HOOPLOG: Grant Hill

Orlando Neighhbors Shaquille O'Neal and Grant Hill Have Talked...

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:33:30 -0800

...about buying the Magic one day....

Hill set to scrimmage with the Magic today

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 07:54:00 -0800

Grant Hill will scrimmage with his teammates today at practice and could be activated as early as the end of the week.

Magic's Hill to see specialist about abdominal pain

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:22:08 -0800

Hill to see specialist for continuing pain

by ESPN.com news services

The Orlando Magic's Grant Hill said he would travel to Philadelphia on Sunday and be evaluated Monday by an abdomen/groin specialist who has treated some of the biggest stars in pro sports, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Magic team doctor Joe Billings...

Magic's Hill to see abdomen specialist in Los Angeles

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 18:04:36 -0800

Orlando Magic star forward Grant Hill will fly to L.A. on Wednesday to have his abdomen injury evaluated by groin/abdomen specialist ...

Overall Rankings: 61-90

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:33:25 -0800

1 to 30
31 to 60

This is where things start to get tricky. In the first four or five rounds, you have to take the best player available. There is a limited number of true impact players, and the more you can get your hands on, the better. By the time you get the middle rounds, you need to start addressing team needs. Most of these players have specific strengths and weaknesses and are pretty interchangeable, really.

61. Shareef Abdur-Rahim – Career averages: 20 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg, 47% and 82%. Was always healthy before last year, could be bargain this low.
62. Kyle Korver – Will lead the league in 3s – probably by a lot. Philly isn’t very deep (especially after C-Webb goes down), so PT shouldn’t be an issue, plus he grabs his share of steals.
63. Kurt Thomas – Not a whole ton of upside, but he’s missed just five games in four seasons and will be a key part of one of the league’s top offenses.
64. Chris Paul – A bit of wishful thinking perhaps, but he should have every opportunity to run with the starting job and backup Claxton has a knack for getting injured.
65. Damon Stoudamire – Should fend off B-Jax and be a solid #2 PG; you know he’s not shy about launching 3s.
66. Stromile Swift – At the very least, should average around 2 bpg, and that C-eligibility is pretty sweet, to boot.
67. Jalen Rose – Not the most exciting pick, but he should be on the court enough to rack up some pretty nice numbers.
68. Tony Parker – Remember, he’s just 23 and has gotten better each year; fixing his FT% and continued improvement will make him as solid as the rest of the PG in this batch.
69. Grant Hill – Can’t see production or health getting better this year, only worse.
70. Samuel Dalembert – Another one of those failed sleepers picks that can provide nice value the following year; could be the next in the Camby/Chandler mold.
71. Kenyon Martin – Always overrated; usually fights injury issues and just doesn’t fill up the box score all that much.
72. Jamaal Magloire – We think you’ll probably be able to slip him by later than this; don’t forget he was 14/10 with 1.2 blocks and 47% and 75% before injury-marred 04-05.
73. Stephen Jackson – Depth and sanity issues, but he’s a 3-point gunner who gets decent steals.
74. Antawn Jamison – He might get more trigger happy from long range, which would help boost his overvalued stock.
75. Marko Jaric – He’s been an FBB favorite and an FBB most hated; brings a nice combo of 3s, assists and steals, but health has always been a major, major issue.
76. Tayshaun Prince – If you’ve made some risky picks, he’s a guy you can plug in for the entire season and leave alone.
77. Carmelo Anthony – Probably the single most overrated player in fantasy, but young enough to improve.
78. Jason Williams – Just sense trouble in Miami; also, has missed at least 10 games in three of last four seasons.
79. Josh Childress – This kid could blow up, and you’ll want to get in on the ground floor; I see Tayshaun Prince, others see Shawn Marion – could realistically land halfway between the two.
80. Drew Gooden – Hard to ignore last year’s 28th place finish on the player rater, but he always seems to rub folks the wrong way and this is a deep squad.
81. Caron Butler – Don’t at all expect more of April’s numbers, just hope he can regain his rookie steals magic.
82. Luke Ridnour – He’s almost a solid #2 PG, and if he can get up to 37 mpg, he surely will be.
83. Quentin Richardson – Actually averaged 2.5 ppg less last year than with the Clippers; great rebounder for a guard.
84. Jamal Crawford – Expect lots of people to be scared to draft Knicks; there’s a certain risk involved, but this late you can afford to take a chance.
85. Deron Williams – Just remember that Jerry Sloan can be an extremely frustrating coach, and he is a rookie point guard.
86. Mike Dunleavy – Hey, it’s a contract year and the Warriors could put up 120 regularly.
87. Antoine Walker – Fewer minutes may make percentages more bearable, but will have negative impact overall.
88. Andrew Bogut – We tend to tread very carefully with rookies on FBB; it’s all about how many steals and blocks he can give you.
89. Raef Lafrentz – If he can repeat last year’s unspectacular but healthy season, he’ll be a bargain this low.
90. Shane Battier – With Memphis’s thinned-out roster, more PT will be available for the stat stuffer – especially when the inevitable injury hits.

