Where is George Hill?

[Dex]

I think we saw the the ceiling for Hill, at least in the Spurs program. He was never going to become a Parker/Ginobili-caliber guard. He had flashes of greatness (like the Dallas series), but that's exactly what they were: flashes. Other than that, he was a mid-level talent who was overrated on defense, and couldn't consistently perform at a high level.

He may be able to put up bigger stats in a system where he is highlighted as a main weapon and playing bigger minutes, but as long as he is behind Tim/Tony/Manu, he was never going to be a star for the Spurs.

[DPG21920]

I'm sad to see Hill go. I agree with some assessments (his upside was limited, he was going to command decent money...), however I always disagree when people are in love with only upside. Even though I don't think Hill has upside to be a star, no 5M per year players really are (not rookie types on rookie contracts, I'm talking FA's that command the MLE and no more). Hill is a very solid player with flashes of brilliance and that is what you get with MLE players. , some don't even give you that. I just think that Hill is a very solid rotational player that can do a few things well. He has his shortcomings of course, but I believe he can be a rotational player for a le team and be productive. He's not going to be a star, but I think he will do just fine and I thought he was a very solid young player for the Spurs. Obviously, the Spurs can replace the production (in theory by all accounts) so I agree the move was a smart one because even if Leonard is a bust, you didn't give up THAT much, but Leonards upside is greater and he fills a rare void potentially.

[mingus]

the flashes of greatness shown by george were really somehwat of a gimmick. he was overlooked by defenses most of the time, and had plenty of great games against bad defenses. a lot like Leandro Barbosa was for the Suns in that respect.

[SenorSpur]

I think we saw the the ceiling for Hill, at least in the Spurs program. He was never going to become a Parker/Ginobili-caliber guard. He had flashes of greatness (like the Dallas series), but that's exactly what they were: flashes. Other than that, he was a mid-level talent who was overrated on defense, and couldn't consistently perform at a high level.

He may be able to put up bigger stats in a system where he is highlighted as a main weapon and playing bigger minutes, but as long as he is behind Tim/Tony/Manu, he was never going to be a star for the Spurs.

^ This

Like everyone else, I liked Hill too - both on and off the court. I appreciated his accomplishments. I do believe, however, that he was overrated as a defender by Pop and by many Spurs fans. Like Dex stated, it was clear he had maxed out. The fact is he was simply a luxury on this team and he needed to go somewhere else where he could become a bonafide starter.

After all, had the Blazers/Rockets not conspired to swipe Nic Batum one pick ahead of the Spurs in that 2008 draft, then Hill would've never been a Spur in the first place.

Because the Spurs have been SF poor for a few years, I'm pleased at the way RC flipped Hill, as an asset, in exchange Kawai and some other possible young players.