More PT for Sasser?

[PonyFan]

Hill's ankle becoming sore subject
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By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
WASHINGTON -- The sweat suit was gray and the color was quite fitting, since this night was even gloomier than usual for Grant Hill.

It ended late Thursday with Hill, in his somber sweats, limping to the team bus without a word, his future with the Orlando Magic more uncertain than ever.

It was even more downbeat at halftime, where Hill was said to be choking back tears inside the visitors' locker room at MCI Center while coaches and teammates tried to console him.

It could get worse as soon as Friday, after Magic coach Doc Rivers and general manager John Gabriel and Hill huddle yet again to plot the next "recovery" step on a very stubborn left ankle.

After Thursday's 108-93 loss to the Washington Wizards, which saw Michael Jordan torture a gimpy Hill for the first several buckets in a 28-point opening half, Rivers wondered aloud if it's time to shelve Hill for an extended period of time.

Definition of extended? From now until the playoffs, if necessary.

"We might have to try that," Rivers said. "At some point for Grant, this gets to not be fun."

Rivers believes that the Magic, now 20-21, can handle the uncertainty of Hill's in-and-out lineup status, since it has been that way in Orlando since Hill arrived for the 2000-01 season. He also believes the Magic can reach the playoffs again without Hill, if necessary. The coach is worried more about the psychological effect the day-to-day uncertainty has on Hill, who was clearly crestfallen when forced to shut it down at the half after speaking so optimistically before the game.

A hopeful Hill modeled his new left shoe in a pregame press briefing, happily pointing out the extra strip of rubber reinforcement designed to ease the tendinitis in his ankle that still strikes him down after three surgeries. Hill also said beforehand that he was prepared to play only 24 minutes a game -- with no practicing -- because "big picture-wise I understand that's probably the right thing to do.''

Instead Hill managed only 12 minutes here, recording an incomplete game for the sixth time this season to go with his 12 full-fledged DNPs. "You could see in the first minute," Rivers said, "that he wasn't moving well."

Problem is, you can also see that the Magic aren't blessed with lots of options. Hill's contract is immovable and Orlando has little to offer in trades -- to get a big man or any other man -- even when Hill is playing. Thus the Magic are left to hope that Hill, at 30, still has time to make a lasting comeback ... or that he'll eventually agree to a buyout that creates some down-the-road cap relief.

Rivers said: "I told Grant at halftime, you don't worry about anything but getting healthy. You're not letting your team down. You're not letting yourself down. Your job is to get healthy, and you're doing a great job doing that. If you don't play until we make the playoffs -- if we make the playoffs -- you don't play again. That's fine with us.''

Translation: If someone would guarantee right now that Rivers could have Hill for the playoffs, even if that meant Hill missing the final 41 games on the schedule, the coach would surely shake on it.

"But then you say, what would T-Mac have left?" Rivers said. "If we were to do that (and hold Hill out), Tracy would have to expend a ton of energy just to get us to the playoffs."

See? There have been a lot of gray days for Hill and the Magic, but this, no matter how they looked at it, was one of the gloomiest.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com

[EastStang]

Sasser only played 10 minutes last night. 0 points, one attempt, 3 fouls. If he keeps that up, he won't get more time.

[PX]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by EastStang:
<B>Sasser only played 10 minutes last night. 0 points, one attempt, 3 fouls. If he keeps that up, he won't get more time.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've followed Orlando most of the season through the boxscores, and Hills availability or absence hasnt affected Jeryls playing time that much. Sass gets more court time when McGrady or Miller are out, but Hills presence doesnt seem to affect his minutes one way or the other.