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it's Marcelo Nicola
Spurs betting on Hill
Jeff McDonald
LAS VEGAS — Spurs guard George Hill can sum up memories of his first trip to Sin City in two horrific words.
“Shooting slump,” he said. “That's the biggest thing I remember.”
As a rookie a year ago, Hill strode into his first NBA summer league with high hopes and a high roller's confidence. He left like so many other Las Vegas losers, the des ute victim of his own bad luck.
After Hill went 2 of 25 from the floor in three games, the buzz among the basketball glitterati gathered in the desert was palpable: The Spurs had already crapped out on their first-round draft pick.
Somehow, Hill survived his first bout of professional failure. He wound up turning in a solid if unspectacular rookie season, proving himself at least to be a credible NBA player.
Today, Hill is back in Vegas for the start of his second summer league. He returns to the scene of his 23 missed field goals with something new to prove.
Now, he must show the world — starting with the Spurs — that he can be a credible NBA point guard.
“We're going to say, ‘Hey, show us you can play the point,” said Spurs assistant coach Don Newman, who will guide the summer-league squad. “‘Show us you can be the backup guard to Tony Parker.'”
Hill's progress will be an essential storyline of summer league, which for the Spurs' entry begins today against a group from New Orleans.
For much of last season, backup point guard was a sore spot for the Spurs, who toggled through a conga line of unsatisfactory options.
They are hoping Hill, now on the cusp of his second pro season, will be the answer. The job is his to win or lose.
The Spurs do not plan to bring back veteran Jacque Vaughn, nor have they made much of an attempt to secure another point guard through free agency.
“He's going to have every right to earn that position,” Newman said. “I think he'll do it.”
Last season was very much a trial-by-fire for Hill, who not only had to adjust to life in the NBA but had to learn a new position on the fly.
Hill, 6-foot-2, had never played point guard before he showed up in San Antonio last season, selected with the No. 26 overall pick out of little-known Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis.
He acquitted himself well early in the season.
Injuries decimated the Spurs' backcourt, and Hill found himself a starting point guard six games into his pro career. He scored in double figures in 17 of his first 20 games, including a trio of 20-point performances.
In that, he proved one point. Vegas was a fluke.
“He showed us he has a bright future in this league,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Eventually, Hill's shooting yips caught up with him again, as did the grind of an 82-game season.
He shot 40.3 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from the 3-point line, numbers that have earned him an offseason date with shooting coach Chip Engelland.
By the time the playoffs rolled around, Hill had largely fallen out of the rotation, as Popovich opted to give point-guard playing time to more experienced hands.
“(Point guard) is the hardest position you can ever learn in the NBA,” said Hill, who averaged 5.7 points last season. “Especially coming from a small school and always playing the ‘two' (shooting guard) my whole life. It was a lot to digest.”
This week in Vegas, Hill will have plenty of chances to showcase all he has learned in the past 12 months.
The Spurs will hand him the ball and let him run their summer-league team, sink or swim. It will be, quite literally, the Summer of George.
As Hill returns to the site of his first professional flop, this time with 81 games of NBA experience under his belt, he will not have to fight hard against the urge to say, “I told you so.”
Before he can erase memories of a bad Vegas trip, Hill still has a point to prove.
“People are going to like you, or they're going to hate you,” Hill said. “That's life. I'm just going to control what I can control. All I know is, I can work hard to be the player they want me to be.”
Las Vegas summer league
At a glance
What: Spurs’ youngsters play five games in eight days
When: Today through July 19
Players to watch: Second-year guard George Hill, forward James Gist (2008 draft pick), center Ian Mahinmi and recent draft picks forward DeJuan Blair and guard Jack McClinton
Spurs’ summer-league roster
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. DOB From Yrs.
1 Malik Hairston G 6-6 215 2/23/87 Oregon 1
3 George Hill G 6-2 190 5/4/86 IUPUI 1
10 James Gist F 6-9 235 10/26/86 Maryland R
14 Donnell Taylor G 6-5 193 7/26/82 UAB 2
16 Carldell Johnson G 5-10 180 1/28/83 UAB R
17 Antonio Anderson G 6-6 215 6/5/85 Memphis R
18 Eric Dawson F/C 6-9 235 7/7/84 Midwestern St. R
19 Marcus Vinicius F 6-9 235 5/31/84 Brazil 2
23 Romel Beck G/F 6-7 185 5/29/82 UNLV R
28 Ian Mahinmi C 6-11 250 11/5/86 France 1
33 Jack McClinton G 6-1 185 1/19/85 Miami (Fla.) R
35 Alonzo Gee G 6-6 219 5/29/87 Alabama R
45 DeJuan Blair F 6-7 265 4/22/89 Pittsburgh R
Head coach: Don Newman
Assistant coaches: James Borrego, Patrick Spurgin, Quin Snyder, Marcelo Nikola, Darryl Hardy, Darko Rajakovic, Henry Duque
Trainer: Nixon Dorvilien, Daisuke Yamaguchi
Summer schedule
Date Opponent Location Time
Sunday - New Orleans, Cox Pavilion, 3 p.m.
