Over the past week, Grant Hill has been asked to do quite a bit, as he has had to guard Tyreke Evans, Monta Ellis and Joe Johnson. On all three occasions, the 39-year-old Phoenix Suns forward rose to the occasion and shut down his man.
Things are about to get even tougher. After strong defensive outings, Hill is now tasked with trying to limit Kobe Bryant for two straight games as part of a back-to-back set with the Lakers that begins with a road matchup Friday.
Hill knows exactly what's ahead of him and is open to suggestions on how to limit the Lakers superstar. Until he hears of something better, Hill will stick to what he knows.
"You just compete and make him work on both ends," Hill said. "He's as good as they get. He gets up for the Suns, and he's definitely the ultimate challenge."
That defensive work ethic has made the veteran Hill an asset in Phoenix for reasons other than his obvious experience and leadership. In his past three games — Hill did not play Tuesday against Denver — Hill has held his opponents to a combined 20.5 percent shooting (8 for 39), setting the tone defensively and taking offensive stars out of games.
First it was Evans, who is averaging 17.3 points but was held to just four on 1-of-9 shooting against Hill. Then it was Ellis, Golden State's leading scorer who had averaged 31.7 points in his previous three games, which included a 48-point performance. Against Hill, Ellis went 5 for 20 and had 18 points.
Hill then took a night off in Denver against a Nuggets team without leading scorer Danilo Galinari. He was reluctant to do so, but Suns coach Alvin Gentry insisted he rest his banged-up body amid the team's first of two back-to-back-to-back sets.
Though Hill said Wednesday following a 101-99 loss to the Hawks that he would have preferred, in hindsight, to have played Tuesday, the rest seemed to have done some good. Hill limited Johnson, an Eastern Conference All-Star and Atlanta's leading scorer, with 18.1 points per game entering the night, to six points on 2-for-10 shooting while playing all but 13 seconds of Johnson's time on the floor.
"These guys are at the top of the food chain," Suns swingman Jared Dudley said. "I'm glad we have someone like (Hill). I don't think he gets enough credit."
Hill, who also scored 18 points Wednesday, actually held Johnson scoreless. Johnson's only points came against other defenders, with one point coming on a free throw.
Hill has a hard time enjoying his own defensive success, though, when the Suns aren’t winning games. Of Hill's three big games, the Suns topped only Sacramento. On Wednesday, Josh Smith's 30 points and 17 rebounds carried the Hawks.
"Even if your man goes off for big numbers, the bottom line is winning," Hill said. "I'd trade the last few I was in and have my man go off for big numbers to get the win."
That attitude might apply in particular to the next two games. Bryant is averaging a league-best 28.7 points per game, and Hill can only hope to limit the damage.
"You have to double-team him," Dudley said. "No one man can slow down Kobe Bryant. Sometimes two can't."
In Bryant's last game against the Suns, on Jan. 10 — after which he expressed a lingering disdain for the team — Bryant scored 48 points. The previous time, March 22 last year, he scored 42 points. In Bryant's past five games against the Suns, four of which were Lakers wins, he has averaged 32.8 points.
Hill's defensive streak bodes well for the upcoming games, but Gentry knows that with a player like Bryant, it's not necessarily about the final numbers.
"We've just got to make a guy earn points," Gentry said. "You can do a good job on a great player, and he can still have 30 points. That's just the way it is.
"We've done great jobs on Kobe in the past, and at the end of the night he has 42 points or 40 points. I think it's how he gets them that matters."
Gentry has been Hill's biggest advocate for the All-NBA defensive team, though the praise seems to have gone mostly unheard the past few seasons.
"I keep arguing that — and I'm sure everybody thinks I'm crazy — I don't know that there's another guy out there that is asked to do defensively what he's done," Gentry said. "We've asked him to guard point guards, (shooting) guards, small forwards and power forwards. The only thing we haven't asked him to guard is a center."
Hill said Wednesday he's looking forward to the challenge of guarding the NBA's best and takes pride in providing a defensive energy his teammates can feed off. His next challenge is about as difficult as it gets, but Hill isn't one to back down, no matter the previous results.
As much as Bryant might take games with the Suns personally, Hill does so with every matchup.
"I always say that great offense trumps great defense, so you just try to make guys work for it and take it personally when guys score on you," Hill said. "I take it personally."
celticspride
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Report: Timberwolves interested in Pau Gasol; offer Derrick Williams
As we move closer to the March 15th NBA trade deadline, expect more and more of these stories to surface. According to Chris Tommason from Fox Sports the Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed interest in trading for Lakers F Pau Gasol.
…a source said Wednesday that Minnesota continues to pursue a possible trade for Lakers forward Pau Gasol, dangling rookie Derrick Williams, who is from the Los Angeles area, and draft choices. The only players considered untouchable by the Timberwolves, who are seeking to add a veteran by the trade deadline, are Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.
