Sporting News, The: Hill brings magic back to the NBA: tired of all the negativity surrounding pro basketball? Hard to blame you. Let's see if the no-quit tale of one good guy can spread a little NBA cheer

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Hill brings magic back to the NBA: tired of all the negativity surrounding pro basketball? Hard to blame you. Let's see if the no-quit tale of one good guy can spread a little NBA cheer

Deveney Sean

The day after the colossal mess into which his team landed in Detroit, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle paused to say something most in attendance tolerated impatiently. Indiana was preparing to face Orlando, and Carlisle said unproved, "It will be good to see Grant Hill. To me, he is an important athlete. He is a great guy, and to see him out there, it's great."

Back at The Palace, Pistons president Joe Dumars took a break from the all-brawl, all-the-time circuit to say, "I'm happy for Grant. He's a great player and represents this league the way it should be represented."

And in New York last week, hours after David Stern announced the harshest suspensions in NBA history, the league sent out an announcement that was so overshadowed it might as well have been sent out in Esperanto: Orlando's Grant Hill had been named the East's player of the week after averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in two games.

If you're looking to remind yourself why, exactly, you ever liked sports, catch up with Hill for a while. He was averaging 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists entering the week and was the player most responsible for the quick climb of the rebuilt Magic. His shooting skill has returned, and his passing and ballhandling ability from the small forward spot make him a perfect complement to Steve Francis, a scoring point guard.

Want to feel good about pro basketball? Think about this: Hill could have retired, could have given up on doctors and wheelchairs and crutches, could have spent his days eating Cheetos and contemplating his navel, and he still would have collected every cent of the $93 million the Magic agreed to pay him in 2000. But he didn't.

"We are doing a lot of talking about what is wrong with professional players, but he is an example of what is right about players," says Orlando coach Johnny Davis. "He could have walked away into the sunset, and nobody would have thought less of him."

What now looks right once looked so wrong. Hill injured his ankle in the 2000 playoffs, after his best pro season. "A lot of people probably just forgot about me or got tired of wondering if I was going to come back," Hill admits. Lord knows, he has tried this comeback thing before. Three times, in fact. The first one lasted four games. The second one made it to 14 games. The third one was the most promising--Hill lasted until January 16, 2003, before the ankle needed surgery again.

All those comeback attempts involved new surgeries, so Hill is playing on a Franken-ankle. He had screws put in and taken out. He had a steel plate inserted. He had original bones removed and genetically engineered bonelike material inserted. He had his ankle broken so it could be reset. He had skin from his triceps grafted onto his foot.

"I feel great," Hill says. "I have the ankle of an old man, but I feel I am in great condition."

But he is cautious. He must make it through the season before he starts considering his long-term possibilities. If he's healthy, Hill is almost a sure bet to play for the East All-Star team in February, especially with two of the East's top forwards, Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest, out of action. If Hill reinjures the ankle before then, he says, this will be it.

Even if he doesn't make it, even if Hill's ankle swells to the size of a ski boot and his career ends, you've got to up your hat to him for not giving up. And in the meantime, watch him play and enjoy it.

INSIDE DISH

A lack of depth might catch up with them, but the Pacers haven't taken the expected nose dive since their top three players were suspended. Credit team president Donnie Walsh for that. Indiana has gotten stellar performances from PF Austin Croshere and SG Fred Jones, who both had been buried on the bench, and PG Jamaal Tinsley, who rarely has plays called for him when Indiana has its full roster. Croshere was a lottery pick by Walsh, but Tinsley was the 27th pick in 2001, and Jones was No. 14 in 2002. President of basketball operations Larry Bird has gotten much credit for the Pacers' success, but this still is Walsh's team, especially when it comes to the draft. * The Rockets have been a slow-paced eyesore thus far, and though it is early, the heat is on coach Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy wields much control in the organization, so winning and losing falls squarely on him. Van Gundy has pointed to an inability to find the right mix of players and the difficulty of fighting the mediocrity that has set in on the Rockets organization. It's his job to change that, of course. * Lakers C Vlade Divac seemed to agree with several scouts when he told the Sacramento Bee last week, "Peja (Stojakovic) feels that in some ways, the Kings are his team, (and as) the leading scorer, maybe the best player, that he should be the (No. 1 option), that he wasn't treated right" Stojakovic was unhappy with the Kings organization last summer, mostly because he felt the team should have kept him as the primary option at the end of last season. Instead, coach Rick Adelman moved the focus back to PF Chris Webber, who was coming off knee surgery. Says one Western Conference scout, "They move the ball around a lot, and you have to love that about them. But they need to get more shots for Peja. Webber doesn't move as well anymore, and he is losing his shot. He should be used more as a passer." * The Knicks will have a tough decision when SG Allan Houston returns soon from a knee injury. SG Jamal Crawford has settled into his role, averaging 17.8 points and giving the Knicks an athletic wing who can get to the rim, something the team sorely lacks. But Crawford's shooting has been subpar, and coaches and teammates have not been pleased with his shot selection. Houston provides a deep threat, but as he takes minutes from Crawford, there could be dissension.

Memphis coach Hubie Brown suddenly retired last week for health reasons--at least, that's what the press release said. In truth, Brown sensed last season's success spoiled the Grizzlies. A few days before the season started, Brown said he was feeling at the top of his game and expected his team's issues to be worked out during the year. But a team source says Brown was not happy with the direction his players seemed to be heading In the preseason. Brown saw broken plays, a lack of hustle and general inattention. He knew the team's margin of error was too thin to withstand those problems, His replacement will have a difficult task. Brown's most important accomplishment was getting his backcourt to play ferocious perimeter defense and create easy points off turnovers. That masked the Grizzlies' weak interior defense. Unless the new guy can inspire that intensity, Memphis will struggle to reach .500.

speed reads

The problem for the Pistons is they have shown no grit on the road, winning just one of their first seven games away from home--a two-overtime victory over the Clippers. If this is really a championship contender, it had better be able to buck up on the road.

Trading Ray Allen might make financial sense for the Sonics. But Seattle is healthy and rolling. If the team continues to run and rebound as it has so far, it will make the postseason, so don't expect any major shakeups.

Credit LeBron James for choosing the correct way to deliver a message. His draftmate and Olympic teammate, Carmelo Anthony, was too vocal in complaining about Team USA coach Larry Brown last summer. But James kept quiet and simply dropped 43 points on the Pistons in a Cavs win last week.