Tuesday - Denver, Cox Pavilion, 9 p.m.
Thursday - Oklahoma City, Thomas & Mack Center, 7:30 p.m.
July 18 - Portland, Thomas & Mack Center, 9:30 p.m.
July 19 - Memphis, Cox Pavilion, 7 p.m.
Last edited by duncan228; 07-11-2009 at 11:51 PM.
it's Marcelo Nicola
hill is being shown alot of confidence right now from the spurs
a lot of argentinian posters (and some from spain and italy) are gonna be surprised
i believe the kid can play and god willing will be the backup pg this season
Hill got this . He made Pop look stupid in the Dallas series.
Who is this guy? Is he a great coach?
At least it means the Spurs are really looking to another solution to the backup PG issue than "give it to Mason"... and I'm quite pleased with that.
Shouldn't the results of playing Hill at back up point in the Mavs series have already been the solution to the equation?
I don't.
The best news for Hill is that the Spurs past on signing Pargo. They wanted him last summer and he just signed with the Bulls for the LLE for one season. The Spurs could have given Pargo more money if they had any doubts that Hill could do the job.
Hopefully Hill is ready to end any speculation about whether he's the man for the job.
Gist is 6 foot 9? I thought he was shorter? Good height for a PF. GET HIM HERE NEXT YEAR, we are complete then IMO up front.
Are you always this much of a jackass? Haven't seen a nice word come out of you since I've been here.
People keep forgetting Hill logged 33 minutes in the last Dallas playoff game.
This is encouraging.
I wonder though, what will happen of McClinton makes the team; would we see a Hill/McClinton backcourt? Potentially, solid backups (if McClinton lives up to the hype), if a bit undersized. Though, if I remember Hill on defense he plays bigger than his size.
was a very good basketball player (power forward drafted by the rockets but he never played in the nba)
now retired, he was invited as an a.coach for the SL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo_Nicola
I didn't. I wish he logged as much in the prior 4 games.
Having Quin Snyder gives me a little more confidence in the coaching strategy. I was afraid that Newman would create those odd lineups and subs utions again like the last year he was head coach. Snyder, being a D-League coach, knows how to handle minutes among players who are trying their best to display their talent and make it to the NBA.
Thought the same thing when I saw the Pargo signing.
That, combined with R.C. stating the backup point wasn't a high priority and making known that Hill or McClinton would be vying for the role, has to be good news for the young fella's. I mean, normally, I wouldn't put all that much stock in a statement like that made by Pop or R.C. but they've been downright forthright, when discussing their objectives as of late.
The Spurs do not plan to bring back veteran Jacque Vaughn
You mean Pop Pushed him off the rotation cliff when he got jumpy about playing a rookie. McDonald and his selective memory euphemisms...
Pop is fully culpable for Hill's demise in the last 3 months of the season - the kid should have been playing, especially once Manu went out for good, but Pop sat on his hands due to his Benophobia. I am a Pop fan, but he should be called out when he s up, and he ed up in the way he used Hill last year. I really hope he has more courage and plays his youngsters this year, or we are not going to move forward.
Last edited by RuffnReadyOzStyle; 07-12-2009 at 03:02 AM.
why is this guy saying Hill has to earn the backup point slot? what more does he have to do? i think he very clearly won that job last year. this should be a no-brainer. i hope popovich doesn't around and pull some cute like he did last season.
george hill should be the backup point.
Yeah, because he ing blew everybody away with his 25% shooting in summer league and 40% shooting from the field during the reg season (while mostly in garbage time too.)
He sure impressed with his defense, for a rookie.
maybe you should try watching basketball instead of quoting stats. who gives a what his summer league stats were last year? he was one of the only spurs who actually played with any guts during the asswhipping imposed by the mavs. i assume you didn't watch that series. meanwhile, pussies like bonner, finley, mason, vaughn shriveled up and died.
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