Grant and Tracy

I have seen many great basketball players in my day. I've seen Kobe, Shaq, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jason Kidd etc. The players i've mentioned are all either in the hall of fame or definitely have 1st ballot hall of famer written all over them, but the two players I mention are players who without a doubt were players that played with the same drive as these hall of famers and future hall of famers but they met something that these others players havent met, which is injury. Sure Kobe and Shaq have both been dinged up in their respective careers, hell Kobe has arthritis which cant be cured by any doctor. But the the two players I would like to go in depth with are Grant Hill and Tracy Mcgrady. These two players in their respective primes seemed like they couldnt be stopped. In my own opinion Grant Hill was Lebron (Or was supposed to be) before Lebron was a househeld name. Hell, Grant was supposed to be Lebron before Lebron was even thought of. Tracy McGrady on the other hand is one of the best pure scorers that i've ever had the privilige to ever watch pick up a basketball. Let me start off with Tracy McGrady. He is a 7 time NBA All-Star (2001-2007), a 7 time All NBA selection (2 times 1st team, 3 time 2nd team and 2 time 3rd team) as well as one of the best competitors i've ever seen. Despite all of this Tracy McGrady has never completed a full season in his 13 year career. Grant Hill is an athlete who was born to play sports (His father Calvin Hill was a 2-time all-pro and 4-time Pro Bowl Running Back in the NFL). Hill came into the league as a highly reguarded player out of the University of Duke under the tutelage of the legendary Mike Krzyzewski or "Coach K" for short. He tied for the Rookie Of The Year award with Jason Kidd back in 1995. The sky was the limit for Grant Hill in his 1st years until an ankle injury slowed him down and ultimately determined where his career would go. From 2000-2004 Grant Hill Played in a total of 47 games. Not too great considering what we all know Grant can or could do in his prime. Grant Hill currently plays for the struggling Phoenix Suns as Tracy McGrady plays for the Detroit Pistons who are also struggling to win themselves. This article is not meant to simply show that two great players fell off from their game, it is to see if these two players can adjust to their game and progress with their careers. Grant Hill may be playing the best basketball i've seen him play in 10 years. Ever since joining Phoenix Grant has been very consistent and hasn't missed the games that he has in the past. He even played in all 82 games in the 08-09 season (great for a player who is supposedly washed up and injury prone). Grant Hill has become a great role player for the Phoenix system and doesnt seem to be slowing down anytime soon. This all brings me back to Tracy McGrady. McGrady is currently a role player in the Detroit Pistons system and is currently averaging 7.9 points per game (far from the 32.1 points per game I witnessed him score during the 2002-2003 season). Grant Hill showed that his career is not over, now can Tracy McGrady do the same? McGrady doesnt have to be a Kobe or Lebron, but can he show that he still has it in him to be a reliable threat for any given team? Only time will tell people. The sports writer in me says we may never know if McGrady can ever show flashes of his old self, but the basketball fan in me knows that it is locked up somewhere. So for all the true basketball fans that respect Tracy McGrady I ask this one question. DOES T-MAC STILL HAVE IT? This has been Matthew Perrodin writing for REAL DEAL SPORTS FAN BLOG. Stay tuned, it's only just begun!