GO FOR 2

Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison (Flickr.com/keithallison - Creative Commons Licensed)

Steve Nash agreed to a two-year contract extension today which will keep him in a Phoenix Suns uniform for a total of $35 million dollars (over three years, including this coming year for which he was still under contract). I recently carved up Grant Hill for staying in Phoenix…so why do I think it’s a good move for Nash?

Part of the reason the situation seems different is because of how different the road to the NBA was for these two players. Nash went to UC Santa Clara, and led the Broncos to two great upsets in the NCAA tournament. Just being drafted in the first round (15th overall) and having his jersey retired at UC Santa Clara were huge accomplishments, beyond what anyone ever expected for the Canadian import. Grant Hill, on the other hand, was a heralded recruit who went Duke – going in the NBA draft was a given for Hill, the expectations for him were much higher.

Then there’s the careers that the two have had so far in the NBA. Hill spent more time injured than anybody this side of Greg Oden. He once had a stretch – his first two years in Orlando – where he only started 18 games…over two entire seasons. The rest of Hill’s career has been marred by injury and failing to meet expectations with flashes of brilliance. Meanwhile, Nash has been healthy, productive, and easily outlived expectations for a mid first round draft pick from a tiny school in California. Hill actually has one more NBA all-star appearance than Nash (7 to 6), of course Nash still has the potential to earn more all-stars…and its very unlikely that Hill does. Nash is also a two-time NBA MVP, an elite distinction that Hill never earned.

Hill was also never really the face of a franchise, although he’s probably most closely associated with the Orlando Magic, not the Suns or the Pistons. Nash has absolutely become the face of the Phoenix Suns since his re-arrival from Dallas (in Mark Cuban’s worst moment ever), and that skinny, short Canadian flying up and down the court in one of the best run-and-gun offenses ever assembled from 2004-2007 defines the modern Suns.

No, Nash doesn’t have a championship and neither does Hill. And no, Nash isn’t going to win a championship in Phoenix any more than Hill is. But Nash has a legitimate shot at the hall of fame, and should be remembered as the best pure point guard of our time (sorry, Jason Kidd). Nash is also the face of the franchise in Phoenix, and he’s adored by the fans there. Hill just sort of hangs out in Phoenix, fans like him, but they certainly don’t feel the connection to him that they do to Nash. With the absolute lack of parity in the league right now, and the fact that the 2010 free agency is looking like it will be a big letdown compared to what we though a year ago, Nash doesn’t have great odds of winning a championship even if he leaves.

Simply stated, it makes sense for Nash to end his career in a city that loves him, where his wildly unlikely NBA career got its start. I completely understand why Nash took the extension (quickly, which will help with the fans continuing to love him), its a smart move. Hill, on the other hand, has had a great career – but it will ultimately be defined by disappointment. It makes sense for Hill to do everything he can to try and add one more gem to the resume in my mind, especially since he could have left this year and had two very solid offers in hand. Oh well, at least they have each other.

Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison (Flickr - Creative Commons Licensed)

Grant Hill decided on Friday that he will remain with the Phoenix Suns, as he signed a two-year deal which will very likely keep him in the desert for the rest of his career – he will almost be 39 at the end of this new contract. Hill will be paid $3 million over the first year of the deal, and will have a player option for the second year. Its not a bad deal for someone of Hill’s age, given that he isn’t the kind of player that will be posting 40 minutes a game anymore – but the terms of the deal aren’t what makes this surprising. Hill is at the very end of his career, and he had the chance to join multiple teams which could contend for a title next year, while Phoenix very clearly cannot.

The Knicks (who admittedly are not a contender) had offered Hill a full midlevel exception, which would pay him at least $2 million more in the first year. That deal would have been all about the money though, because it doesn’t look like the Knicks will be seriously competing any time soon (Don’t dare mention the 2010 free agency thing – the salary cap just went down and the Knicks already paid a hefty luxury tax this season, they aren’t going to have the kind of room for big signings that people thought they would a year ago). So Hill wasn’t interested in more money, but the fact that he didn’t go to a contender is still a huge mystery.

The Boston Celtics were prepared to offer Hill just under $2 million, a little less than the Suns did. But Hill would have been playing minutes with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace – who all have at least 4 All-Star appearances. The Celtics are a guaranteed force in the East, and fresh off the signing of ‘Sheed they moved back to the top of my standings ahead of Cleveland and Orlando.

The Denver Nuggets, who pushed the Lakers hard in the Western Conference Finals last season were also rumored to be interested in Hill. While the Nuggets have a full load of interior defenders with Nene and Chris Anderson, they could have used another forward who can score (Hill’s career average is still over 18 points per game). While the West is even more competetive than the East, the Nuggets showed great fight last season and would have been even stronger with Hill in the lineup.

So that’s two contenders who were interested in Hill, and there may have been even more out there. Why would Hill stay with Phoenix, a team he knows CAN’T win a championship in the next two years. Hill is going on 37 as we speak, and has had a career defined by injuries (he played 18 games in his first 2 season combined in Orlando). Hill won’t last into his 40s and he knows it, so why not go after a championship while he has a chance? Maybe Hill is just so secure that he doesn’t feel like he needs a championship to define his career. Maybe he understands that even with a late championship run he probably doesn’t have a hall of fame career.

The only person who knows the answer is Grant Hill.

The Phoenix Suns have agreed in principle today to a trade which sends Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two teams have flirted with the move for months now, so today’s move really shouldn’t surprise anyone, although it will likely have some ramifications. The Suns are sending Shaq to the Cavs, who in turn are sending Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, a second round pick, and cash back to the desert. (As a side note for those who don’t know, Shaq has a reputation for becoming a reserve Sherrif’s deputy everywhere he lives, hence the killer title).

So does the move mean that the Cavaliers can contend? That depends, contend with whom? The Cavaliers posted an NBA best 66-16 record, and were bounced by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, having Shaq would have really helped nullify the inside presence of Dwight Howard, who really hurt the Cavs in that series. However, next year K.G. will be back and the Celtics are a more likely Eastern Conference foe. Shaq probably won’t help as much against the Celtics as he would against the Magic, because the Celtics tend to play more slashing and jumpshooting ball. But there’s an upside here too, Shaq may not help much in that matchup, but he shouldn’t hurt either. The Celtics are an old team (aside from Rajon Rondo), and don’t get up and down the floor nearly as quick as, say, the Lakers, so Shaq’s own age and mobility won’t be much of a hindrance there.

Now, a lot of people are going to knock this move, saying that Shaq didn’t help any in Phoenix, in fact they missed the playoffs this year. First off all, the Suns missed the playoffs because the West is stacked right now. Second, Phoenix has problems because Steve Kerr is an imbecile, not because of Shaq. Kerr messed up the Suns from top to bottom, being unable to figure out his coaching situation, dismantling the team, waffling on playing up-tempo, and bringing in a player who didn’t fit the system he was (kind of) using.

Despite all that, Shaq flourished last year. The big man played in 75 games and averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 boards a game. Consider the fact the Mo Williams played an all-star (literally and figuratively) season, and suddenly LeBron looks to have a pretty good cast around him for what could be his last title shot in Cleveland.