2005 Fantasy Tiers by Position: Small Forwards

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 09:42:59 -0800

It’s nearly impossible to define the “typical” small forward. Some are long-range bombers, some excel at crashing the boards. Others are defensive whizzes. Taken early, your small forward will determine how some of your late picks turn out. Taken late, a small forward can really fill a need – or make a small one even more glaring. Let’s sort through the variety:

Tier One
LeBron James, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko.

The cream of the crop. James is either the first or second pick in any draft. Marion is a top-5 pick, and if he stays healthy, AK-47 has top-5 talent as well. The health is certainly a risk, but we’re huge fans of AK, so we’re putting him in the top tier.

Tier Two
Peja Stojakovic, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Rashard Lewis, Richard Jefferson, Corey Maggette.

These are some of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball. Some are like shooting guards who can rebound. Others are power forwards who can step outside. Each really has unique skill set. You’ll notice we’ve got Ron Artest up here. That’s not a mistake. He’s lined up for a comeback fantasy player of the year award, if such an award existed.

Tier Three
Bobby Simmons, Antoine Walker, Quentin Richardson, Caron Butler, Carmelo Anthony, Jalen Rose, Al Harrington, Tayshaun Prince, Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, Josh Smith.

All of these guys could end up as top-25 players by the end of the year. All of them could also end up being one of the worst players on your team that you just can’t drop. I’m a personal fan of Carmelo this year if you can get him late enough that the risk is low. Meanwhile, Bobby Simmons might end up being overvalued this year in some drafts. He’s just not a 4th round pick – none of these guys are. But by the end of the fifth round, you have to start thinking about this tier.

Tier Four
Grant Hill, Mike Miller, Josh Howard, Darius Miles, Mike Dunleavy, Michael Finley, Gerald Wallace, Marvin Williams, Andres Nocioni, Wally Szczerbiak.

One of the problems with tiering the small forwards is that they have such different strengths, it’s tough to differentiate on an overall level. None of these guys will be fantasy studs this year. However, each has a chance to be a solid contributer to your teams, whether it’s in 3’s (Miller or Finley), boards (Nocioni), or head cases (Miles). These are important players to research for the mid-late rounds of your draft. While they’re never great picks, they’re generally pretty safe in the 10th round of so. Don’t target them necessarily, but if a player you were going to take goes right before you pick, these guys are nice second options.

Tomorrow: Power Forwards.

The 05-06 Magic are #10

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 09:29:19 -0800

If there's one thing the 04-05 offseason taught us, it was "trade one superstar for multiple okay/decent players." While many will point to the Lakers' success with the Shaq trade, we're more likely to point to central Florida, where a perfectly happy Tracy McGrady was moved out of town to bring in a giddy Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato.

Results were as expected - success and occasional domination, with Francis sharing and distributing like the natural point guard he is, and Grant Hill returning from a sprained pinky finger. Another uncontroversial midseason trade of Mobley netted guard Doug Christie, which worked out better than planned, especially with all of the whores and groupies hanging around him all the time.

The team also overcame the distraction of rookies Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, who were nothing but problem children, Howard often vandalizing the locker room and arena with pagan symbols and "Jesus is a jerk" graphitti.

If this sounds like a review of last season more than a preview of this one, it's because the Magic made so many moves this summer we can't even get a handle on all of them. This team looks completely different from last year, and we can't wait to see how coach Brian Hill, starting his 15th year with the team, fits the new pieces together.

Predicted record: 49-33

Eastern Conference Preview - South East Division

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 17:00:33 -0800

Miami Heat

What can anyone say about a team with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade? Of course the Heat will be the favorites to go to the NBA finals.

As great as the Heat were last season, look at what they have done in the off season. They acquired Jason Williams and James Posey from the Grizzlies, signed free agent Antoine Walker and now solidified their bench with the *gulp* veteran Gary Payton. That's right, if you read the Atlantic division preview, the HEX is still on. Actually the HEX is on for two reasons, the "glove" just adds to the old HEX i put on Alonzo Mourning for being sick, too sick to play in Toronto, but not sick enough to hang from Shaq's nuts like Payton is. Good thing Shaq's got two, right?

