Magic Players: Hill,Vasquez,Gortat...
Grant Hill to keep playing, weighs options:
He likes Stan Van Gundy but could leave for a contender such as one out West.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 a 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,'' he 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 was in Detroit, 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.''"That decision 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.''Tim Povtak can be reached at tpovtak@orlandosentinel.com.
He likes Stan Van Gundy but could leave for a contender such as one out West.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 a 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,'' he 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 was in Detroit, 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.''"That decision 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.''Tim Povtak can be reached at tpovtak@orlandosentinel.com.
posted by Big Figure @ 10:40 AM
25 Comments:
At 11:01 AM,
Big Figure said…
Whats gonna happen with grant hill? Will something finally happen with Vasquez? Will Gortat be good enough to make the roster this year and not just the summer league team? There's plenty to talk about until the draft in two weeks...Let's get it on!
At 2:56 PM,
WeRDevos said…
Why is T.Mac always ripped for never making it out of the first round and Hill isn't? I remember when he came in the league he was gonna be the next Jordan, now he's running his mouth about joining a contender so he can get a championship? Please Hill, retire and let the memory of your failed career fade away quietly. His seven years in Orlando is too much of a festering sore.
At 6:04 PM,
OVERWADED said…
As I did before, I still think it's time for Grant Hill to move on. I know he can still play from time to time, which is why I was calling for him to be a bench player this last season. But we really don't have a place for him. Even if we don't land a free agent, we still have Hedo and Ariza that play Grant's position. I never want to see Grant played as a shooting guard ever again.
As for Grant never making it out of the first round; he used to get crap for that back in Detroit. But then he came to Orlando, and crippled our franchise for 7 years with his injuries and massive contract. In turn, he pretty much made everyone forget about his playing days, because his lack of playing and making 16 million a year for it was always the story.
Vasquez? When was the last time I heard that guy’s name? It'd be really nice if we could get that douche bag to show up finally. However, I picture him staying overseas for a long time. He'll probably come over here on the down side of his career. He's another sore spot for the franchise, and they should probably trade the rights to him to erase the reminder that will always be there as long as he's not playing for the Magic.
At 7:14 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
I have too much respect for Grant Hill to say anything negative about him because of all the years of surgery and tough rehab he went through with his ankle, so he could play again for the Magic, when he could have easily just shut it down and retired and collected his salary.
If he does return to the Magic, I'm sure it will be as a role player off the bench, and also as a mentor for the younger players; I believe he could still be a positive influence for the Magic. Apparently, Stan Van Gundy thinks so, too.
However, if he decides to move on to a team that's closer to winning a championship, I would wish Grant nothing but the best. A class act like that deserves no less.
As far as Fran Vasquez goes, I don't expect him to join the Magic (if at all) for the next few seasons.
I'm not too familiar with Gortat... I'll have to see how he does in the summer league to see if he can help the Magic this coming season.
At 7:37 AM,
Matt said…
Hill bashing time is over. We did that to the Hill that we wanted out. Grant has been one of the most consistent and productive players of the team despite some injuries, and finished the season. In a fast paced offense he could be an asset, and I am all for signing him at a veteran minimum salary. I bid you a lot of teams would love to have him for even more salary.
At 8:21 AM,
WeRDevos said…
Hill was quoted on PTI last night as wanting to go to Phoenix. This idea you guys have that he "owes" the Magic something for his horrible contract here is not shared by Hill.
As for bashing the other Hill. ESPN called the Cav's Brown the worst finals coach since Hill. And here I thought the national press never paid attention to Orlando.
At 12:31 PM,
OVERWADED said…
I actually don't think I bashed Hill with my comments.
But this brings up a question. I'm pretty sure most, if not all of you would like to sign Rashard Lewis. If we sign Lewis, we'd have Hedo (current starter), Ariza (a lot of people think should be a starter), Grant (who is quoted he still wants to play big minutes), and Lewis.
Let's just say we traded Hedo to make the deal work salary wise. We'd still have 3 small forwards, all expecting to play starter minutes.
At 3:32 PM,
Ken said…
Grant Hill has every right to go play for whoever he wishes. Thats true he doesn't owe the Magic a thing. He stayed and honored his contract and did everything that was asked of him while he was under that contract. However, I personally don't think much of players who, on the downside of their career, start team hopping in search of a trophy. Catching a ride as a part time player for a team that you think has the potential to make the Finals just to get that championship ring, just seems insincere and cheesy to me. It eventually worked for Gary Payton, but he had to follow Shaq to Miami to finally win one. Grant will always be remembered as a great player and a class act, but hitching rides at the end, to me, anyway, just seems like taking the easy way out.
