NBA Free Agents: Grant Hill Striving For Championship, But Could Choose Comfort Of Suns

Grant Hill, now 39 -- incoming rookies were watching Sesame Street when those Sprite commercials were running -- is looking for a crowning achievement for his oft-spectacular, oft-disappointing NBA career: a championship. He's not likely to find it by remaining with the Phoenix Suns, who missed the playoffs last season after losing Amar'e Stoudemire in free agency.

But Hill is clearly comfortable in the Valley of the Sun: playing with Steve Nash and gang has remolded his career into one in which we can legitimately call him a top-20 free agent at age 39! For a player who spent so many years looking like a premature injury burnout, this is no small miracle. The Suns' training staff is famous; there were real concerns about Nash's longevity back when Phoenix signed him in 2004, but he's remained upright. Shaq has had an awesome bounceback year with the Suns in his late 30s ... only to see his body fall apart when he moved to Cleveland and then Boston. (That has nothing to do with the inferiority of other training staffs -- Shaq was old and heavy -- but it's a nice notch for Phoenix. They could keep that guy off the injury list.)

Does Hill dare step away from Phoenix's fountain of youth? That'll be the decision Hill will likely make: comfort vs. a true chase for a championship. If he wants the ring, contenders like the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat should be open to a one- or two-year deal. (I use the word "contender" loosely when referring to New York.) In the end, leaving Nash and the Suns' tightknit group (including Jared Dudley and beloved coach Alvin Gentry) may be too much to bear.

For more on the Suns' free agent plans, visit Bright Side Of The Sun.