Is there another guard capable of taking the spotlight off of Lebron James? Dwayne Wade may be the only one right now, in the way that he cuts to the basket and plays defense with no fear and no regard for his own body.

Shaquille O'Neal must look at this year as the year to take it all again. O'Neal is definitely on his way down, his skills are going to erode rather quickly as they usually do with big men. Too many years of pounding on those knees and ankles and too much abuse from the double and triple teams and hack-a-shack's. How many more Shaq "quality" years are left?

This is another lineup that looks as deep as can be. Williams starting at the point backed up by a future Hall of Famer in Gary Payton, Walker starting at power forward backed up by Udonis Haslem, who had a break out year last year (we'll just pretend it had nothing to do with playing next to Shaq), and of course, Shaq backed up by, *uh-hem*, Alonzo Mourning.

I will understand if they Heat win a championship. Wade deserves that kind of success, i just don't like those "cleaner fish" who travel from team to team, only looking for a way to win a championship. Learn from Reggie Miller people...

My Picks:

Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
Best Rookie: Wayne Simien
Prediction: 1st (Central), 1st (East)

Washington Wizards

I'm the wiz. I'm the wiz. The Wizards laid down the law last season. It was impressive to see a team heading into the playoffs not taking any crap from a player. In 2001, Kwame Brown was the first high school player ever taken with the first pick of the draft. Attitude and injuries always seemed in the forefront with Brown and only one of those can be tolerated, not both.

Brown was traded to the LA Lakers in return for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. A good move in my opinion, trading a guy that no longer fits into the work ethic of the team for two talented far from superstar players.

The big loss for Washington was having Larry Hughes leave for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be difficult to replace that kind of scoring and defensive presence. The Wizards were able to land Antonio Daniels as a free agent, but that's far from replacing anything Hughes gave the team.

The team's strength this year will come from point guard Gilbert Arenas who can score from anywhere and has ice in his veins and the collection of talented big men, led by Antawn Jamison who found new life after coming to Washington from Dallas last season. Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas are two nasty post players to be pitted against, those guys fight for every point and fight hard.

If the Wiz can get over the loss of Hughes and plug the hole with a combination of Daniels and Butler, there is no reason they can't compete in the SouthEast, although taking on the Miami Heat will be tough.

My Picks:

Best Player: Gilbert Arenas
Best Rookie: *
Prediction: 2nd (Central), 4th (East)

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are a little bit of an enigma to me. With last season's personnel shuffle following the Tracy McGrady trade, sometimes it looked like the players weren't all on the same page. Doesn't a team led at the point by Steve Francis always seem that way? I thought the same of the Houston Rockets when he was there.

What a great sight to see last year, Grant Hill returning to the court and playing effectively was definitely a sweet story and although his season was cut short towards the end, there is hope that he is fully recovered from his series of ankle surgeries and will return to the court again this season, hopefully more confident and more like his old self than last year.

Dwight Howard, "man child" proved that he can play in this league and will someday be a dominant post player, after all, he was just drafted out of high school and he still averaged a double-double through his rookie season. When is the last time that feat was accomplished? I don't hear enough hype about that. Emeka Okafor averaged a double-double as well, but he was drafted out of the college ranks.

I have to say, it would be nice to see Jameer Nelson get some more starters minutes. It seemed the Magic played a more fluid game when Nelson started at the point and Francis was shifted to shooting guard.

It will be interesting to see if Kelvin Cato and Tony Battie can stay healthy this year. I remember thinking before last season that Tony Battie was a big gamble for the Magic, considering his bad knee history while with the Celtics and Cavaliers, but it didn't play as big a factor in Orlando as i thought. That's not to say the injury is completely over with, but if Battie and Cato can spell each others minutes, I'd be ready to let Howard have a bigger role in the post.

What the heck happened with the Fran Vasquez pick? Vasquez was rated one of the top big men available in this years draft and was taken with Orlando's first pick, 11th overall. Shortly after the draft, we started hearing about Vasquez not going to come to the Magic, rather he would stay in Spain and play for Real Madrid. This is a long standing issue with the NBA draft. Players can enter themselves for eligibility, but it doesn't mean that they actually have to commit to the NBA team that picks them. This was an 11th pick though, if an NBA team knows the player has no intention of coming to the league, then they could use that pick on someone that has shown that interest. Come to think of it, i guess the blame could be laid on the Magic organization as well for not doing their homework properly. They just went into the draft thinking, once picked, they could convince Vasquez to come to Orlando.

