good...let 'em have him.
By John Denton
FLORIDA TODAY
ORLANDO _ Grant Hill, whose seven years in Orlando were marred by crippling injuries to his ankle and abdomen, informed the Magic today that he is leaving to sign a free-agent contract with the Phoenix Suns.
Hill confirmed Thursday morning that he was leaving and said he would discuss the matter more later today. Check back with FLORIDA TODAY.com today for updates.
Because of the injuries that robbed so much of the prime of his career, Hill played in just 200 of a possible 574 games in his seven years in Orlando. He missed 65.1 percent of the games with the Magic.
Hill, whose $92.88 million contract with the Magic expired on July 1, will sign a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $1.2 million. The deal can't be officially signed until July 1, the first day contracts become official.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old guard/forward will be joining a Suns team looking get past San Antonio and Dallas in the Western Conference and play for a championship during two-time MVP Steve Nash’s prime. Hill has never been on a team that has won a playoff series in his 13-year NBA career.
Hill will likely replace Raja Bell in the Suns’ starting lineup at shooting guard. He could shift to his natural position, small forward, if Phoenix trades Shawn Marion as rumored.
Hill briefly flirted with retirement after the Magic were swept out of the playoffs by the Detroit Pistons. But after working as an analyst for ABC at The NBA Finals, Hill decided he wanted to make one more push at chasing a championship. San Antonio, Miami, Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando pursued Hill this offseason.
Unlike in 2000, when Hill visited Orlando on the first day of the free-agent courting period and committed verbally to the Magic two days later, he stayed at his Orlando home this time and communicated with teams. He heard pitches from the Spurs, Mavericks and Heat over the course of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. It was his conversation with new Suns general manager Steve Kerr on Tuesday that led to him picking Phoenix.
Magic general manager Otis Smith said repeatedly that he wanted Hill back. And Hill’s hopes of returning seemed to e last week when he met with new coach Stan Van Gundy, who told Hill he felt he could still play a vital role on the Magic.
That might have changed Tuesday when the Magic got a verbal commitment from 6-foot-10 small forward Rashard Lewis, the most coveted free agent on the market.
Hill arrived in Orlando as a free agent in 2000 to much hype and hope, but a broken left ankle soon soured those feelings. He played just four games his first season, 14 in the second and 29 in the third _ all of them ending with surgeries.
He missed all of the 2003-04 season when following a radical surgery in which Hill’s ankle and heel were broken purposely and realigned. But it was following that surgery that Hill contracted a nasty staph infection in his left leg. His fever ed to 104.5 degrees and his body went into convulsions. Doctors eventually got his fever under control and had to replace veins in his lower left leg with ones from his upper arm.
He made a triumphant return in 2004-05, playing 67 games and making the all-star team while averaging 19.7 points a game.
But misfortune struck again when Hill tore muscles in his groin region and the subsequent sports hernia limited him to just 21 games as the Magic missed the playoffs yet again.
This past season, Hill made it all the way to the end of the season healthy for the first time since 1999. Despite being limited in back-to-back sets of games and rarely ever practicing, Hill averaged 14.4 points and led the Magic to the playoffs for the first time in four years.
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John Denton is a FLORIDA TODAY sports reporter and the Orlando Magic beat writer
http://forums.floridatoday.com/viewt...f7cd74fc149dd7
good...let 'em have him.
I don't see what Hill will do to help Phoenix get past the Spurs. Am I missing something?
Oook...if they are expecting Hill to be their missing piece...well dayum.
Go suns, now you have your missing piece, lol
Hill probably helps the Suns against Dallas. Against the Spurs, I don't see it.
Marion on Parker
Bell on Ginobili
Stoudemire on Duncan
Hill on Bowen
Nash on Oberto?
And, so the saga continues of Grant Hill trying to mimic the career of his good friend, Penny Hardaway ...
Congrats on the Suns for signing Jalen Rose's replacement! Hopefully Grant Hill can be as good of a contributor as Rose had been.
He really owed it to Orlando to stay, for the absolute minimum, he's not a great player but for that price he could have helped an already improving team...
