It's amazing what happens when Grant Hill plays his game

[Rab]

When Grant Hill signed on with the Suns in July, I watched the press conference to see how D'Antoni planned on using his skills. I was a little alarmed when I heard DA mention how he wanted him to start shooting 3's and learn to shoot them consistently.

I hated the idea of taking Grant away from his strengths and taking away his slashing/mid-range abilities. I thought they'd be a great asset to a team that relies too much on the 3, or long jumpers.

Through the first few games of the year, Grant struggled to find his niche here, often running to the corner 3 in transition and spotting up, rather than cutting to the hoop or getting to an open spot for a short jumper. He looked out of sorts shooting 3's, and was shooting too many.

Then, it seemed like he just said, "screw it, I'm playing my game", and his production has practically doubled. I don't mind seeing him take 1 or 2 three's a game, but when he was taking 4-8, I was getting pissed. He is a very nice compliment to our 3 point shooters, and to Amare down low. His mid-range jumper is pure, and ability to finish at the rim, or go to the FT line has been a big plus for this team.

The one concern I have for him is minutes, and I hope DA is smart enough to realize he can't be playing 40 minutes a night. Looks like he has started to scale him back a little bit. Let's hope he's able to stay healthy, because I think he can cause a lot of matchup problems for us later.