41 replies to this topic

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

I don't like it. Hill has been our best bench player so far. Dwight and Pau are playing way too minutes and are very fatigued as a result. I don't know if there is an beef between MDT and Hill, but he needs to be getting more minutes.

[El Diablo]

Yeah I don't understand seeing as Hill is our best bench player no grudge should stop him from playing. It's not good coaching if you let your emotions interfere with a highly capable player getting minutes.

[avcpl]

I keep hearing about this rift between Hill & D'Antoni from their time in NY together, I apparently was oblivious to that when it was going on though. What exactly happened that causes Mike to bench him?

I found this posted on another site.:

JORDAN HILL: "D'ANTONI BURIED ME ON THE KNICKS BENCH"

By MARC BERMAN - New York Post
Posted: 1:44 AM, March 21, 2010

Rookie Jordan Hill, the Knicks' lottery pick last year, charged that coach Mike D'Antoni held him back during his brief, forgettable stint in New York.

The 6-foot-10 Hill, who faces the Knicks today at the Garden as a Rocket, was dispatched in the Feb. 18 Tracy McGrady blockbuster trade after team president Donnie Walsh gave up on the eighth pick.

Walsh felt it was more important to open up even more salary cap space, doubting that Hill would develop into an All-Star. In essence, Walsh was admitting to a mistake with the selection.

Hill has moved past another former Knick, Jared Jeffries, in the Rockets' rotation.

"Coach D'Antoni, he relies on his veterans more than rookies," Hill told the Houston Chronicle. "He feels like his rookies need to learn more their first year so they could get everything down pat. I understood. I just wanted to wait patiently until my time was coming."

An active Hill has been a breath of fresh air in Houston. In nine games, he has averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15 minutes. On Friday in Boston, Hill scored 11 points and grabbed seven boards in 27 minutes.

"My chance was here [in Houston] and I'm making the best of it," Hill said. "Fans there [in New York], they know what I can do. I just didn't have the opportunity to show it."

Hill hid his distaste for his role when he was with the Knicks. He spent most of his Knicks days on the bench, starting the season out of the rotation.

Hill's remarks come after fellow rookie Toney Douglas was given the starting point guard job after being used little in the season's first half. Douglas has carried the club to a 3-1 record in four starts.

Walsh said before the 2009 draft that the Knicks "can't make a mistake" with their lottery pick.



D'ANTONI: "I DON'T LIKE TO LPLAY BAD ROOKIES"

By MARC BERMAN - New York Post
Posted: 1:51 AM, March 22, 2010

The war of words between Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and Jordan Hill is on.

D'Antoni got his hackles up before yesterday's Rockets showdown when The Post asked him about ex-Knick Hill's recent remarks. Hill said he couldn't strut his stuff in New York because D'Antoni isn't fond of playing rookies.

"Where does that come from?" D'Antoni said. "Seriously. It's something that cracks me up. I don't play rookies? I don't like to play bad rookies."

Ouch.

Hill wasn't bad yesterday and helped the Rockets beat D'Antoni's Knicks 116-112 at the Garden. Hill was aggressive at the rim, scored on two putbacks that he converted into 3-point plays and finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

He was on the court when the Rockets got back into the game with a 45-point fourth quarter and played good defense down the stretch.

Hill seemed to be displeased at D'Antoni's dig.

"What can I say?" Hill said. "That's him. He's entitled to his own opinion. If that's the way he feels, that's how he feels.

"I'm entitled to my opinion, so I'm just going to go out there and say what I feel."

Hill said he wasn't trying to use yesterday's game as a way to get back at the Knicks.

"I'm not trying to make no point, man," he said.

"I'm just trying to play basketball. I just want to go out there and have fun and play my game."

Team president Donnie Walsh would disagree with D'Antoni's assessment on Hill and probably got indigestion watching the athletic 6-foot-10 power forward bang around the rim.

Asked about Hill's assertion D'Antoni held him back because he isn't comfortable playing rookies, Walsh said, "He didn't play a lot, so I can see why he'd say that."

Walsh said he wished he could have kept Hill, whom he selected as the eighth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

"It's part of the trade I really didn't want to do," Walsh said. "Bottom line is I did it. But I really didn't want to give up on him because I like him just like Toney [Douglas]. Both are going to be good NBA players and [i] still think that about Jordan.

"What it came down to -- you know what it came down to -- it put us in a more flexible position this summer."

D'Antoni, however, said he felt Hill was wrong to make a broad generalization about his disdain toward playing young players.

"I don't have anything against rookies at all, I like them," D'Antoni said. "Jordan was in a position, if you noticed, where we had Al [Harrington], Jared [Jeffries], David Lee, [Darko] Milicic for a while. We had about five guys. Rookies are usually in the pecking order of the last guy.

