GH has a lot of pride and I'm sure the craptitude that is the Magic has been gnawing at him for the last couple of years. I've followed GH since Duke and I know the man is a winner. Sure he has his family to think about. But given his character and injuries, I wouldn't be surprised if he has been very prudent with his savings and investments. GH wants a chance to prove himself. He will not waste himself away at Orlando's rebuilding project. As Coach K would say, "Go to the rockets!" Furthermore, GH would get tons of endorsement deals in Asia. Remember the knock on GH, that he is just too clean and nice? Well, while not being gangsta enough is a liability in US, it is actually a benefit in China. Humble players like GH can make a killing in Asia.
What big-name star envy would there be? Is there a single person on our current team that's not willing to share the ball?
Grant Hill is a great individual player, but yes I WOULD play Wesley/Barry instead of playing him. Why? Simple: chemistry. Haven't we learned anything from the Hakeem/Barkley/Pippen era? or from the Shaq/Kobe/Payton/Malone Lakers? Winning is NOT determined by which team has the most collection of talent (The Blazers could vouch for that), but which team has the most complimentary lineup of players, in short, players that FIT the system and compliment each other better than other teams. What we have now has been working pretty nicely, I don't want to mess that up. If Grant Hill was a guard, I would have been all for having him on the Rockets. But as it stands now, he doesn't fit, and it would mean less touches for T-Mac AND especially Yao. I think Grant Hill can do fine for us in handling the ball and taking pressure off T-Mac to bring the ball up, but again, we have already good players to do that for us. If you want Grant Hill, you gotta let Barry and/or Wesley go, so T-Mac can move back to the 2 and have Grant Hill play the 3. Besides, I can't overstate this, his history of injuries are NOT worth taking a risk on. BTW, I really doubt (except for possibly Isiah Thomas and Mullin) will offer GH even the MLE. I would be surprised if anyone would do that after his contract runs out. Go ahead and place a bet on it if you want, but GH won't even get the MLE by most teams in the league, unless they are desperate for ANY star-caliber player. But GH has leadership/lockerroom presence, and can handle the ball well, but his speed has been significantly cut down, and his health will likely not hold up. But that is just my opinion
Why would we have to get rid of anybody if we could have Grant Hill for cheap? We'd be adding depth to our team. Again, if he could be had for cheap, why not? There's hardly any risk involved. It's not like we'll have an albatross contract sitting on the bench if he gets injured again. Right...so if you don't think he even deserves the full MLE, what would you pay him? Vet's minimum? If Grant Hill decided to come play for the Rockets for the vet's minimum, you still wouldn't want him? Of course, this is all speculation. However, in the unlikely event that Grant Hill wants to sign with your team for cheap, you sign him. The guy was once a top 10 player, is a great teammate, and his comeback performance this year has proven that he still has a little bit left in his tank.
Again, I love GH and I think he is as classy a person/player as they get, but no, we don't have space for him unless he is willing to play very few minutes a game, or someone else from our guards will have to be content with doing so. I just don't see it working out lineup wise. I don't want to create friction and ill-will in the lockerroom because guys are upset with their minutes, etc. Let's try what we currently have for the next couple of years. The only addition this team must make is a solid PF, but that is it, the rest is pretty good right now.
Sura/James/Wesley McGrady/Wesley/Barry Hill/McGrady/Barry/Bowen Howard/Padgett/Spoon Yao/Mutombo/Howard Look at this roster. the 1,2,3,5 positions are solidly 3-level-deep. Only the 4 is weak. Now if we trade Howard and say Wesley for a very good PF. Here's what it's like: Sura/James McGrady/Barry Hill/McGrady/Barry/Bowen Very Good PF/Padgett/Spoon Yao/Mutombo/Very Good PF Without Wesley, the perimeter is still very deep. But the frontline is equally impressive. A championship favorite, baby! BTW, for those who think getting Hill will mess up the chemistry: Hill is the kind of guy that will never have a negative impact on chemistry. And yes, I'm sure that the mess in Orlando is gnawing him inside.
I think you need to revisit the NBA pay scale while at he same time appreciating Grant Hill's talent. Kelvin Cato 7.4 mill/year, Austin Croshere 7.6 mill, Keith Van Horn 13.5 mill, Wally Sczerbiak 10 mill, Derek Fisher 7 mill, Adonal Foyle 7 mill, Jalen Rose 14 mill, Latrell Sprewell 9 mill (asking 14 mill). Which of those guys is more talented or a greater character human being than Grant Hill? Grant Hill won't be able to pull 5 mill a year??????????
David Wesley is, what, 36? 0 rings. Jon Barry is 35. 0 rings. I don't think they would really complain if they were not starting/logging heavy minutes any more. We have to replace them in 1-3 years anyway. . And if 35 something aged roleplayers start to make demands about playing time rather than to win championships, they can pack their bags and head back to Atlanta. (Don't get me wrong though , i love them and they really have been instrumental to our success this season) If Hill's ankle holds up(a big if, I know), consider this: The rest of his body has a lot less mileage than most other 32 year old players. Our beloved Bobby Sura has played 638 career regular season games - Grant has played 540. And Bobby has played all games in a season 1 or 2 times. It's a miracle T-Mac has been able to play almost all games this season. With his body type, I don't like him playing 42 minutes a game, 36-38 would suffice, if we still want him to play five years from know. Bottom line, if he is available for cheap, sign him up.
I hope Grant Hill can negotiate a buyout of his contract, so he could sign under the MLE or veteran's minimum to play for the Rockets. I've always Grant Hill as a Rocket and it would work great. Three superstars isn't always necessarily a bad thing: Lakers 80's era: Magic, Kareem, and Worthy Celtics 80's era: Bird, McHale and Parish It could work in H-Town.
Don't mean to ruin your fantasy, but Grant Hill ain't no superstar no more, which would actually be a positive if he ever plays for the Rockets. Our priority would still be T-Mac/Yao, he would be a distant third. I think YOU need to realize that all the players you have just mentioned are: 1) HEALTHY for the most part (if compared to Hill's track record) 2) ALL the players you have just mentioned are grossly overpaid and are without an exception underachieving. Besides, if you revisit my original post a the top, I mentioned that few teams (i.e. idiots) would still I am sure throw money at Hill, because NBA history clearly shows that. So I am aware of this fact. He would probably get the MLE from a few teams if he became a free agent. I am guessing that would be reasonable, although I would never sign Grant Hill to more than 2 years at a time. But that is just how I see things.
