George Hill Looks Forward to Competing for a Championship With Sixers
Every year when the trade deadline approaches, several teams around the NBA typically look to make win-now moves for their teams. Knowing they have what it takes to compete for a championship in that very season, they'll sell young players and picks to acquire experienced veterans who bring immediate value.
For the last few seasons, the Sixers have been buyers at the trade deadline, which didn't change this year. As they were in the market for a playoff-experienced ball-handler, the Sixers took a gamble on Oklahoma City Thunder point guard George Hill.
Although Hill isn't medically cleared for contact just yet, the veteran guard was finally introduced as a member of the Sixers on Thursday following a team practice in Boston. And when Hill opened up his virtual introductory press conference, he expressed his excitement to be able to contend with the Sixers.
"I was very excited to be able to come here to an organization that's competing for a championship," Hill said on Thursday. "To meet up with some of my old foes that I kind of started this thing and journey with like Danny Green, Popeye (Jones), Dan Burke, (Dave) Joerger, Coach (Doc) Rivers. It's fun to be here, to meet all the new guys, [and I look forward to] getting out and trying to help them win games."
When he was with the Thunder, Hill wasn't on a team that had intentions of competing for a championship. Ever since losing in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Thunder started selling off their valuable veterans and moved on from head coach Billy Donovan.
So, when the opportunity came for Oklahoma City to land a young center in Tony Bradley along with two second-round picks, it only made sense to give up the 34-year-old Hill, who offers more value to a contender than to a rebuilding team.
Now, the question is, when does Hill's value kick in? Ever since January, Hill's been off the court due to a thumb injury, which required surgery to repair. Although his cast is off and he's getting some shots up in practice, the veteran guard still isn't cleared for contact, which means he won't be seeing the court until further notice.
As the Sixers refuse to put a timeline on Hill's possible return, the point guard won't guess for himself. When asked about it on Thursday, Hill said he'll be back before the playoffs and will be back "sooner than expected."
As Philly needs Hill to be one-hundred percent for the postseason, they're in no rush to throw him in the mix. After all, he's here to help them win a championship -- and everybody seems to be on the same page right now.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