2007 Grant Hill = 2006 Jalen Rose
Washed up, worn out vet that will do nothing to contribute to the Suns winning a championship.
"Hill, whose $92.88 million contract with the Magic expired on July 1..."
Didn't the Spurs pursue Hill at that time?
Bad news for the Suns. There hopes of passing us now rests on a 35 year old player whose injury status is legendary. Even a minimum contract is going to cost the Suns. It's another great day to be a Spur's fan.
Kiss the ring. Er, uh I mean rings.
No, we were trying to sign Tim
Suns get Hill
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 5, 2007 09:22 AM
Grant Hill will be a Sun.
Hill's agent, Lon Babby said that Hill told Phoenix today that he would join the Suns in his quest or a championship. There is a moratorium on free agent signings until Wednesday.
Hill was offered the Suns' biennial exception, which will pay him $1.83 million in the coming season and give him a player option to return at $1.97 million for 2008-09. Coming off a seven-year, $92 million contract with Orlando, money was not his biggest lure to Phoenix.
"He established a number of criteria," Babby said. "His opportunity to contribute to a championship would be on the top of the list. He really thought it through and was diligent and concluded this is the best opportunity for his career. He's very, very excited about it."
Hill was drawn by the chance to be on a le contender and an important playing role on a team that fits the 6-foot-8 swingman's versatile style. Hill, who will turn 35 in October, could start for Phoenix with Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion and Amaré Stoudemire. He also will give Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni another facilitator to help run the offense when Steve Nash is resting.
"The opportunity described to him is consistent with what he's looking for," Babby said. "He's not someone looking for anything granted to him but more that he'd have the opportunity to start."
Hill chose Phoenix over Detroit, Orlando, San Antonio, Miami and Dallas. Hill heard phone pitches from each team this week, talking to Suns General Manager Steve Kerr and Coach Mike D'Antoni on Tuesday. He also spoke to Steve Nash at some point, Babby said.
Hill is coming off one of his healthiest season after an Orlando stay plagued by injuries. He has undergone five surgeries on his left ankle, including one that led to a life-threatening staph infection. He also underwent hernia surgery in the fall of 2005.
Hill bounced back last season, just as he did to make the 2005 All-Star Game after rebounding from a four-year battle with ankle injuries that caused him to miss all but 47 of 328 games. Last season, Hill played in 65 games and finished a season in uniform, rather than a suit or a hospital, for the first in Orlando.
"His health is fine," Babby said. "There is every expectation that he will be healthy."
He averaged 14.4 points last season on 51.8 percent shooting and played 30.9 minutes per game. When he has played, Hill has shot 49 percent or better in the past four seasons but he does not have three-point range. Once one of the league's best rebounding swingmen, Hill averaged a career-low 3.6 rebounds last season.
But Phoenix relishes his versatility, court smarts, high character and late-career motivation to win a championship. Hill had pondered retiring before working the NBA Finals for ABC made him want to pursue a championship. His teams have never advanced past the first round in five playoff appearances, including Orlando's first-round sweep to Detroit in April.
Babby said it helped the Suns' chances to have assistant Alvin Gentry on staff. Gentry coached in Detroit for five of Hill's seasons there, including 2 1/2 years that Gentry served as Hill's head coach.
over/under on the date Hill breaks a knee, or ankle, or suffers a season ending injury?
One week. Snaps his thumb signing the contract. *pop*
Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
He's a huge upgrade over James Jones. A guy who's great at creating his own shot and his amazing basketball IQ is never a bad thing to have...especially when he's not being counted on to carry a team.
Wow. I wonder how he will fit in with the Suns style- think he can keep up?
Grant Hill will look great in purple in gold. And he cost them very little. Nice signing Kerr!
first day at full speed and he'll lose a limb
First day in Phoenix he'll come down with sunburn and have to miss the first two months of the season.
For the veteran's minimum hes probably a really savvy signing. And considering the Suns usually play a 7 man rotation anyways it probably won't hurt them to lose him for 3/4 of the season. I just can't wait to see defensive lineups of Hill, Nash and Stoudemire together.
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