"I've said, 'No,' because I was afraid to adapt to the American way of life, and of not giving the level they have asked. I'm not a coward, but I prefer to stay in Spain, progress, and who knows? Maybe jump to the NBA in a few years."

Does that sound like a man ready to commit to the NBA? Could they not have known that before the draft? The lure of the NBA life isn't what we think it is, i guess.

My Picks:

Best Player: Steve Francis
Best Rookie: *
Prediction: 3rd (Central), 10th (East)

Charlotte Bobcats

Expansion what? I remember when the expansion Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies came into the league. The two teams didn't look like they had a hope in hell of improving in their first few seasons. It's a different story for the Bobcats through, you can look at that roster and the way Bernie Bickerstaff has drafted and signed talent and see the improvement coming rather quickly.

I had some questions about the drafting of Emeka Okafor. I had heard the stories of his back problems and how it would hinder his play in the extended NBA schedule. Well, i was wrong to doubt the pick, wasn't i? Okafor played above and beyond expectations and from all accounts is learning and developing this off season in hopes of being a bigger part of the team's offense.

There were too big surprises for me when watching the Bobcats last season. Primoz Brezec, who couldn't bribe his way unto the court in Indiana was picked by Charlotte in the expansion draft and proved to be a steal. The guy can play, he can score and rebound with the best of them, and he's young. Now, who the heck would have thought that Brevin Knight would have been among the league leaders in assist, almost averaging a double-double for the season with points and assists.

This season should be interesting for the Bobcats again and there's no reason to believe they won't improve. The Bobcats drafted a great college point guard in Raymond Felton and they are surely hoping the lack of size Sean May has won't be as big a hindrance as people think.

I just don't think the improvement will be significant enough to get them into the playoffs, but it will bring some more excitement to Charlotte.

My Picks:

Best Player: Emeka Okafor
Best Rookie: Raymond Felton
Prediction: 4th (Central), 11th (East)

Atlanta Hawks

Oh woe, the Hawks ended up having another disappointing season. I've been silently pulling for the Hawks for years. The lovable losers of my life.

Just look at their lineup this season and you can see the potential is incredible, but there is much seasoning to be done. Even the addition of Joe Johnson this off season won't bring the Hawks into the playoffs, the supporting staff in Atlanta is not what it needs to be this season, not that it won't be in the future, it's just not there right now.

Much like the Toronto Raptors, you have to question the choice of selecting a player that occupies the same position as your draft pick of the year prior. Marvin Williams is a great talent, but Josh Childress will have something to say about Williams' playing time.

The Hawks would have taken a huge step into respectability if they had signed Eddy Curry to an offer sheet this off season, but the issue of Curry's irregular heart beat and his unwillingness to be tested by Hawks' doctors just soured that deal to such an extent, there was no getting by it.

Because this team is still so young, there is no way to properly judge the future, other than to say it's going to be good, but whether or not the Hawks can hold on to their young guys beyond their rookie contracts is going to be the question.

My Picks:

Best Player: Joe Johnson
Best Rookie: Marvin Williams
Prediction: 5th (Central), 15th (East)

Hill says he could play five-plus seasons

Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:32:05 -0800

The guys at Dime ponder how much longer the Magic's Grant Hill will play. The former Duke star has reportedly said he could play for another five or six seasons. Is that a surprise considering that Hill has already had five left ankle surgeries? Plus, some disturbing news about Wizards' rookie Andray Blatche.

Press clippings

Sat, 21 May 2005 17:48:10 -0800

If Grant Hill were a jerk, his name would be dirt in Orlando right now. Let's face it, his infamous ankle is the chief reason the Magic is in such dire shape.

NBA Age Limit

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 15:39:17 -0800

An age limit, such as the NFL's, has been tossed around by the NBA. The success of the NFL in withstanding the court challege from Maurice Clarrett made serious consideration by the NBA a near certainty. Jermaine O'Neil has raised the spector of racism behind such a move. While there may be race-based consequences, the motivations are summed up not by black and white but by green. A statement by Grant Hill in the New York Times and cited in an article by Jason Whitlock on ESPN.com gets to the heart of the motivation

"I always thought that it was the purpose of the union to protect its members, not potential members ...I think if anyone gets left out, it's the older players, guys who put equity into this league, card-carrying members paying their dues to the union. I would hope they would be protected."

