Grant Hill already ruled out for next year

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic do not expect to have forward Grant Hill on the hardwood floor next season, according to a published report.

 

 

The Orlando Sentinel reported on Thursday that the Magic are preparing for Hill to miss next season and the club will seek salary-cap relief from the NBA for the disabled player's exception.

 

After playing 29 games in the 2002-03 season, Hill underwent surgery on his left ankle, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. It was the fourth surgery performed on the ankle.

 

He posted averages of 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Magic last year.

 

The 30-year-old Hill, a six-time All-Star selection, has played just 47 games for the Magic because of injuries since signing a $93 million contract with Orlando three years ago. The majority of the contests that he has missed have been due to the left ankle problems.

 

Hill, who played six seasons for the Pistons before moving on to Orlando, was acquired by the Magic from Detroit in a sign-and-trade deal that sent two-time NBA defensive player of the year Ben Wallace and point guard Chucky Atkins to the Motor City.

 

cbssportsline.com

[Guest Flyboy]

The Magic should just drop Hill already. Get McGrady a teammate that can actually help him (Gooden is doing well, and sometimes Garrity). TMAC can't do it by himself (he'll get the team to the playoffs, but he won't win a championship).

[Guest goodhelmet]

the magic are stuck like chuck. they can't really release him because his contract will still hurt them against the salary cap. the only hope they have is if hill retires. and with all of that jack on the table, he'll be riding the bench for awhile.

[Guest razazteca]

What would be the penalty of cutting Hill from the team? Grant Hill is a lost cause just get rid of him as soon as possible.

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

Hey Grant...

 

RETIRE!

[Guest MaxPower27]

Doesn't he have a sister in basketball? The Magic should get to play her until he comes back.

 

Or, take him out behind the arena and shoot him. That's a ton of time to be injured.

[Guest goodhelmet]

What would be the penalty of cutting Hill from the team? Grant Hill is a lost cause just get rid of him as soon as possible.

if you cut a player, you are still required to pay him the remainder of his contract unlike the nfl where nothing but the signing bonus is guaranteed.

 

so if you did cut grant hill, you would be able to free up a spot on the bench but not free up cap space to grab another superstar. we encountered the same thing with sean elliott a few years ago. he couldn't play because of his kidneys but we couldn't cut him because he still counted against us on the cap. we could only hope that he retired when he did.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

As a Pistons fan I was pissed when this happened years ago...but I guess it all worked out.

[Guest Snappy Nappy Dugout]

Or..... The 76ers are probably still thinking about tradeing KVH for Grant Hill.

 

If that happens, I'm saying this right know, they will make past the 1st round in the playoffs.

[Guest starvenger]

What would be the penalty of cutting Hill from the team?  Grant Hill is a lost cause just get rid of him as soon as possible.

if you cut a player, you are still required to pay him the remainder of his contract unlike the nfl where nothing but the signing bonus is guaranteed.

 

so if you did cut grant hill, you would be able to free up a spot on the bench but not free up cap space to grab another superstar. we encountered the same thing with sean elliott a few years ago. he couldn't play because of his kidneys but we couldn't cut him because he still counted against us on the cap. we could only hope that he retired when he did.

Dollars to donuts the Magic get one of those $4.5 mil mid-level exemptions that the NBA hands out like porn flyers on the Vegas Strip...

[Guest Ripper]

The sad thing is that those 14 pts and 7 rebound averages come with him only playing mostly one half of the game when he is there. The thing that kills me is that he STILL has it. I watched put up that 27, 8 and 8 performance last year, and he was still limping. I still believe that eventually the ankle will get better and he will pay dividends SOMEWHERE.

 

remember its only been 3 years...which seems like a long time but really isn't.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

I remember when he first came out, he was off the charts. All he had to do was develop a jumper and a few years later he did that too! I feel bad for his career and legacy in the sport but at least he's sitting pretty with that big, fat contract he signed.

[Guest Ripper]

Lets not forget having SEXY ASS TAMIA at home.

[Guest Human Fly]

remember its only been 3 years...which seems like a long time but really isn't.

But how many operations has he had? 4 or 5 on the same ankle? I don't think any human can come back from that. And if they haven't been able to fix it in the previous operations I am not so sure that they'll be able to fix it now. Then you have to wonder about arthritis in the joint and other stuff like that, it just seems too much to me.

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

The sad thing is that those 14 pts and 7 rebound averages come with him only playing mostly one half of the game when he is there. The thing that kills me is that he STILL has it. I watched put up that 27, 8 and 8 performance last year, and he was still limping. I still believe that eventually the ankle will get better and he will pay dividends SOMEWHERE.

 

remember its only been 3 years...which seems like a long time but really isn't.

If Hill wants seriously to come back, he should take one full year to let his injuries heal completely. Then, he should take another full year to train, maybe work on endurance, and test the ankle lightly. Then he should spend the 1st half of his first season back playing 10-15 min. a game and gradually increase it until he can play full games during the playoffs.

[Guest Ripper]

remember its only been 3 years...which seems like a long time but really isn't.

But how many operations has he had? 4 or 5 on the same ankle? I don't think any human can come back from that. And if they haven't been able to fix it in the previous operations I am not so sure that they'll be able to fix it now. Then you have to wonder about arthritis in the joint and other stuff like that, it just seems too much to me.

The problem is that Hill pushes too hard when he come back. Yeah, its been 4 operations now on the ankle. He is walking proof that if you are injured, don't play on the injury...especially if you are playing for the Pistons and don't have much of a chance of going further in the playoffs even if you do get by the Miami Heat.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

I agree, Grant should definitely just take his time and rehab. That way, he can make a final comeback down the line, perhaps in the playoffs, with a properly (hopefully) healed foot. He’s still a young guy and will likely have to suffer with foot injuries his entire career ala Rik Smits. Why not just wait until playoff time and play for 1 month with that bum foot.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I don't think he'll ever come back for any real length of time. I think he's done and is just collecting a check now.

[Guest ant_7000]

If I had a girl like Tamia (she is fine) why rush coming back sooner? The Magic can a medical exemption 4.5 mil and get mid level talent. Plus the magic have Gooden and Girceik to help out TMac, all they need is PG.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Didn't he really hurt his ankle while playing on it during a playoff series years ago?...

[Rendclaw 0]

They need a hell of a lot more than a PG. Vaughn, Whitney and Amrstrong do fairly well at platooning that position.

 

The organization did a decent job in getting Gooden and Giricek, but they need a physical 5 to go along with Gooden.

 

I was seriously hoping that they year that Grant took off last year was going to be the last one, but he should just retire, and maybe come back in two years, once the ankle is fully healed. I agree that he still has enough in the tank to make a difference, but how many times is he going to get 15-20 games into a season and have his ankle give out?

 

As a big Magic fan, this is VERY disappointing.

[Guest goodhelmet]

i don't think the magic will be granted the exception unless it is proven grant hill isn't coming back. hell, sean elliott had a friggin kidney transplant but since there was still the possibility he could play, the nba refused to give the spurs the exception. miamai faced the same problem with Zo.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

err, I thought every team gets the mid level exception? Anyone care to explainarize my dumb ass?