Nothing For Granted
Here’s hoping the “Grant Hill is finally healthy!” jinx is over. Please.
by Russ Bengtson
Does anyone remember the last time Grant Hill was truly healthy? If it seems like a long time ago, that’s probably because it was. He was still in Detroit then, back in the days when the Pistons were wearing those stupid teal jerseys with the chrome horse on them. He’s actually never played a full 82-game season in his career—and the 67 games he played in ‘04-05 were the most he’d played since ‘99-00, before his initial ankle injury. Many assumed, especially after he was limited to 21 games last season, that the ‘04-05 season was simply an anomaly. Hell, a miracle.
So, when the headline Hill: I Feel Great Now appeared in today’s Florida Today, well, the first reaction was fear. After all he’s been through, isn’t that pushing it? I half-expect to see a follow-up headline tomorrow. Something like, “Hill: Um, Never Mind, My Leg Just Fell Off.” And hasn’t he felt great before? And hasn’t it just led to more misery? Not to mention the guy’s turning 34, and has had more surgery than Jocelyn Wildenstein. His leg been the subject of more headlines than Barbaro’s.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see the old Grant Hill back. Hell, I even hope he comes out with the Fresh Prince high-top fade. But I don’t want to be getting my hopes so high just yet. Good luck, Grant.
9 Responses to “Nothing For Granted”
Sep.22 at 12:33 am
simon says:
As i said in a previous post G Hill was just soo smooth when he was healthy. they way he just slid through the paint and threw it down (big maaan), like no-one else. Anybody who doesnt know bout him needs to see the Grant Hill Superstars video (dvd?) and recognise. Still one of my all time fav players.
Sep.22 at 12:34 am
simon says:
Russ that photo of Jocelyn Wildenstein nearly made me throw up! I didnt recognise the name so i clicked the link. When i opened it i actually said UGGHH! out loud! That was just too much man!
Sep.22 at 2:35 am
Blinguo says:
Grant Hill drinks Sprite?! That was a great commercial. His product was like Mike’s, only with more sugar. Hope he gets back to form and the fans show respect by voting him into the All Star game again.
Sep.22 at 2:54 am
Garreth says:
More concerning is this sentence: “McKechnie, who worked with the Los Angeles Lakers, Vancouver Canucks and the Canadian World Cup soccer team, designed a variety of workouts for Hill that has made his midsection stronger.” Canadian World Cup soccer team??? Grant Hill is doomed.
Sep.22 at 12:56 pm
winston and the telescreen says:
Ye Gods man!
you should put up some sort of warning before you link to a picture of Jocelyn Wildenstein
I just yelled out loud here at work from the fright I received when that picture came up
all the other prairie dogs are peeking their heads out of their cubicles attempting see the source of the terrified noise I emitted when I saw that chin
Sep.22 at 10:32 pm
Max Airington says:
That catwoman is disgusting. I thought she died? Anyway, when I was 15, I went to Michael Jordan Basketball Camp. Grant Hill was one of the counselors, and I met him on the first day. Like a week and a half later, on the last day Grant calls me out and says “Have a good summer, Myles.” I didnt even think he would remember my name, much less speak to me if he didnt have to. He really is a stand up dude and I wish him and his wife good health….
Sep.22 at 10:44 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Grant is by far one of the nicest guys in the League—and it’s definitely legit. He truly seems to enjoy the chance he gets, through basketball and his celebrity, to talk to all sorts of different people about all sorts of different topics. He’s not one of those “stare off into the distance” guys, he looks you in the eye while you’re talking, like anyone else having a conversation. I’d love to see him have a few healthy years, maybe even get a shot at a title. And for me to say that about a damn Dukie… And, uh, sorry about Jocelyn, but I thought her name would be warning enough. Creepiest woman alive? Probably.
Sep.25 at 3:24 am
Chris O'Leary says:
I remember watching G-Hill light Scottie Pippen up in the late 90’s, when Pip was one of, if not the best one-on-one defenders in the League. It wasn’t just a one-time thing, either. Scottie got torched every time they met. I’m waiting for Rob Babcock to trade KG to Orlando this year and to get Grant Hill’s contract as part of the deal. Grant can play the Zo card and win a chip in Miami after the buyout.
Apr.14 at 12:03 am
Shawn Dwayne Johnson says:
Man, I patterned my basketball game after this guy. Than NBA Entertainment video I used to watch it over and over again. I’d go to play pick up ball with the fellas, that was my motivation for going out there and taking my game to the next level. Grant Hill is and will always be the man! I’m voting him in for Hall Of Fame regardless of what he Didn’t get!