*newsflash* Hill out 2 weeks

[sose]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0109sunshill.html

Hill likely to miss 2 weeks

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/pics/0109granthillcov-autosized258.jpg


Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 9, 2008 01:08 PM
Suns forward Grant Hill's best run of good health in years took a surprise interruption today when it was learned he would need to undergo an appendectomy this evening.

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said Hill likely is expected to miss about two weeks of play.

Hill, mired by acute injuries in the past eight years of his career, had started all of Phoenix's 34 regular season games, his longest run of consecutive games played since he was in Detroit in the 1999-2000 season. Hill is averaging 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists and is shooting 50.7 percent from the field.

Hill came to US Airways Center this morning feeling ill and was sent to the hospital by Phoenix head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson because he was not showing any of the usual flulike symptoms. At the hospital, it was determined Hill would undergo an appendectomy.

[Wormwood]

Crap.

What do we do now?

Knowing D'antoni, he will rally around the battle cry of "We must play smaller and faster!" and start Raja Bell at SF. Given how bad we are at rebounding, and how badly the team does with Bell at Sf, this is bad.

Anyone remember "Animal Farm" by Orwell? The heroic plough horse's solution to any adversity was "I must work harder!" Of course, he ends up being sold to the glue factory when he inevitably breaks down.

Somehow, I don't think Mike D'Antoni's read this book.

On the other hand, maybe we'll start Boris, Amare, and Shawn on the front line. I'd like to see us give Alando Tucker some burn at back up SF.

[misteradiant]

ouch. well, better than an ankle.

and hey, i loved your sig! what happened to it? imitation is flattery, ya know :)

everybody get ready for marcus banks 20 mintues a game.

[Wormwood]

So, the plan is to play 3 point guards, 1 SG, 2 SF's, and 2 PF's in an 8 man rotation? That's a lot of minutes where we go super small.

I vote we start Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, Amare, and bring Banks, Barbosa, Tucker, and Skinner off the bench. Knowing Mike, though, we'll go with Diaw, Banks, and Skinner off the bench. Seems unbalanced, though. Or even worse, a few minutes for corpsey the clown, AKA Eric Piatkowski.

[y2jjedipimp]

ok get ready for the new mins structure:

Nash 41
Barbosa 44
Bell 41
Marion 45
Stoudamire 44

Diaw 30
Skinner 5
Banks 2

Rest of team: DNP Coaches Decision

ok yeah, the mins dont add up but you get my point. Man how nice would it be to get Tucker some PT in this stretch? DJ will be recalled from the D-League so he can ride pine, even though he was the D-League performer of the week, incase anyone didnt catch that. I think his stats were like 500 points in 3 games to go along with like eleventeen assists. Those stats are still pending ;)

[sehan]

Its not his ankles, it is internal and will be resolved in 2 weeks in time for the all star break.

I like it. May be blessing in disguise to get Diaw back in the groove, get the rooks some minutes and most importantly increase playing time for Banks and Skinner.

As you all said, I just hope Mike doesn't kill Bell in the process.

[TexSUN]

According to EVT (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/106206), Diaw gets the start. Back to the 2006-07 starting lineup it is...

Obviously it's an opportunity for Banks, but I'm thinking we may see more Skinner as well to take over the "Amare backup" part of Diaw's role. Either way, good opportunity to get Hill a nice stretch of mid-season rest (albeit in what sounds like an excruciatingly painful manner!).

[SwingMan]

Yeah, Hill's gonna be lucky to make it back in just 2 weeks. My brother-in-law went through an appendectomy 5 years ago - he was down for almost a month.

[Wormwood]

I'm just really leery of replacing a SF/PF off the bench with another undersized combo guard.

[fixxxer]

According to EVT (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/106206), Diaw gets the start. Back to the 2006-07 starting lineup it is...In a weird, and somewhat perverse way, I'm actually intrigued about the opportunity Hill's injury (since it's just an appendectomy rather than anything structural) affords Diaw. Starting could potentially spark the slumbering Diaw into action. Or a reasonable facsimile. Or am I grasping at straws here?

Oh, and get well soon, Hill!

[Coop]

Its not his ankles, it is internal and will be resolved in 2 weeks in time for the all star break.