At 4:52 PM,
Big Figure said…
In my opinion the magic need to let grant chase a championship. Grant was part of an idea that gabriel had way back when to pair him with t-mac and have a great perimeter,but now that we know the results,why hang on to grant and that old idea? The magic need to move forward and so does grant,he was playing out of position and hopefully SVG will correct that flaw with our team and let JJ and keith fight for that position,we're deep at the small-forward which makes grant expandable. This is the summer to cut all of our dead weight and become a good young basketball team from top to bottom for the first time in our history. I would like to see grant replaced with RLewis,Pat replaced with Gortat,Bo replaced with a second round pick,and travis replaced with a second round pick,evevrybody else on the roster should be able to make the team. I think grant's done here unless hedo gets traded.
At 4:52 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Grant Hill will be remembered as a "class act". He'll be remembered as a great example. He'll be remembered as a great college player. He'll be remembered as an all-star who couldn't get out of the 1st round in Detroit. And he'll be remembered as a 90 million dollar contract bust, injury plagued player, and it taking him till his 7th year to actually finish a season with the Magic. He's great in many ways, but the greatness on the court ended before he reached Orlando.
As far as who owes who; nobody owes anyone anything. He can stay or go. All I hope is that if he stays, he finally takes a role off the bench. If he goes, good luck. However, either way, his starting days are likely over.
I'm a little like Ken, I lose respect for guys who start chasing rings and start team hopping. Payton actually followed Shaq to LA (lost to Detroit in the Finals), and continued to follow Shaq to Miami. The Glove used to be one of my favorite players to watch. It didn't get much better than Kemp and Payton playing together. But players need to learn when to call it quits. He's been an embarrassment for a few years now. He doesn't even slightly resemble the player he once was, and it always bothers me seeing that happen.
Maybe that's one of the biggest reasons I dislike the Miami Heat. They have so many players were once great, and now, they're washed up and still trying to play. Hopefully Jones, Payton, Zo, and Walker will all hang it up soon; and Shaq should follow shortly after.
At 4:53 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Or I could have just said I agree with BIG...
At 10:16 PM,
Big Figure said…
The day we drafted dwight is the same day that grant's value to this team on the floor dropped,we're an inside outside tean now,and if you look at all the inside outside teams in the playoffs,they all had three point shooting around their post up big man. Basically grant and trevor cant survive together on this team without either having a three point shot,one has to go,we can deal with a non three point shooter coming off the bench but not as a starter,so i would go with youth. Like i said before,if hedo is traded then maybe there's room for grant in a reserve role,but nothing more.
At 11:05 AM,
Big Figure said…
Also i'd like to see something happen on the vasquez front,trade his rights or convince him to finally come over,either or. And after watching our summer league team last year with gortat and augustine playing the four and five,i was SUPER shocked when gortat wasnt on the active roster. Gortat at 6ft11 has good size and weight and he rebounded really well,thats the type of player that can steal minutes and give dwight some rest during the season. Playing at a new tempo will help him get easy offensive baskets also,i wonder if bsh had anything to do with gortat not being on the roster? We'll see. If gortat is on the roster this year,that will almost speak volumes about whether bsh wanted his help or not on this team and whether or not bsh was a good judge of talent. We really need to shore some things up this summer,nows the time.
At 3:16 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Nice thoughts on Ariza and Hill. Besides youth being a big advantage; Ariza also wins big on the boards, defensive end, and just finding the open spots where Dwight found him often last year.
At 9:43 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
I expect Ariza to flourish with the new offensive system this coming season. His youth and athleticism just did not fit in the slow-paced offensive style under BHill. When Ariza returned after his injury, he just wasn't the same player as he was before the injury. You could kinda tell he was frustrated with the way things were going. I expect him to make a significant contribution, whether it be off the bench or starting; I think it'll be as starter.
At 7:18 AM,
Ken said…
Mike, that's one thing I could never figure out about BSH. He had one of the youngest, most athletic teams in the league, and still insisted on that slow ass, walk the ball up the court kind of game. That's like owning a Ferrari and never taking out of 1st gear. I thought after watching how they finished last season he would take the reigns off and open up the offense. But the mental midget was not able to see that. Anyway, this team is loaded with youth and athleticism and I believe our guys will flourish under SVG's new system.
At 10:38 AM,
Big Figure said…
As much as i like trevor it's clear he's not ready to be a starter,he really needs to improve on his outside shooting before he can even be a candidate for a starting position. Evidence of that is the fact that even our GM doesnt have the confidence in him to be a full-time starter because if he did he wouldnt be entertaining the idea of bringing in a player that will play the same position. The ideal situation for trevor would be nothing changing for him,his role off the bench is priceless,he brings energy,defense,hustle and he attacks the basket with authority,why would we want to change that? Hopefully JJ can move into the starting line-up and we can land a RLewis to play beside him,then you can play hedo and trevor off the bench at the three and four,i'm really excited about how SVG wants to use this team.
