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Hill's left ankle looks, feels okay

MAITLAND -- Welcome back, Grant Hill.

Again.

The 29-year-old six-time NBA All-Star begins his third consecutive comeback this season after as many surgeries on the most famous left ankle in Orlando.

After fracturing his ankle in Game 2 of the 2000 Detroit-Miami playoff series, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward played 18 games since signing a seven-year, $92.8-million deal with Orlando in August 2000.

The Magic has built this season around the hope a healthy Hill and All-NBA first-team selection Tracy McGrady can lead the franchise back to the Eastern Conference final.

Which brings us to the most important question asked at Monday's media day session at the RDV Sportsplex: How is the ankle?

"It feels great," Hill said.

It looks great, too, according to players who have seen Hill perform in closed scrimmages. After his two surgeries, Hill tried to do too much too soon, reinjuring the ankle. This time Hill's recovery went so well his Baltimore physician, Mark Myerson, told Hill in June he didn't need to see him anymore.

Soon, point guard Darrell Armstrong said, everyone will see what Hill can do.

"I know you all haven't seen Grant," he said. "But Grant has his first step back. That's dangerous. That's scary. We've been playing almost every day this month, and his first move has just been crazy.

"He has a lot to prove and he's going to come out and prove it. I see it in him already. He's a totally different player from the last two years. He was struggling to do things in the last two years. He's not struggling anymore. He's doing it, and that's what I like about him."

The Magic is depending on Hillthis season because of who it let go in the offseason.

Reserve forward Monty Williams filled Hill's position, but now he's at Philadelphia. When the team needed extra scoring punch, reserve point guard Troy Hudson provided it. But he signed with Minnesota.

THE MAN: Who has to step up to get the Magic past the first round of the playoffs?

McGrady has his pick: pal Mike Miller, the 2000-01 rookie of the year.

"Obviously it's got to be Mike," McGrady said. "Mike has got to be the guy coming off the bench, giving everything he has. The guy worked harder than I did this offseason. He worked extremely hard. I think he'll be well prepared to fight back in every challenge that he faces."

TODAY'S THE DAY: Training camp opens at 10 a.m. at North Florida Arena in Jacksonville. Two-a-day sessions run through Sunday. The first preseason game is Oct. 8 at Atlanta. The regular-season opener is Oct. 29 against Philadelphia at the TD Waterhouse Centre and is on TNT.

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