by Dan Bickley - Sept. 18, 2012 08:39 PM
azcentral sports columnist
Two of our favorite basketball players have moved to Los Angeles.
One has been branded a traitor. The other should've never left.
When Steve Nash returns as a member of the Lakers on Jan. 30, the mood at US Airways Center will be unpredictable and strange. Many fans won't be able to look past the color of his jersey, and how a favorite Sun now plays for a nemesis.
When Grant Hill returns on Dec. 23 as a member of the Clippers, there will be no internal conflict or questions of loyalty. He should hear the ovation of a lifetime.
"I don't think anybody thought that either of us would be out here in LA," Hill said.
Theoretically, Nash had to go. He wanted too much money. His presence would've put the Suns back in NBA quicksand, good enough to linger like a playoff team, bad enough to compete for nothing of consequence.
Hill is another story.
During his five years in Phoenix, Hill cobbled together an amazing legacy. You could argue that no Suns player has ever done more for less.
He played in 381 games over five years. He delivered great leadership. He became a lockdown defender. Nearing the age of 40, he was assigned to guard the NBA's most lethal players on a nightly basis, from Kevin Durant to Kobe Bryant to LeBron James.
He did a selfless, remarkable job.
For his efforts, he earned $16.6 million over five years. Twice he re-signed with the team after being low-balled in negotiations. For a starter playing major minutes and making a major impact, the financial numbers are ridiculous.
Now Hill is playing for a division rival. The Suns say they don't know how it all went south. And if you listen between the lines, you can hear the disappointment in Hill's voice.
He knew the team felt compelled to move on without Nash. He wasn't thrilled with negotiations in Phoenix, where talks began around the NBA minimum ($1.3 million). He eventually signed for $1.9 million with the Clippers.
"It's interesting," Hill said. "I had dinner with (Clippers point guard) Chauncey (Billups) when I was in (Las) Vegas covering the Olympic team, and we didn't even talk about the Clippers. It didn't even come up. We hung out and talked about other things.
"And then I met with (head coach) Vinny (Del Negro) almost as a favor, just because I had known him, played against him and he had worked for the Suns my first year. I just really liked what he was saying. (But) they weren't really the team that I was looking at."
This is a touchy subject for everyone, and feelings must be hurt. When he became a player agent, Lon Babby's first NBA client was Grant Hill, who probably recruited his next 10 clients by word of mouth. Hill was also the guy who recommended Babby to Suns owner Robert Sarver, who sold Babby's reputation to a room full of skeptical players.
It's similar to what Luis Gonzalez endured with the Diamondbacks. Once, Jeff Moorad was his agent, receiving hefty commissions from Gonzalez. Then Moorad was an owner playing hardball with his former client, forcing him to finish his career with the Dodgers and Marlins.
For the athlete, that kind of change in relationship can't be easy.
"It was tough because not only did we get to the Western Conference finals (in 2009-10), but I think if you talked to anybody on that team, that was really just a special team, a special group of guys, a kind of bond that we had," Hill said. "We had talent, obviously, but there was a real connection and togetherness on the court. And then it quickly changed."
Neither Hill nor the Suns wish to elaborate on his departure. Vitriol serves no one's interests, and Babby envisions Hill rejoining the Suns' front office when he's done playing, stating, "I look forward to the day that we'll be working together again, if he wants to do that."
Still, this is a shame. Who would've better mentored Michael Beasley? Who would've been a better leader on a team that doesn't really have one at the moment?
The answer: No one.
Alas, Hill is moving on. He's participating in the Jerry Colangelo Basketball Hall of Fame Golf Classic Thursday at the Wigwam Resort, and then he'll head back to his apartment in Los Angeles, where he's now expected to help beat the Suns, and beat their former point guard.
"I really felt tremendous joy playing in the desert, for the fans and for that organization," Hill said. "I might not have been the best player. But I'm proud that I can look myself in the mirror and know that I played my hardest and gave it my all. And I think the fans appreciated how I competed and how I conducted myself off the court. I had come from a tough situation in Orlando, and to be received like I was, to be included as part of their family, was a great experience for me."
And a great experience for us. Make sure you remind Hill of that when he returns in an enemy jersey, the one he never thought he'd be wearing.
Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to "Bickley and MJ" weekdays at 2-6 p.m. on XTRA Sports 910.
19 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/articles/2012/09/18/20120918former-phoenix-sun-grant-hill-leaves-giant-legacy.html
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