Williams is a promising young prospect out of La Mirada high school in southern california and has shown flashes in limited minutes for the T-Wolves this season. But as our friend Kurt Helin from Pro Basketball Talk points out, this would be a move more in the vein of a team that is rebuilding, not one that sees itself as a championship contender.
For the Lakers to consummate any deal with the Timberwolves, one would have to assume that the talks would begin and end with Kevin Love, who just signed a contract extension to remain in Minnesota. Since the “source” tabbed Love as untouchable, I would categorize this rumor along with the 5,000 others that we will all hear about in the next month that nothing will ever come of.
Although, one thing to keep in mind is that with higher luxury tax penalties levied against teams significantly over the cap, one can’t discount the fact that Gasol is owed nearly $40 million over the next two seasons. So to think that the Lakers wouldn’t be interested in moving him for multiple players to add depth, and be more financially efficient with the roster would be a mistake as well. Of course the major caveat of that is, it has to be the right package of players, and something tells me Derrick Williams, a few mediocre throw-ins and a collection of draft picks wouldn’t come close to cutting it.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo To Play In Kendrick Perkins Celebrity Game
On Friday, former Ozen boys basketball player Kendrick Perkins will host a celebrity basketball game featuring five fellow professional basketball players. The game will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Ozen High School. Perkins, a 6-foot-10 center for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is expected to be joined by Oklahoma City teammates Kevin Durant, James Harden and Eric Maynor along with Milwaukee Bucks guard Stephen Jackson and Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo.
The game will conclude Perkins’ second annual basketball camp which will be held this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Ozen for kids ages 10 to 18.Courtesy Of the Beaumont Enterprise
Rajon Rondo once again will get to share the court with his old friend Kendrick Perkins. This time in the celebrity game that will conclude Perk’s basketball camp. This is solid news for Celtics fans. Granted Rondo will not be going on all out fro this game, but the fact that he is playing means his rehab is coming along nicely. The injured elbow must be well enough to get on the floor or the Celtics would not allow him to participate in the game. I am sure the game will be entertaining with these talented players on the floor. I am sure Rondo will find his old friend for some of those traditional easy scores. I am just hoping Perk goes up strong instead of dribbling to the floor. Unfortunately, I bet some things never change. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!
Carlos Boozer could play overseas
Add Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer to the list of NBA players looking to play overseas in light of the current NBA lockout.Boozer told ESPN The Magazine on Wednesday that he will pursue signing with a foreign team if the season doesn't start on time.
"I think as players we have to look at this lockout as an unfortunate challenge, but one that can create other unique and positive opportunities," he said. "When I was part of Team USA that won Olympic Gold in Beijing, that experience changed my life in incredible ways.
"If the NBA season gets delayed or postponed, I plan on using those months to experience something similar to what I did in the summer of 2008. That's why, if the lockout continues, I definitely plan on playing overseas."
Boozer declined to say whether he already had a deal in place or a specific country he was targeting, but a source indicated that the reference to Beijing reflects an inclination to play in China.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Rajon Rondo Admits Kendrick Perkins Trade Affected Celtics 'More Than It Should Have'
From Feb. 24 until Game 5 against the Heat, you couldn't talk about the Celtics without talking about Kendrick Perkins.
He was no longer on the team, of course, but his absence was too obvious to ignore from the moment he was traded away by Danny Ainge in the final minutes before the NBA's trade deadline. There were statistical charts that probably said the Celtics were better without the offensively limited Perkins, but if you watch basketball with your eyes and not through a spreadsheet, you saw that the Celtics were never the same.
Rajon Rondo, the team's point guard and Perkins' closest friend in green, admitted as much this week.
Rondo told Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears that the Perkins trade affected the Celtics "more than it should have."
"It wasn’t like the man passed away or something," Rondo told Yahoo. "I think we put too much emphasis on it. It's a business. He got traded. He's very happy where he's at. We still talk and I'm always going to have his back. It shouldn’t have affected us the way it affected us."
The Celtics won 76 percent of their games (41-14) before trading Perkins, though the center was only active for 12 of those games, during which the Celtics went 8-4 while Perkins averaged 7.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. After the trade, the Celtics went 15-12 the rest of the way in the regular season before a 5-4 showing in the postseason, ending with a five-game series loss to the eventual conference-champion Heat.
Kobe To turkey!
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant’s representatives will meet with officials of Turkish club Besiktas next week to discuss the possibility of him playing in Turkey during the NBA lockout.
Seref Yalcin, head of basketball operations for Besiktas, told reporters in Turkey he was hopeful of landing the five-time NBA champion and Olympic gold medallist.
“At the moment there’s a 50 per cent chance that Kobe may come to Turkey,” Yalcin was quoted as saying. “Everything will be clearer after the meeting on the (July) 30th.”
Besiktas already has signed New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams to play during the lockout and last year signed former NBA MVP Allen Iverson.