At 10:44 AM,
Big Figure said…
Around the league there is a real trend toward smaller, more athletic teams with quicker lineups. Can you be successful playing two big guys (Dwight Howard and Darko Milicic) together in a Twin Towers setup?
VAN GUNDY: What I think makes a great team now, and San Antonio is tremendous evidence of it, the more versatile you can be, the more different ways you can play, the more different looks you can give people, the more successful you will be. If you're locked into always having two bigs, or locked into always playing small, you're short-changing yourself. Can you play two bigs together? Absolutely. Can your play Hedo Turkoglu at (power forward) and play four perimeter guys together? Absolutely. The more versatility on the roster, the better chance of making it work.
Would you like to see more 3-point shooting on this team?
VAN GUNDY: When you look at the offensive struggles of the Magic, you look at three areas. Free-throw shooting, which I don't have an answer for. Second is turnovers. And the third area is not shooting a lot of 3s. Even though there was a high field-goal percentage, the efficiency wasn't good. The focus has to be on, 'How do we play more efficiently?' How do we play faster? How do we cut down turnovers? And how do we space the floor better? Three-point shooting would help. A couple of Q & A's that i thought were good to hear SVG state from Q & A over on the sentinel with SVG.
At 10:53 AM,
Big Figure said…
Sounds like SVG was describing bsh's lack of an ability to change rotations and or substitution's,basically as we all said throughout the season bsh was to predictable,the fact that SVG wants to be unpredictable just makes me feel even more comfortable with him as a coach. I always thought hedo would be more effective as a backup small-forward/power-forward. When it comes to basketball knowledge,just listening to SVG it's a night and day difference between him and bsh.
At 7:16 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
Big Figure, you're right regarding Ariza. If we can sign a Rashard Lewis at SF and insert J.J. Redick into the starting lineup at SG, Ariza will continue to be valuable coming off the bench with his energy and athleticism.
Absolutely, Ariza has to improve on his shooting, but his overall offensive game should be a lot better under Stan Van Gundy.
I'm with all you guys... the more I read about SVG, the more I like... he seems that he will really be flexible when it comes to certain things, unlike BHill, who was just too darn stubborn for his own good.
One of the best things that SVG has said so far is that he believes the system should fit the team... in other words, the system should cater to the strengths of his players. That's one reason why I'm looking so forward to next season!
At 3:06 AM,
OVERWADED said…
UPDATES...
There hasn't been much to talk as of late in regards to the Magic. However, I've gone up to the RDV a few of the past days, and one of my friends has been there any days I haven't; and there is one constant. Dwight Howard is ALWAYS there. I actually feel kind of bad for the guy, as he really is there every day of the week. Yet, I truly respect and worry for the guy. It's not easy to be an upstanding and honorable man now days, regardless if you're an NBA player or not. And I say this, because, it doesn't seem to matter, Monday, Friday, Saturday; and Dwight is there. In the times we live in, it really says something about this "man". He really gets it, and not just on the court.
Yesterday, I showed up at RDV late, like always, and Dwight was just sitting on the side of the court, talking to whoever he could. There was a kid’s camp/league going on the 2nd court. Eventually, I was shooting around on the court Dwight was on. And as the little kids were running laps, and doing there drills, Dwight decided to join them. He went over, played with the kids, smoked them in the laps, running backwards, screaming "what-what" after he smoked them. Of course 2 seconds later he was up there giving them all "high-5". This guy is a class-act all the way. He's an all-star, superstar in the making, and he has the personality of Bo Outlaw. All I could do is sit, watch, and smile. I found myself watching this guy, just impressed how he carries himself at such a young age, with everything else that he is having thrown at him. I'll continue going to RDV like always, but I just figured I'd share that one experience. We not only have a great player leading this team, we have a great person.
At 9:19 AM,
Matt said…
That note was nice OVERWADED. I will be back to the motherland in a couple of days.
At 9:45 AM,
Big Figure said…
Great peice intro! And matt get back safe bro.
At 9:46 AM,
Big Figure said…
Oops "piece"...
At 3:46 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
Thanks for sharing that item about Dwight, OVERWADED. There are many pro athletes in all the major sports (the NFL's Adam "Pacman" Jones comes to mind) that could definitely take a few lessons from Dwight about how to properly conduct oneself off the playing field.
Matt, hope you had a productive trip to China and that you get back to the States safely.
Post a Comment
<< Home