Grant Hill’s next stop: Atlanta
The NBA’s worst-kept summer secret will be the Phoenix Suns’ attempt at rebuilding. As I’ve said before, there doesn’t need to be a complete overhaul, but making Amar’e the centerpiece, finding Steve Nash‘s eventual replacement, and exploring a Shaq trade would be the obvious first three steps.
When that rebuilding process starts, will there be any room for Grant Hill? Arguably the Suns’ most consistent player down the stretch (17 ppg in April) and one of their dependable crunch-time scorers (his mid-range J has been automatic lately), Hill is averaging 11.8 points on 52 percent shooting and 4.9 boards, and is on his way to playing a full 82-game slate (at just under 30 minutes a night) for the first time in his career.
Hill, who made $1.9 million this year, will be an unrestricted free agent. At 36 years old he’s obviously looking for a ring — or at least to make it past the first round for once — but at the same time, told the Arizona Republic he likes his situation in Phoenix:
“It depends on what the goals and objectives are,” said Hill, still looking to advance in the playoffs for the first time in his career. “I think we can still be competitive in the West. My gut tells me they want to continue to compete in the West. I get the feeling they want me back and I want to be back.”
If Hill tests the market, how many teams will be taking a serious look at him? While he’s proven he can stay healthy, no one knows whether his newfound durability is simply a result of Phoenix’s now-famous medical staff, who have been able to work magic that other franchises somehow can’t. Going to another team with another medical staff, no one would be surprised to see Hill start missing chunks of the schedule again.
Hill is one of those guys who just loves to play, who doesn’t need to be a star or even a starter, and who can help any team he ends up on. But if the right situation doesn’t present itself — he’s not gonna waste his time playing for Sacramento, Golden State or even a fringe playoff team like New Jersey — Hill might consider retiring.
But I don’t think he will. Looking at the contenders and almost-contenders out there, I think one team would be a perfect fit: Atlanta.
The only true small forward on the Hawks’ roster is Marvin Williams, but he’ll be a restricted free agent, and the fact that ATL didn’t step up and sign him to an extension when they had the chance shows they may not be too sold on him. Hill would provide some (inexpensive) veteran leadership for a young team, he’d get quality minutes on a playoff team, and he wouldn’t be asked to do too much with Joe Johnson and Josh Smith carrying the load.
He’d also be right next to the NBA TV and TNT studios, and it’s a stone-cold lock that Grant Hill is going to transition into an on-air TV career the minute his playing days are over.
Is there room for Grant Hill on your team next year?
-->
April 9th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Blue says:
there’s a perfect place in Miami just for Grant Hill! but yeah, i don’t know what it is in the Arizona air, but their medical staff is making miracles happen. we’ll see if shaq and hill can hold up on other teams the way they have with the Suns
April 9th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
yoda says:
lakers would be great fit for him, especially if L.O. goes away/lal don’t sign him up. Grant is one of smartest players in last 15-20 years, and i think that he would fit in nicely in triangle offense. he could be great back up for ariza, even more so if lakers trade luke walton.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
K Dizzle says:
Lakers could use G Hill cuz we probably losin Ariza or Odom
April 9th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
C’mon, Atlanta? No way…West contenders only, please. LA will cop both him and Artest next season, stamp it.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
kdog says:
There’s always a place for G Hill back in Detroit. We’ve needed a quality backup SF for years now and Hill would fit perfectly.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Patrick says:
no reason for the real contenders not to step up and offer him the veteran’s minimum. only team’s that might not want him are portland and orlando.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
AY says:
he goes to atlanta as the josh childress replacement to get knocked out in the first round again? Why? Nuggets can use someone like him.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
NYCBalla says:
ATL or UT would be a perfect fit. But I can’t see him either place. Although I would love to see him roll with D-Will, Booze, Brewer, and Okur. That would be a very fundamentally sound group that could do some damamge.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Rizwan says:
There is always a space for Grant Hill at Phoenix. If I was GM, I’m keeping him depsite as a fan I want him to get a ring because he deserves it. If they get rid of Shaq and possibly Nash via sign-and-trade, they don’t wanna be a team without any vets on. I wouldnt want to put Amare in charge of that franchise. Hopefully, next year this stuff happens for Phoenix.