"He didn't get a great chance, but we're trying to thread the needle and make the playoffs," D'Antoni added.

"I do like Jordan. I think he'll be a nice player in the league. But that's as far as it goes. For the record, I do like rookies. I like good rookies."

[Saber]

I've heard they got beef in NY, but it will be a stupid decision not to utilize Hill, who has been our best guy off the bench and one of the few that plays with energy on both ends night in and night out. D'iantoni isn't a stupid coach .. Personal issues should be put aside if they want to do something this year.

Edited by Saber, November 25, 2012 - 12:23 PM.

[Nak]

An 8-man rotation for a veteran team is just pointless. Jamison, Hill, Meeks, Ebanks and Blake or Morris should play on a regular basis.

[Majesty]

I'm sure that people didn't even notice that during the 3rd when Hill didn't play D'antoni had Jamison at the 3 Gasol at the 4 and Howard at the 5. Gasol was playing well so Hill didn't need to come in at that point.

Also, when Hill did get playing time he was active and rebounding but wasn't really making shots and Jamison was at the 4 so D'antoni went with what was working at the time, had Jamison or Gasol started playing crappy Hill would have gotten play time.

[Calisupra2nr]

I dont care for Hill once we start approaching the end of the season. Sorry but a guy like Hill just doesn't do anything for you once the playoffs come. I will take Jamison, Meeks, and Blake as our main rotations. Phil used to do the same thing, keep a small rotation.

[Majesty]

I dont care for Hill once we start approaching the end of the season. Sorry but a guy like Hill just doesn't do anything for you once the playoffs come. I will take Jamison, Meeks, and Blake as our main rotations. Phil used to do the same thing, keep a small rotation.

Are you a troll or something?

[Calisupra2nr]

Are you a troll or something?

Speaking to you from inside the mind of D'Antoni.

[The Hound]

Rofl Hill was one of the only things to be happy about last playoffs.... but ok.

[bigfetz]

He should put Ebanks... yes he was stupid,

As for Hill, he's expendable

Ebanks is horrible. The whole dui thing was just a coincidence when he got benched. He lost his plying time the minute mike brown left and mike brown was the only guy who liked him.

[Disaster in Paradise]

I dont care for Hill once we start approaching the end of the season. Sorry but a guy like Hill just doesn't do anything for you once the playoffs come. I will take Jamison, Meeks, and Blake as our main rotations. Phil used to do the same thing, keep a small rotation.

Stops > Points

Jordan Hill was the only other person hustling in last post-season's playoffs aside from Kobe.

[iDreamShake]

play jamison with dwight and pau with hill ,most of the time... bring pau off the bench, still give him 30 mins tho..

i just really wana see Jamison be Nash's new Channing Frye, i think he can be a cheap immitation

[pkflyers]

hill is too good to not get minutes

[Carpe Diem]

I wouldn't mind Hill playing some backup 5, especially if Gasol is sucking out there as usual. That way, Jamison still gets time at backup PF as well.

I like that. Hill can guard the 4/5, hustle hard, rebounds well. i love his energy

[Majesty]

hill is too good to not get minutes

See that should tell you how talented our bench is.

Hill is too good to not get minutes, this is VERY true. But then consider the fact that the guy that got minutes got 19/15 and Hill on his own could get 10/10

So our bench IS very talented and underrated.

new rotations are coming tuesday because Blake is returning.

[L.A.K.E.R]

Hill is nice to have on the floor, but the minutes at 4/5 will be hard to come by if Jamison keeps playing this well. He brings far more to the table than Jordan Hill.

[Majesty]

Hill is nice to have on the floor, but the minutes at 4/5 will be hard to come by if Jamison keeps playing this well. He brings far more to the table than Jordan Hill.

Thing is Jamison also played the 3 effectively against Dallas by taking advantage of his posts and inside skills. With Jamison he said he can play the 4 and the 3 he just needs to stay aggressive and take advantage of matchups. Which is what he's doing.

So we can and will still see Jamison at the 3 and Hill at the 4 in some points.

And if the story about Pau's knee tendinitis is true which it probably is then it means more minutes for Hill, he just needs to get that midrange consistent!

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Thing is Jamison also played the 3 effectively against Dallas by taking advantage of his posts and inside skills. With Jamison he said he can play the 4 and the 3 he just needs to stay aggressive and take advantage of matchups. Which is what he's doing.

So we can and will still see Jamison at the 3 and Hill at the 4 in some points.

And if the story about Pau's knee tendinitis is true which it probably is then it means more minutes for Hill, he just needs to get that midrange consistent!

When did that happen? Last thing we need is another injury to one of our stars.

[ツ]

When did that happen? Last thing we need is another injury to one of our stars.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2012/11/pau-gasol-bothered-by-tendinitis-in-both-knees/