Bryant has not confirmed his plans but has said he would be interested in playing in either Turkey or China if the NBA season was delayed because of the lockout. He already has an endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines.
The 13-time All-Star, 32, has three years remaining on his Lakers’ contract and Yalcin said Besiktas, which begins play in October, had asked the international basketball federation for its approval of any Bryant deal.
“Kobe wants some time to think about it,” Yalcin said. “We believe that his response is going to be positive. Money will not be a problem.”
Other NBA players also have expressed interest in playing overseas during the lockout and the players’ union has encouraged athletes to make the trip while there is no basketball in the NBA.
NBA owners locked out the players on July 1 after the talks failed on a new collective bargaining agreement. Both sides are far apart and no new negotiations have been scheduled, leading to possibility all or part of the 2011-12 season could be cancelled.
Kevin Love to compete in Manhattan Beach Open
NEW YORK -- Locked out of NBA arenas, Kevin Love is headed to the beach.
Beach volleyball, that is.
The NBA's leading rebounder plans to play in next month's Manhattan Beach Open on the pro volleyball tour, finding himself a paycheck while he's not earning one on the basketball court.
"I thought it was a great idea, a way for me to be out in the sun, be active and have fun during the lockout," Love said Tuesday after practicing with pros for the first time. "It's sport, it's active, it's a way to stay in shape, so I just thought it was a home run."
The Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star doesn't have a partner yet and hadn't played much lately before working out Tuesday on a court set up in Times Square, but says he hopes to survive the first day of the three-day, $200,000 event to be held from Aug. 26-28.
"More than anything, I'm just going to be having fun with it, playing as much as I can up to that point and just working on my craft," Love said.
Love has deep ties to the sand. His uncle Mike was a member of the Beach Boys, and Love was born in Santa Monica, Calif. and has spent his offseasons there since playing for UCLA. His father, who used to play volleyball against Wilt Chamberlain, asked him a couple of years ago if he was ever going to get into beach volleyball.
The opportunity came when Love was approached by representatives of Jose Cuervo, the tour sponsor that has four events scheduled this year.
The versatile Love averaged 15.2 rebounds last season and is a reliable 3-point shooter who had the NBA's first 30-point, 30-rebound game in 28 years. The adjustment to the sand will be difficult, but he said he was pleased after hitting the ball around and even diving for some shots Tuesday.
"I'm not necessarily expecting to win, but I'm expecting to go out there and compete," Love said.
Love said he has respect for the pros he'll compete against and acknowledged they may target him as a weak link, but said he's "hoping to surprise them."
His preference would be to return to the basketball floor, coming off his breakthrough season and hoping a good follow-up could land him on the U.S. Olympic team next summer. And he's not worried about the risk of injury in the meantime.
"That's the elephant in the room right now, but at the same time it's like with basketball. If you go out there and play hard most of the time, you're not going to get hurt," Love said. "If you're loafing and not going 100 percent, then you're more likely to suffer."
Beach volleyball, that is.
The NBA's leading rebounder plans to play in next month's Manhattan Beach Open on the pro volleyball tour, finding himself a paycheck while he's not earning one on the basketball court.
"I thought it was a great idea, a way for me to be out in the sun, be active and have fun during the lockout," Love said Tuesday after practicing with pros for the first time. "It's sport, it's active, it's a way to stay in shape, so I just thought it was a home run."
The Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star doesn't have a partner yet and hadn't played much lately before working out Tuesday on a court set up in Times Square, but says he hopes to survive the first day of the three-day, $200,000 event to be held from Aug. 26-28.
"More than anything, I'm just going to be having fun with it, playing as much as I can up to that point and just working on my craft," Love said.
Love has deep ties to the sand. His uncle Mike was a member of the Beach Boys, and Love was born in Santa Monica, Calif. and has spent his offseasons there since playing for UCLA. His father, who used to play volleyball against Wilt Chamberlain, asked him a couple of years ago if he was ever going to get into beach volleyball.
The opportunity came when Love was approached by representatives of Jose Cuervo, the tour sponsor that has four events scheduled this year.
The versatile Love averaged 15.2 rebounds last season and is a reliable 3-point shooter who had the NBA's first 30-point, 30-rebound game in 28 years. The adjustment to the sand will be difficult, but he said he was pleased after hitting the ball around and even diving for some shots Tuesday.
"I'm not necessarily expecting to win, but I'm expecting to go out there and compete," Love said.
Love said he has respect for the pros he'll compete against and acknowledged they may target him as a weak link, but said he's "hoping to surprise them."
His preference would be to return to the basketball floor, coming off his breakthrough season and hoping a good follow-up could land him on the U.S. Olympic team next summer. And he's not worried about the risk of injury in the meantime.
"That's the elephant in the room right now, but at the same time it's like with basketball. If you go out there and play hard most of the time, you're not going to get hurt," Love said. "If you're loafing and not going 100 percent, then you're more likely to suffer."
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