslem was one of the many reasons why Miller signed with Miami. "I said this when I first got back here: My career started in the state of Florida with unbelievable teammates, one of them being Udonis," Miller said. "And then ending back up in Florida with UD, that was a special thing. We had a chance to win a national championship, came up short, then at the end got back as teammates in the NBA and won two championships together. Thats special."Dave Keon Jersey . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Darcy Tucker Maple Leafs Jersey . Sgt. 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Dave Keon Maple Leafs Jersey . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence.Sandeep Patil, Indias former chairman of selectors, has said there were lots of discussions around the future of MS Dhonis limited-overs captaincy around the time he retired from Test cricket in December 2014. Dhonis unexpected exit from the longest format mid-way through Indias Test series in Australia came as a shock Patil said, but he was happy that Dhoni decided to move on when he realised his mental and physical fitness were not up to scratch.Patil, whose four-year term as chief selector ended today, said his panel deliberated making a leadership change in ODIs then, but eventually decided not to keeping in mind the 2015 World Cup was only a couple of months away at the time. Absolutely [Dhonis captaincy was under threat]. There were lots of discussions that happened regarding that, [and] its not like they happened once, they happened a lot, Patil told ABP News. There was discussion about his one-day captaincy, there were discussions on his finishing…But we selected him because… a time had come, the World Cup had come - [if] you try before the World Cup giving a new player the captaincy seat, [you should] give him a good run. But that opportunity didnt come to the selectors. We didnt have enough time to experiment.Dhoni, who still captains India in ODIs and T20s, had announced his retirement shortly after the Boxing Day Test ended in Melbourne, with the team trailing 2-0 after three matches with one to play. Patil said that Australian tour was a tough one for the team and Dhonis decision was sudden, but he was best placed to decide on his future. I wouldnt want to say… that it was a sinking ship, but it was a tough series. Our players had to face quite a few difficulties there, the performance wasnt quite right, save for Virat Kohli.In such a situation, for a senior player to take this decision - to suddenly take this decision - was shocking. There was a lot of discussion even among us [selectors], How did this happen?But it was his decision. What the player is thinking and understands… his body, his thinking, his fitness, only he can decide on all those things. Selectors cant decide that. I feel that Dhoni understood this and took the right decision at the right time.Patil said the selectors did ask Dhoni about the timing of his retirement when the panel next met to select an ODI squad. But, in the end, the decision was a selfless one, he said. [Since it was mid-way through a series], we questioned him and his response was that this is the level of contribution that should be coming from me to the team, when that wasnt happening, then I myself felt that I should be out. Very few players can take a decision like that. Very few players can think like that. Everyonne generally thinks I should play more, let me play one more series, let me play for another year…The other big retirement Patils panel had to deal with was even more high-profile: the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar.dddddddddddd Patil recollected the precise moment he first had a chat with Tendulkar about his plans for the future, in December 2012. Patil said Tendulkar made the decision to quit ODIs after he and fellow selector Rajinder Hans had that chat with him during the Nagpur Test against England. The selectors, Patil said, did not force anything on Tendulkar.I remember, it was a Test match in Nagpur, December, 2012. After Sachin got out that was when we, the selectors, decided that we will go to Sachin and ask him what his intention is. And that was a job I did, because I was the chairman, and Hans paaji was also with me, and we spoke to him to know what he had in mind.We have never told any player, let it be Sachin Tendulkar or any other player, that is enough, now we are going to drop you. We wanted to ask whats the plan in your mind. [And] Sachin wanted to focus more on Test cricket. So when we spoke - and it was quite an open discussion - he decided that he will retire from one-day cricket and, in front of me, he called Sanjay Jagdale, who was the [BCCI] secretary then. He himself said I dont want to play one-day cricket now. I felt that was a very good thing what Sachin did.Tendulkars Test retirement came a year later, following a farewell series against West Indies in November 2013.Former India opener Virender Sehwag, who had previously told ESPNcricinfo that he was hurt the manner in which the selectors dropped him in 2013, more recently said it would have been nice if the selectors had offered him a farewell Test as well. Patil said while he empathised with the players, it was not their right to ask for a farewell match. If you decide that everybody should get a farewell, then it becomes wrong. And this decision is not the players, its the BCCIs. I can understand how it feels, because I too have come through that phase. You talk of Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar... The farewell that Sachin got, that was different.But, perhaps, after that, the expectation went up among the rest that I too should get one. But it didnt happen, and they felt unhappy, became annoyed. And I understand why they became displeased, but the sport is such that when you... retire, many things come out; many things that you shouldnt say, you end up saying, and later there is repentance. But we dont place much importance on these things. ' ' '