Trade Shaq – for who I dont know yet but not for Dampier and Stack.
Sign Nash again because we’d lose more money not signing him. I would probably keep him because, he would be back to his game for a full year and also he’s been too good to the franchise.
Trade J-Rich to someone but I dont think there’s a willing partner for an overpaid SG looking to live behind the 3 point line. Any suggestions?
Keep the pick – Earl Clark would be a good fit for his defense and ability to play a few positions.
Look at Ramon Sessions if Nash is gone.
Team:
Nash
Barbosa/J-Rich if not traded
Hill
Amare
R-Lopez
bench
Clark
Amundson
Dragic
Dudley
Barbosa
anything we get for Shaq/J-Rich
April 9th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Michorizo says:
Room for Grant on my team? Hell Yeah…I’ll slide Enrique over to his more natural position, power forward. Then my line-up will look like this
PG – Jose
SG – me
SF – G. Hill
PF – Enrique
C – Salvador
April 9th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Gerard says:
San Antonio makes the most sense to me. Great system/coaching/focus.
He could make his way back to the D if they are in a position to contend.
Gut says he’ll stick with Phx
April 9th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Diego says:
If Grant is smart, Atlanta might not be a bad move at all–although certainly the poor Hawks owners won’t pay more than the minimum. In the East, Boston is growing old fast, Miami is limited, Detroit is done. It’s just the Magic and the Lebronionaires who stand out now in the next few years. Atlanta (and Philly) will be right behind them if things go well.
Yeah, boy! Thanks AB for acknowledging J. Smoove is not a true small forward. But I must admit his shooting (including from 3) has just been on FIRE the last 3-4 games.
I agree with Kermit that LA seems a good likelihood–or perhaps Detroit. But Detroit is now much farther from snagging a title than Atlanta.
Certainly don’t bank on the Hawks’ medical crew–”Speedy” Claxton has been hobbling around in street clothes cashing paychecks for years now!
April 9th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Big Island says:
Back up Ariza?!?! How high are you Yoda? He would start over Ariza.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
srb says:
Logging some SG/SF minutes in Boston isn’t a bad idea
April 9th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Heckler...formerly 'yallallreadyknow' says:
NO!
Hells no!! Grant Hill is a puss. a punk ass bitch! I used to be a fan of his, then he shitted on the magic (after they gave him $92 mil) and he aint play for like 5yrs! (2000-2005)!
he claimed a bum ankle (ankle!) for 5 seasons! c’mon, grant? an ankle? 5 seasons?…are you serious? now…we all know there are only two injuries serious enough to keep players out for seasons at a time (knee and back). anything else is pure player bull shit. no one needs to sit out multiple seasons for a bad ankle.
Hill has become a bitch in my eyes for that. and all of a sudden, he started to play in his final (contract) season in orlando(65 games in 06; but only 135 games from 2000-2005; an average of only 27 games per season). and they were a playoff team in 2006! swept by detroit in the 1st round.
and did Grant Hill re-sign? after the Magic supported him and backed him and gave him players (tmac, steve francis, dwight, jameer etc)…NO!
his bitch ass bailed on them. why leave a playoff team with a young nucleus that invested nearly $100mil in you? but he did anyway. and went to punk ass phoenix. and all of a sudden in phoenix, Hill was playing 32+ minutes a game.
where was that in orlando? all of a suddent he just recovered from a bad ankle and could play run-n-gun but couldnt do shit for the Magic in 5yrs?
C’mon. that is the height of “bitchassness”!
he’s a good person. a good man. a trusting face. but dont let his ass off the hook. dont give him excuses. yall wouldnt be mad if he fucked your sisters. or your daughters. or your wives. or your mothers. but dont let his ass off the hook for the way he treated the orlando organization after all they did for him.
