The significance of Grant Hill to the Suns

Any Suns fan, or NBA fan for that matter, knows how good of a player and person Grant Hill is.  They see his picture-perfect jumper, his ability to cut/slash to the rim, and the positive attitude and leadership he brings.  However, few realize the other (and in my opinion more important) intangibles he brings…as well as what he’s sacrificed from his own game for the betterment of the team.

As a Phoenix Sun, Grant Hill has exemplified what a team player should be.  The dude has been through 4 surgeries to his ankle and for a sports hernia.  For anyone that plays basketball, you understand how difficult it is to trust your ankle after a sprain…much less multiple surgeries.  Yet, you still see Grant taking charges, cutting to the basket at full speed, and sacrificing his body in the paint.  Take a look at last night’s game versus the Hawks; Grant had a fairly minimalistic night stat wise going for 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in 35 minutes.  Just glancing at the box score, no one would think that he had a factor in the game; however, Grant actually saved the game for the Suns.  He shut down Joe Johnson completely - Joe went 4-21 from the field with 2 turnovers in 41 minutes.  Grant was a team high +10 in +/-.  Grant nailed 4 straight free-throws in the final minute to ice it for the Suns.

What is even more remarkable to me, is that he could be a 6th or 7th option for the Suns at times.  Sometimes he’ll only shoot 2-4 times a game and score less than 10 points (like last night).  Maybe sometimes he’ll only play 10-20 minutes if another player catches fire.  Maybe he’ll take 2-4 charges a game and get crushed by bigger players doing so.  But what sets Hill apart from the Marion’s, Joe Johnson’s, and sometimes the Amare’s is that he is okay with that!  Hill doesn’t care about stats, being the 1st or 2nd option, or getting touches - Hill just wants to win.

Perhaps even more amazing is that Hill could probably still put up 20-23 points a game at 36.  Yet, he chooses not to, despite having the ability.  For those that need a reminder of Hill in his prime, take a look at this video.  Some of the most athletic moves I’ve ever seen from an NBA player, including Jordan.
 

On top of it all, he’s just a great guy.  He’s been married for about 10 years to R&B singer, Tamia, who has multiple sclerosis.  He has a degree from Duke, a gold medal, and respect from players all over the league.  It’s amazing that somehow, someway, fantastic human beings and players like Grant Hill find themselves in a Suns uniform.  That’s why I love the Suns so much.  The type of players they generally get are character guys; Nash, Hill, Barnes, Barbosa, KJ, Chambers, A.C. Green, Danny Manning, Rodney Rodgers…the list goes on.

So next time you watch Hill play and though he might only have a few points, just remember, he could be saving the Suns from defeat.  After all, he’s done it before….
 

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