A healthy outlook
By DAVE SCHEIBER
Published November 6, 2006
ORLANDO - Grant Hill ambled out of the Magic locker room after a recent morning practice, the old familiar smile crossing one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA.
It is a face that has been largely absent from the ranks of the Magic since the 6-foot-8 forward signed with the club seven years ago, a guaranteed contract worth $93-million. Injuries - primarily to his bionically rebuilt left ankle - have limited the man who arrived amid towering expectations to a mere 135 games heading into the 2006-07 season.
But the five-time All-Star with the Pistons and 12-year NBA veteran is feeling particularly good these days. His oft-rehabbed ankle has been holding up well. And Hill, who has faced a mountain of frustration during one thwarted comeback after the next, has high hopes that this could be the season he finds his Magic touch.
"I feel really good and I'm ready to go," he says.
He greeted a sold-out, season-opening Magic crowd Tuesday night at the TD Waterhouse Centre by stepping onto the court before tipoff and announcing, "This season we expect to be exciting, we expect to be healthy, we expect to make the playoffs." And then he went and made 5 of 7 shots and 9 of 10 free throws for 19 points as Orlando beat Chicago 109-94.
Magic fans showered Hill, 34, with cheers - in sharp contrast to the jokes and jabs he has heard on talk radio and read in recent years about his frequent injuries.
"I'm so used to that," he says, smiling again. "You kind of laugh at it. It's understandable. They probably look at me and say, 'This guy's the same thing every year around September and October.' So people are going to be skeptical. That's fine."
To Hill, what matters most is getting through this season in good health and contributing on a team that last enjoyed a winning record 42-40 and playoff berth in 2002-03, and finished 36-46 the last two campaigns.
"It would be nice," says Hill, averaging 19.3 points after three games. "It would be nice not really so much from a contract standpoint, but just the optimism of this team and the guys on the team, the type of character and personalities we have, and the feeling that we can be good. It's not that the feeling wasn't there in the past, but I'd love to be out there - for all that we've been through, all that I've learned."
One thing Hill has learned is patience and determination in the face of injuries - something he saw firsthand when his father, former NFL running back Calvin Hill, would return home from games and wrap his battered knees and bruises in ice.
"Any little kid wants to be like Dad, so there were times when I'd put ice on my knee or put a bandage on when he'd come home," he says.
Stream of pain
He never could have imagined the pain he would feel in Orlando: five ankle surgeries in the first four seasons, a life-threatening staph infection, coming back strong in 2004-05 by making the All-Star team and winning the NBA Sportsmanship Award, only to miss most of last season with a hernia.
Hill could easily have taken his bundle of guaranteed money and retired any time in recent years. But he has pushed through the pain each season, trying to regain his old form.
"I just love to play," he says. "And when it's done, it's done. At the end of the day, when you want to walk away from the game, you want to know you gave it everything you could. Maybe to some, if I had done that years ago, I would have been justified. But I still feel like I can play and contribute."
Adds his coach, Brian Hill: "I couldn't wish for anything more than for Grant to have a healthy year and be a major part of our success here. He's one of the classiest guys in the NBA. He's one of the best players in this league over a period of time. And to me, just to see how he's approached the game and his rehab and everything else, with all the adversity he's faced in the last six years, is pretty amazing. It's a testament to his character and upbringing and what he's all about."
In a way, the injuries have broadened his outlook. He has been able to use time away from the game to promote charities, create his own exhibit of African-American art and send it on a nationwide tour, and stay involved with his family; wife Tamia, a Grammy-nominated singer, and their young daughter.
"You can't let basketball define you," he says. "That's easier said than done. But what I've been through has given me perspective to understand that this thing won't last forever. It stopped abruptly for me. It wasn't easy. But in a weird kind of way, when I'm 60 or 70, I think I'll see even more benefits of going through some of these tough times."
Dave Scheiber can be reached at scheiber@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8541.