One of the things that the Phoenix Suns have been working on this preseason -- besides trying to have a full lineup available for a "dress rehearsal" in one of these games -- is figuring out who they should start at the small forward position. Grant Hill was the starter a season ago, but with the off-season acquisition of Matt Barnes, head coach Terry Porter has been weighing the option of bringing Hill of the bench.I get the feeling that Porter would prefer to start Barnes, but he's been cautious not to make that decision without trying it out first. Also, since Hill has been a starter his entire career, it's a role Porter wants to make sure Hill feels comfortable in.
"I had talks with the staff, and with Grant, it's something totally new for him," Porter said. "He's never not been a starter in his whole career so it's definitely been a challenge and an adjustment for him, so I had to see if it was something he could fit fairly comfortably with. I think it's a good fit for our team, it's going to help us."
Coach Porter also likes the idea of Hill having a stabilizing effect while playing with the second unit, and thinks it will take some of the pressure off of Goran Dragic and Leandro Barbosa to make things happen.
"I think he will, I definitely think he will [have a stabilizing effect]," Porter said. "Goran [Dragic] is at a point where he's still a rookie and at times when there's pressure we can get him a little relief, and let Grant handle it, and I've always thought that Grant was a very good decision maker with the ball. So it's good to be able to see him with that second unit. Again, he's gonna get LB and Goran a little relief, and let those guys, you know, run on the baseline a little bit, come off screens, and he's gonna be able to handle it."
The Suns' game against the Thunder was the first time this preseason that they've had all of their players healthy, so it was really the first full test for Barnes to play with the starters and Hill to come off the bench. So how did it turn out?
Barnes didn't look completely comfortable playing with the starters, but he was able to contribute and find a little bit of a groove eventually. He finished with a nice stat line of 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 27 minutes. Grant Hill did exactly what his coach expected of him, including running the point on several of the team's possessions. Statistically, Hill did most of his damage early on, going 3-4 from the field and getting eight points and an assist in 12 first-half minutes.
Grant Hill's statistics weren't spectacular, but he absolutely had the calming effect that Porter was hoping for. Honestly, both players can create from the one spot, so either would probably do just fine off the bench. I think with Barnes being younger, he's probably better able to handle the starter's share of minutes than Hill over the course of the season. And with Hill's experience, he's probably better suited to run with the second unit from a leadership perspective. It remains to be seen how it will shake out once the players have more of a chance to gel with their respective units; after all, this is only a single preseason game. But at the moment, it appears that Terry Porter is making the right decision.
