<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Being at the NBA Finals as a television analyst has made Grant Hill only more determined to finish his playing career competing for a championship. Hill, 34, will become free agent July 1 after spending the past seven seasons with the Orlando Magic. He said Wednesday from Cleveland that any earlier thoughts of possible retirement have ended, and that he wants to explore his options this summer before deciding where he will play next season. "I love it here at the Finals. It makes me want to play in the Finals. Being in this situation is what you should play for,'' Hill said. "It's a real motivating factor right now. It's the goal of every player to reach this point. That's what I want.'' During a radio interview earlier in the day, he was asked about the possibility of playing in either Phoenix or San Antonio next season, and he fueled the speculation that he was ready to leave the Magic. "In my head, nothing really has changed. I'm just going to do what any free agent does, listen to what's out there,'' he said. "And I don't know what that will be at this point. What was said (on the radio) might have come out wrong. I could be back (in Orlando). It is going to be my 'home.' |'' Hill spoke at length by phone last week with new Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy and said he liked what he heard. More than one person in the Magic organization believes that the change from Brian Hill to Van Gundy -- and not Billy Donovan -- has increased the chances of Grant Hill returning. "The Magic got the right coach,'' Hill said Wednesday. "It's a good fit. He is very impressive. I hope to sit down with him after the Finals to get a better feel for what he's thinking. I like what I have heard so far.'' Although Hill spent the majority of his Magic career on the injured list recovering from five surgeries to his left ankle, he stayed relatively healthy last season, appearing in 65 games and averaging 14.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. He is far from the all-star-caliber player he once was with the Detroit Pistons, but he remains good enough to be a valuable role player on a contender in the Eastern Conference. The Magic, though, didn't look like a contender last season, winning 40 games and getting swept in the first round of the playoffs. "My whole thing is that I don't want to be an M.L. Carr (waving a towel as a cheerleader from the sideline on a championship team), playing 5-10 minutes a game,'' he said. "I still want to play. I have something left in my tank.'' Van Gundy said Wednesday that he would welcome having Hill back on the Magic, but his role would depend upon what other moves the team made. "That decisions rests in his hands,'' Van Gundy said. "I have an unbelievable amount of respect for Grant as a player and as a person. He obviously would be a great addition to any team in this league. Would I like to have him? Absolutely, but he has a lot of things to think about.''</div> Source" Orlando Sentinel Also, apparently on PTI today, Kornheiser said that Grant Hill wants to go to Phoenix. It all stills seems up in the air at this point but that seems to be the latest rumor. Iunderstand why he wants to go there (to play with Nash and Amare and try to win a championship) but if he does indeed go to the Suns I'll be very upset and lose all respect for Grant.
How can you blame the guy. The once phenomonal player compared to Michael Jordan had his career plummit due to injuries. He was once one of the most hated players in the Magic Organization because he never played but was paid handsomely. I usually hate when players do this.(In all sports) ButI mean Grant actually has a chance to start for the Suns if he goes there. So go ahead, lets get rid of him and that draft pick. We'll be better off. imo.
<div class="quote_poster">VinsanityVC15 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I remmeber a couple years back him saying he owes the organization so much. What happened to that?</div> Age and oppertunity happend to that, I mean honestly how many more years does he have to wait around for Orlando to seriously contend...................Unfotunatly not enough
That'd be a crappy move by Grant if he does go to a different team. He'd probably get booed at the Magic games.
It's not Hill's fault that our front office was brain dead at the time. Let's not forget that Hill was going to sign with us as a free agent anyway, and the severity of his injury was well known to the front office and our medical staff. AND we gave up Ben Wallace Edit: He could've restructured, but we were the only Greenhorns who were willing to gamble on that size of a contract on him, and we lost.
Rumor Mill Has Hill Considering Spurs <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Broadcast and published reports say that Grant Hill is considering signing with the San Antonio Spurs next month. Or the Phoenix Suns. Or the Detroit Pistons. The Raptors in Toronto? Well, maybe ... The 34-year-old is a free agent as of July 1, when his seven-year, $92 million contract with the Orlando Magic expires, and he reportedly told ESPN radio on Wednesday, during an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, that if pressed, he would prefer the Suns’ run-and-gun style over the less flashy approach favored by the newly crowned NBA champion Spurs. Hill got a chance to see San Antonio up close during the NBA Finals, working as an analyst for ABC television. In a report in the East Valley Tribune, an Arizona paper near Phoenix, Hill said the Suns will be one of the teams he will talk to when he officially becomes a free agent. “Best suit my style? Phoenix, and I think both teams are the two best teams in the league,” Hill reportedly said during the radio interview. “But if you want an answer, I’ll say Phoenix. ... Suiting my style would be an adjustment (with the Spurs).” Any focus on Hill has been blurred by rumors that the Suns are considering a deal to send Shawn Marion to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett and the drama that is the Kobe Bryant situation in Los Angeles. Of course, published reports have Hill, who will turn 35 in October, considering the Raptors — his wife Tamia, is Canadian — and saying that he also would consider a return to Detroit, where he played the first six years of his career. A seven-time All-Star, a rash of injuries derailed what seemed a career on the express route to the Hall of Fame. Hill missed 282 regular-season games in his first six years with the Magic. This season, however, he played 65 games and averaged 14.4 points per game.</div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">CLos Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The Spurs always get these hungry vets.</div> They're the Patriots of Basketball. I hate when hungry Vets do it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">No, all fantasy trades involving Kevin Garnett are now exhausted. He?s not coming. This time, the target is Grant Hill. Hill, who turns 35 in October, is coming off a seven-year, $93 million contract with Orlando but has never been on a team that has advanced past the first round of the playoffs in his 13-year NBA career. The Suns will try to sell Hill on the lovely weather, team chemistry, relaxed practices and friendly atmosphere, but will have only a veteran?s minimum contract to put on the table ($1.2 million, $770,610 which would count against the cap). Other teams can offer a lot more money (Toronto, Orlando) while others can offer more than the Suns and offer a similar or better chance at success (Detroit, San Antonio). Hill has let Phoenix know for years he was interested in playing here. Sources confirm he was in the Valley last weekend, although both sides swear there was no contact between player and team. When asked if he felt the Suns or the Spurs were a better fit, Hill told ESPN radio he?d choose the Suns.</div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">CLos Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah Grant Hill running the fast break. LMFAO With his bad ankles.</div> He feels more comfortable running the break then being in a halfcourt set, just look at us last year. He was the only one that really got out on a break for us.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">NEW YORK - Grant Hill, who was in New York Thursday for an NBA symposium for players about to be drafted, sounded optimistic about his chances of returning to the Orlando Magic. Hill is about to become an unrestricted free agent and he will be free to negotiate with other NBA teams on July 1. Hill just concluded the seven-year, $92.88 million deal he signed with the Magic in 2000. Much of that time was marred by ankle and abdomen injuries, but Hill did make it through this past season healthy. Hill said he's had extensive talks with new Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, and those meetings have helped enhance his desire to return to Orlando. Playing time and role on the team are extremely important to Hill, 34, who still thinks he can be a major contributor. "(Van Gundy) feels the same way about me as I do, and that's a very good thing," Hill said with a big smile. "He still thinks I can play, and so do I."</div> Link