NO WAY DO I WANT A PUNK ASS BITCH PUSS like grant hill on my team.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
LakeShow84 says:
^Your new writer!!!!^
just do Grant Hill pieces lol
April 9th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Sanpitch says:
like post 8 said
UTAH!! that would be a great fit. jazz need veteran leadership and someone that can step up in the clutch besides williams.
that would be a hell of a lineup: williams, brewer, hill, boozer/millsap, okur.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
AY says:
I agree with post 15, you really can’t let Grant off the hook for leaving the magic after the 92 million no show. However, i disagree with the first point that his bum ankle was something he could’ve played through. Someone check the numbers, but i believe he had an ankle surgery each time after a failed comeback, which would be 4, with one of which being:
“In March 2003, Hill underwent a major surgical procedure in which doctors re-fractured his ankle and realigned it with his leg bone. Five days after the surgery was performed, the unexpected happened: Hill developed a 104.5 °F (40.3 °C) fever and convulsions. He was immediately rushed to a hospital. Doctors removed the splint around his ankle and discovered that Hill had developed a staph infection, from which he nearly died. He was hospitalized for a week and had to take intravenous antibiotics for six months.”
I don’t think he was just faking it with the ankle.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
LakeShow84 says:
He wont leave Phoenix.. he already tried the whole “sign with a contender” thing.. it would be embarassing for an icon like him to try it twice.. shit he should signed with San Antonio when he had the chance.. that couldve pushed them past us last year and they sure could use him this year.. which is why i say next year he signs San Antonio..
but his best bet would be with us..
(hopefully) Odom will leave and we can get a CONSISTENT SF.. i would welcome the man because he is CONSISTENT.. Odom is INCONSISTENT and disappears half the time.. for christs sake hit both ur FT’s LO!!
April 9th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Celts Fan says:
Come to Boston so we have a backup 3 taller þhan 6 4
April 9th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
IMO Josh Smith is a Small Foward.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Flying_Aussie_Dutchman says:
OBVIOULSY if his playing for a ring: LA, Boston, Cleveland, Magic (lol wont happen tho)
April 10th, 2009 at 1:56 am
hadoken says:
atlanta and grant hill? i doubt it but he is 6-8 so i guess that’s a match made in heaven.
April 10th, 2009 at 2:38 am
dagwaller says:
This article is a reeeeal stretch. 30 out of 30 teams in the NBA would want Grant Hill, especially at bargain prices. This is a guy that’s decidedly better than James Posey, who was supposedly “the difference maker” for a championship team last year, and whose departure took them down a notch in many’s eyes.
Would he be a good fit in Atlanta? Sure. He’d also fit, for example, in San Antonio. Or Phoenix, where he’s already said he’d RATHER play.
April 10th, 2009 at 5:46 am
QQ says:
It would reall be ironic, but I hope G.Hill (my favorite player of all time, seriously) will go back to Orlando.
HOLLA!
April 10th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Pishenis says:
Grant Hill would be a great fit in San Antonio. Parker-Mason-Hill-Gooden-Duncan with Manu as a 6th man is a fantastic team if everybody gets healthy.
LOL @ post 10!!!!
April 10th, 2009 at 8:46 am
LayupDrill says:
Good post. I was thinking about this a week ago, and saw Hill headed to Utah or San Antonio myself.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Eriberto says:
Grant Hill should go to Portland
April 10th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Elev8UrMind says:
If its not a ‘chip he’s looking for, then the best fit would be OKC. Those young cats are one vet away from being a really good team. They need veteran leadership to show them how to win close games. How many one point losses have they endured this year? Imagine OKC with an old school vet. Someone who can show them the small details in winning games.
April 10th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
smoove chips says:
great move for atl.wtf is phoenix thinking.give away the one guy who plays like he gives a crap.whose also on the upswing all thing considered.That’s a hollow victory.Like trading kidd for Harris and it’ll come to bite em real soon.At least they weren’t stupid enough to trade him to the same conference, but still….
April 13th, 2009 at 12:56 am
bookkwormmaster says:
As a Hawks fan I would love nothing more than for Grant Hill to join the Hawks. We are a team LACKING SERIOUS DEPTH (as we really only use a 7 man rotation with only Flip Murray and Zaza Pachulia coming off the bench) and could use a player of Hill’s caliber to bolster the overall play and I.Q. of that team.
However I think if he dooesnt stay with Phx then the two best fits for him would be San Antonio and Utah.