If only the motives of all interest groups were so transparently stated! Yahoo!'s Dan Wetzel suggests another motivation, one for owners, growing out of their desire reduce the uncertainty of acquiring younger players. This motive is a little more subtle. On the one hand, the "average" owner does not gain or lose competitiveness relative to other teams if all get lucky or make mistakes on occassion. However, the relevant decision horizon is probably much shorter than the period of time long enough for all of the luck-mistakes to balance out. Over the short haul, increased uncertainty may expose owners to large, asymmetric risks. I'm not totally sold, but it's possible. Alternatively, owner support may be as simple as the ubiquitous desire to reduce uncertainty in decisions.

Hill's comeback season is likely over

Sat, 09 Apr 2005 16:26:12 -0800

Yahoo! Sports - NBA - Grant Hill:

"The Magic placed Hill on the injured list on Friday, and it looks increasingly likely that the team will shut him down for the remainder of the season. Hill has missed Orlando's last three games as he continues to recover from a deep shin bruise that the team is concerned could lead to a stress fracture if not given the proper rest and rehab. Since the Magic already had the maximum of three players on the IL, the league granted a special exemption for Hill."

If you've been holding out hope, you can probably drop it. That said, Hill is on the IL, so if you have an open spot on the IL, especially if you're in a keeper league, that'd be a good place to put him.

Count it.

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With Hill out for year, Magic fall again

Sat, 09 Apr 2005 16:15:06 -0800

The Orlando Magic have had better days. Grant Hill was declared out for the season, then Detroit dropped Orlando 114-102 at TD Waterhouse Centre.

Hill done for season with shin injury

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 21:53:48 -0800

Grant Hill's comeback season is over, cut short by a sore left shin. The Orlando Magic forward has experienced pain on and off since being kicked almost six weeks ago, and Hill's stride recently has been thrown out of balance. He and team officials worry that if he favors the leg, he could re-injure the left ankle that sidelined him for most of the previous four seasons.

Weekend Preview

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 15:45:50 -0800

We’re getting to the point in the season right now where the best fantasy basketball players are paying close attention to the standings, as well as the box score. From November until mid-March, the standings don’t really have all that much bearing on how your players are going to do. But now, players are achy and tired, everyone has some sort of nagging injury, and if the games don’t matter, some of the big names might decide against playing. So with that in mind, let’s check out the two teams with the biggest weekends ahead of them:

Orlando Magic
Games this weekend: Friday at Seattle, Saturday at Portland.
Don’t look at the firing of head coach Johnny Davis as a white flag from Magic management. Instead, it’s desperation move to try and get the players – most of all Steve Francis – to right the ship and guide this team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they’re stuck in the middle of a 6-game losing streak, and have to finish off their West Coast swing with back-to-back games in Seattle and Portland this weekend. Already on pace with 8th-place Philadelphia, a couple of wins could move them right up against the 7th-place Indiana Pacers, who are looking at playing out the season without Jermaine O’Neal. A couple of losses, though, and they could be looking to the offseason and trying to trade Stevie Franchise.

Should they keep pace with the ... err … Pacers, and the Sixers, Grant Hill and Francis owners should breathe a sigh of relief. But if they lose both games this weekend, it could mark the beginning of the end for Hill. He’s a consummate pro, but since turning that ankle you’ve got to think he’s worried about overextending himself in meaningless games. If that’s the case, Hedo Turkoglu should be snapped up immediately, considering his outstanding play last week while Hill was out. In fact, if you’ve got room on your bench, he’s not a bad player to stash away.

Minnesota Timberwolves
Games this weekend: Friday at Memphis, Sunday vs. Houston.
The T-Wolves are another team teetering on the brink off falling out of the playoff race, and could fall for good this weekend against 2 playoff-bound teams. And they’ve got plenty of players who would be more than happy to shut it down for the year, starting with Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, who have both been huge disappointments this year. The problem with these guys shutting it down is that there are really NO young players on the T-Wolves who are ready to step up in their potential absence. This, of course, can be directly attributed to the Joe Smith penalty, as their drafts since 1999 have produced: Igor Rakocevic (one and done), Loren Woods (now with Toronto), Marcus Taylor (never played), Ndudi Ebi (0.8 ppg last year, ILed all year), Rick Rickert (never played), and Blake Stepp (never played). Yikes!

One youngster who could end up have a huge final month of the year is Eddie Griffin, who is a personal pick as a nice sleeper for next year. Despite only getting 21.1 mpg so far this year, he’s averaged 1.7 blocks and 1.1 3’s, and could entrench himself in the starting lineup at SF with a good close to the year. He might be on your waiver wire since he just came off the IL, and if so, should be grabbed. Troy Hudson and Fred Hoiberg could also see more time in the final weeks if the Wolves fall out of contention.