Rookie impressive, but Spurs fall again
Jeff McDonald - Express-News Five months ago, George Hill was sitting on his sofa in Indianapolis watching Chris Paul, New Orleans' Wizard of Ahs, carve up the Spurs in the NBA playoffs.
Like the rest of the basketball-watching public, Hill was impressed.
“He's one of the greatest point guards in the league today,” Hill said. “He's quick; he's crafty with it. You have to respect his game.”
On Friday night at the AT&T Center, far removed from the comfortable distance of his living room, Hill found himself nose-to-chest with an All-Star point guard he'd previously known only from television.
What happened next was an encouraging sign for the Spurs. Their rookie point guard held his own.
Hill, the team's top choice in this year's draft, finished with 10 points in 24 minutes of the Spurs' 89-84 defeat. He made a pair of 3-pointers, doled out three assists, had a block and a steal and did a capable job of defending Paul.
More importantly, when pitted against the best the NBA has to offer and his position, Hill — a 6-foot-2 guard from a little-known college called IUPUI — looked as if he belonged.
“George has a good, quiet confidence about himself,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He's got a good demeanor on the court.”
Mike James had 18 points off the bench to lead the Hornets. Tyson Chandler had 14, six of them on dunks coming off assists from Paul, who had nine points and seven assists.
At times, with the alley-oops flying and the rims rattling, it seemed like May all over again.
Tim Duncan made his first preseason appearance, scoring 12 points in 18 minutes for the Spurs, and Tony Parker logged his second consecutive solid outing with 10 points in 16 minutes.
The storyline for the Spurs, however, was the 22-year-old vying for time as Parker's backup.
Before the game, Popovich unveiled his plan to throw Hill into the fire early. The coach was just curious to see how his rookie would react.
“He can watch Chris go by him,” Popovich said then, “and try to figure out what he can do about it.”
Thrust into the fray in the first quarter, Hill wasted little time showing he belongs in the middle of this budding Western Conference rivalry.
Fourteen seconds into his shift, Hill found himself between Paul and the basket, the shot-clock winding down. Using his long arms wisely, Hill forced Paul into an awkward 7-footer that missed.
Within the next three minutes, Hill would pester Paul into another miss, draw a foul on a hard drive to the hoop and bury an open 3-pointer.
Later, Hill flashed his tenacity, scrapping ably with New Orleans forward David West after being caught in a switch.
“I think Coach Pop is starting to figure out I like taking a challenge,” Hill said. “I'm not going to back down from anyone. Chris Paul's a great player, and I'm a rookie. But at the same time, it's just basketball.”
Officially, Hill had made his NBA preseason debut a night earlier in Houston. Friday was just the day he became an NBA player.
Hill's veteran teammates had little sympathy for the rookie's tough assignment.
“That's the NBA,” Michael Finley said. “His days of playing in college are over. He's a professional now.”
Hill wouldn't have it any other way. He'd much rather meet Paul on the court than watch him from his sofa.
“You can't live in the fan world,” Hill said. “It's a business now. It's my job.”
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s..._Hornets_.html
To all the naysayers out there, suck on that. Half the board gave up on this guy after the first Summer league game and now a few months later GHill is showing the potential that got him drafted in the first round. He may not be the second coming of TP, but he'll be a solid back up fo sho.
For those that have seen this kid now versus his time during SL, does he look the same offensively? Is he still struggling finishing at the rim? I would guess that it's too soon to expect any early returns from the limited work he's been doing with Chip.
Props to Hill.
No one had heard of him. He didn't seem to fit what we need most, a scoring wing, he didn't perform well, and then the FO actively pursues Pargo and Salim, and in the process they take forever to sign Hill to a deal. I'd say the Spurs themselves didn't make it seem like they had the most confidence either.
If he continues to do well I can't imagine any Spurs fan being against him. Our success demands one of the new guys to perform well.
Another home run by the Truth.
I admit to being one whose jaw dropped to the floor when the Spurs surprised the NBA world by selecting this guy that the average Spurs fan had never heard of. This selection was made even more peculiar in a draft that was stockpiled with some proven collegiate players that were falling the Spurs way. If the Spurs were hungry for a backup PG, I assumed Mario Chalmers would've been the pick. Instead, the Spurs reached to take this unknown kid.
