New Sun Grant Hill to Face Magic as Visitor
MIAMI, Nov. 9 (AP) -- Grant Hill's last time on the visitors' bench in Orlando was nearly eight years ago, in a game where he dropped 42 points on the Magic.
He'd gladly take another one of those efforts this weekend.
Now starting and flourishing in his first season with Phoenix, Hill returns to Orlando on Saturday when the Suns make the trip to central Florida. He spent seven seasons with the Magic, a stint derailed by chronic ankle problems, and signed with Phoenix as a free agent in July.
"It'll be interesting going in there and playing,'' Hill said Friday in Miami, where the Suns were playing the Heat. "They're a good team and we've got to come prepared. It'll be our fourth game in five nights, seventh game in 10 days. We've got to be mentally ready to go in there and fight and play the way we're capable of.''
He still owns a home in the central Florida region. But there's no denying that the seven-year run there didn't work out like both he and the team planned.
Hill was signed by the Magic before the 2000-01 season, getting a $93 million deal. But the right ankle problems - he first hurt the joint four months before signing with Orlando - limited him to a total of 47 games in his first four seasons with the team.
And even after all that money, Hill never was on the floor for a single playoff victory with the Magic.
But he's fitting in just fine with the Suns.
"He's great because he's a basketball player and if you can play basketball you should be able to fit in with anybody,'' Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's very smart, a great guy and doesn't care if he takes two shots or 20 shots. He's doing great.''
Hill entered Friday averaging 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in Phoenix's first five games.
He's greatly enjoying playing in Phoenix's up-tempo style and joining forces with the likes of Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire - a core that most believe is good enough to win an NBA title.
That's why Hill went to Phoenix in the first place.
"I'm the new guy. I'm the rookie,'' Hill said. "I'm the one that's sort of learning everything and trying to have it become sort of instinctive. It's fun, man. It's fun to watch and it's fun to be a part of.''
1:29 PM
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