I like it. May be blessing in disguise to get Diaw back in the groove, get the rooks some minutes and most importantly increase playing time for Banks and Skinner.

As you all said, I just hope Mike doesn't kill Bell in the process.


This will NOT be a blessing in disguise. Coach will not give the rooks any time. Diaw's minutes will increase, Banks may get a little more but thats it. The starters will log heavier minutes.

Have you ever seen coach give minutes to any bench players since he has been here? Its just not realistic.

[misteradiant]

Starting could potentially spark the slumbering Diaw into action. Or a reasonable facsimile. Or am I grasping at straws here?

yes you are and they're all short.

[Wormwood]

Of course, D'Anoni will hear our prayers that he plays a bigger guy than Banks and Bell at SF, and like the proverbial Faustian bargain answers those prayers with Piatkowski.

[y2jjedipimp]

IIt seems that if Doris is really interested in being a respectable player in this league this stretch will prove it. We will either see the return of Boris or a Jerome James clone. My guess is that most of this board will be calling for his head during this span but I am also a pessimist. The weird thing about the whole Boris/Doris situation is that coach gives up on players so easily when they screw up. Yet Doris keeps getting the same amount of PT? I know this has been mentioned before. Is it because he makes so much $ that we can't justify not playing him? Will he be starting at center you think or at 4?

[scosuns]

I feel bad for Grant. Always something that makes him sit. Hope he feels better and recovery goes well. I just don't want him to rush back. Mike needs to distribute minutes. This is good in that other guys will get more minutes. But you never like to see a guy like Hill go down.

[da_suns_fan]

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said Hill likely is expected to miss about two weeks of play.

And in other news, Amare Stoudemire should return from microfracture surgery in four months.

[Superbone]

Wow, for all the ways Grant could go out. No one would have predicted this.

[Shabazz]

The only silver lining here is that Hill will get an opportunity to rest his other "aches and pains" while recovering from the appendectomy.

I really, really, REALLY hope that Tucker gets a little run with the starters to see if he's ready for prime time, but as a few have already mentioned I've readied my barf-bag for the Polish Rifle, his lack of defense and 1-3 shooting games.

The sad thing is, even if Tucker comes in and plays really well, we all know he's going back to the bench the second Hill is back. You see what a sacrifice it is for D'Antoni to extend his rotation to 9, it will be a cold day in Hell before he extends it to 10.

[SpecialSauce]

YESS!!!!!! Now we just need Raja, LB, and Boris to all get hurt!!!! Come onnnn OGW, WORK THAT THANG!!!

[desertcoast]

How long before someone starts a thread about how Dantoni's excessive PT for Grant Hill caused the appendectomy ? :mrgreen:

[v9]

Either way, good opportunity to get Hill a nice stretch of mid-season rest (albeit in what sounds like an excruciatingly painful manner!).

Exactly my thoughts.

One more thing at play here. Without Hill, the Suns lose a "glue" guy (and not the horse in Animal Farm)...which will bring to the surface some of the more glaring issues. This is a good thing - it will force D'Antoni and Kerr to address them instead of glossing over them.

[Wormwood]

Boxer is one of the main characters. He is the tragic avatar of the working class, or proletariat: loyal, kind, dedicated, and the most physically-strong animal on the farm, but naive and slow. His ignorance and blind trust towards his leaders led to his death and their profit. In particular, his heroic physical work represents the Stakhanovite movement. His maxim of "I will work harder" is reminiscent of Jurgis Rudkus from the Upton Sinclair novel The Jungle.

There. Everyone at phxsuns.net just got their RDA of English lit.

[Xcon]

Crap.

What do we do now?

Knowing D'antoni, he will rally around the battle cry of "We must play smaller and faster!" and start Raja Bell at SF. Given how bad we are at rebounding, and how badly the team does with Bell at Sf, this is bad.

Anyone remember "Animal Farm" by Orwell? The heroic plough horse's solution to any adversity was "I must work harder!" Of course, he ends up being sold to the glue factory when he inevitably breaks down.

Somehow, I don't think Mike D'Antoni's read this book.

On the other hand, maybe we'll start Boris, Amare, and Shawn on the front line. I'd like to see us give Alando Tucker some burn at back up SF.

Oh shit, D'Antoni is going to send GRant to the glue factory!! :-)

[desertcoast]

Oh shit, D'Antoni is going to send GRant to the glue factory!! :-)


Didn't we already send him there?
.