It was nothing personal towards Hill. I was simply pissed that my boy, Nicolas Batum, was virtually stolen by the Blazers, courtesy of the Rockets. Yet another, humiliating "kick to the crotch" by our Texas neighbors.
The Spurs spent a lot of effort and energy talking Hill up, before they went on this wild PG-chasing spree during the summer. Of course, it made people wonder. However, if he develops steadily and if he can eventually supplant Vaughn as backup PG before the end of this season, I'd say that's a good start to his Spurs career.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 10-11-2008 at 12:01 PM.
DAYUM. Throw his ass in the fire, Pop. I like that. Make him earn his spot and learn it quickly.
Hill is a MAJOR upgrade from Vaughn at this point. before when Vaughn would come in he would play not to lose but never play to win.
He wouldnt make plays that help you win game but he wouldnt commit plays that would make you lose either. He was average at best and a typical spurs backup.
Hill will breathe life into the backup PG spot that weve never had. bring youth,athletecism, defense and scoring ability. I see a VERY bright future for him.
Hopefully he shows off his skills in every game, and Pop takes a chance and puts him in the primary back up position. I don't want Jaque to suit up once this year if at all possible.
I'm not going to say I'm sold on Hill because of his 3-9 shooting night against the Hornets. He's playing well so far, and that's great. He's doing well enough for the preseason.
Spurs fans aren't naysayers if they're being cautious about Hill and his abilities, they're just being fans. Personally I hope he turns out to be great for the team. The Spurs need some young blood that's worth a darn.
What a great pick up Hill is. Most importantly his defense is sharp and offense can always be improved. It is harder to improve defense so we are lucky it is innate.
Can't wait for the season to start.
Which hes always done with young players.
I was generally impressed with Hill last night. He did a great job on Paul and actually hit some good shots.
I was a bit underwhelmed with his passing ability at several times though. Most of his turnovers came off of simply horrible passes.
Still, I liked his play.
like I said in the other thread, Pop needs to throw him in, and stick with his decision..Hill is already easily an upgrade over Jacque right now, and he has the potential to grow even more..his defense is already above-average for an NBA player, which is great at the PG position..more importantly, he's quick and athletic..
this isn't summer league..preseason games have SOME meaning, since he's playing against starters, especially when he's playing against the best PG in the NBA..I'm not solely judging him on that though, but instead on his actual skills..he looks like he belongs..
I said in the off-season..we need 2 things this year to be legit contenders that scare other teams..we need Hill and Mahinmi to show that they belong in the NBA on an elite team..Hill looks like he can do it..will Ian?..
no... they were not being cautious.. many were throwing around the "bust" term.. sorry .. there were alot of little whiny, panicky es who have no idea what its like to transition to the NBA..
Looks like Hill will get the backup role, and JV the 3rd man, which gives us nice depth at the point. Pity the same can't be said about the swing positions.
Good thing you're around to tell us what that's like.
Some not as much as others. I liked that Pop called a timeout after Paul scored on the break to tell Hill what he did wrong and then left him in the game. When Pop gets into "put you on the bench to punish" mode, that means the clock is ticking.
good point by O_View..I think Pop sees A LOT in this kid and he's gonna have some patience with him..it won't be like the past..Pop seems to see a lot of potential and Hill, and George's work ethic seems to be top-notch, which will obviously help him earn respect..
It seems pretty clear that the Spurs are high on Hill (obviously as a first round draft pick he was pretty desirable to them). But their treatment of his is indicative of his potential in their eyes.
I'm not sure how much they like Hairston though. He was pretty much invisible during SL. He really did a very good Marcus Williams impersonation. And during college he was known as an underachiever. I'm not sure what they says of his worth ethic, but it doesn't seem to look good.
Darryl Watkins is another one known for being an underachiever and lacking in work ethic.
Although, I think all these guys could be good. We'll just have to see which ones rise to the challenge.
Hairston was kind of a reach because he's got loads of talent. If he can stay away from TC at 2 AM he can be an NBA player.
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