Sorry, I was thinking BRIAN Grant....

[Velo]

"corpsey the clown"

lolz

get well grant!

[Wormwood]

So, ummmm... if our bench is Banks, Barbs, and Skinner.... who's our back up SF? We're going to be seeing a lot of Bell at SF, methinks.

[SunsFan4Life]

Not as bad As I thought. I have Grant on my Fantasy team and when I read he's gonna be out two weeks I immediately thought "shit it must be his ankle or knee or somthing". It sucks But Like the Suns and us have been saying all year, nothing counts until playoff time. Hopefully the procedure goes well and Grant recovers fine and is back in 2weeks or even give him a 3rd week just as a precatuion. Meanwhile, Lets see what Boris in the Starting lineup can do and get DJ back from The D-League...Bell is still not 100% and all it takes is his back to stiffen up for us to be superthin. I don't think Injury does much in terms of giving Mins to anyone who didnt usually get them(accept Boris and Banks will prob get more) but What it does do is that it means we're 1 small injury(the flu, family sickness somthing like that) way froms eeing The Rooks on the court.

Get well soon Grant.
Boris it's now or never.

[Xcon]

Oh shit, D'Antoni is going to send GRant to the glue factory!! :-)


Didn't we already send him there?
.

Sorry, I was thinking BRIAN Grant....


No, I think we got Brian Grant AFTER he had already gone to the glue factory. Nice guy, but boy was he washed up by the time he came here.

[Split_T's]

Yeah, Hill's gonna be lucky to make it back in just 2 weeks. My brother-in-law went through an appendectomy 5 years ago - he was down for almost a month.

Although it probably depends on the person, I had an appendectomy my senior year of highschool during the middle of the Track season. I was back running again after a week and a half. Although running isnt basketball, I think Hill should be fine and ready to go in around two weeks.

[duck44]

Yeah, Hill's gonna be lucky to make it back in just 2 weeks. My brother-in-law went through an appendectomy 5 years ago - he was down for almost a month.

Was your brother-in-law a World class athlete?

[SwingMan]

Yeah, Hill's gonna be lucky to make it back in just 2 weeks. My brother-in-law went through an appendectomy 5 years ago - he was down for almost a month.

Was your brother-in-law a World class athlete?

He was a swimmer in college - was 36 and as fit when he needed the appendectomy.

Why?

[ethan_cohen]

Hill will need more than 2 weeks if for nothing else, his conditioning.

[sunsdotcom]

this <i>can</i> actually help chemistry.

and it gives mike dantoni the excuse to start diaw and barbosa AND aside from giving banks more PT, play tucker some minutes too.

if diaw shows tremendous improvement after getting the starting role back, you may see grant hill permanently coming off the bench--but still getting the same amount of minutes when he was a starter.

<blockquote><i>Oh, and get well soon, Hill!</i></blockquote>

nah, take your time grant!

[INFORMER]

This could have been a lot worse. I'm just thankful it isn't a knee, ankle, quad, etc.

And as someone else pointed out, at least he'll get to rest.

[Spanky]

Maybe they can transplant some heart/brains into some other guys while they are at it. :D

[JediSkywalker]

I heard that recovery from appendectomy varies from person to person. It can be anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks (in rare cases 6 weeks).

Look at the bright side:

1.Grant's aging body gets a much needed rest, so he can come back end of Feb. and get strong by end of March- just in time for the playoffs. He is going to lose the momentum, so it will take him some time to get back to where he was before the surgery.

2.Grant's absence suddenly makes his teammates realize that they need to step up and play hard every time, so the Suns become a stronger team (just like they came together against Indiana tonight).

3.Some of the bench players get to play (Banks in particular), and with Nash out with the Stomach flu one more player gets to play. Even though Dantoni did not plan it, the bench becomes stronger this season and comes in handy during the playoffs.

[fixxxer]

Starting could potentially spark the slumbering Diaw into action. Or a reasonable facsimile. Or am I grasping at straws here?yes you are and they're all short.Much like Charlton Heston chancing upon a nimbus-crowned, torch-weilding, robed (and somewhat greenish) statue of a broken Boris Diaw...

"Nooooooooo!!!" :mrgreen: