East Valley Tribune – Article
They were Phoenix’s two significant offseason veteran acquisitions — the two biggest reasons why the Suns felt like they were a better team than the one that walked off the floor in San Antonio last May feeling close, yet still short, of a title run.
And while they will cost Phoenix less than $3 million this year, Grant Hill and Brian Skinner have proven in the first 17 games their value will be far greater.
They were the first and second star in Sunday’s 115-104 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Hill took over the offense with nine of his season-high 28 points in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, and Skinner provided key defensive stops on big men Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry.
As a result, Phoenix took charge with an 11-0 run while Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire were resting on the bench — traditionally the white-knuckle portion of any game for Suns fans. Skinner was rewarded by staying on the floor the entire fourth quarter and showed some good chemistry playing alongside Stoudemire — something that turned coach Mike D’Antoni’s head and could lead to future combinations.
“It looks like they can play together because Amaré becomes the shooter,” said D’Antoni, who admittedly had doubts about such a grouping. “I’m feeling more comfortable with it every game. Now we have eight good guys in the rotation. We just have to figure out the minutes.”
Hill and Skinner have replaced James Jones and Kurt Thomas in that top eight and have not only made the Suns a more athletic and cohesive unit, they make for a healthier bottom line.
The Suns have saved about $11 million in cash and payroll reductions, which was the difference between straddling and busting over the NBA’s luxury tax threshold.

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Hill has erased worries of his injury-plagued past and the 35-year-old is going a long way toward making his birth certificate a moot point as well. Over the past 10 games, he’s averaging 18.1 points a game on 56-percent shooting and hit 13 of 17 shots on Sunday.
“It was a great performance,” Suns guard and fast friend Nash said. “The guy worked his butt off this summer, coming in day after day to prepare himself physically and mentally for the adjustment to our style. He’s had such and up-and-down battle with the injuries, it’s great to see him able to run free and play the way he can.”
Hill is embracing his role of leading the team when Nash heads to the bench late in the first and third quarters. “We’re almost two different teams when Steve is out there and when he isn’t,” he said. “Hopefully, I can get more and more comfortable and try to be that playmaker, because we have to rest the boy from time to time.”
Skinner’s 19 minutes were the most he had played since Nov. 2 even though he’s proven to be effective in several games. And unlike when Thomas was a Sun, the tempo doesn’t have to suffer.
“My job is to listen for my name and check in when it’s called,” Skinner said. “I’m not expecting to play. I want to play and I think I can play. When he needs to use me, I’m there.
“But as a player, you feel more comfortable and have a better chance to give the team a boost when you’re getting consistent minutes. When you don’t play for a while, everyone has to adjust again and that’s always awkward.”
Hill doesn’t think that should be a concern with Skinner, an intelligent player who rarely hurts his team.
“Brian was big for us (Sunday) and he’s been better than advertised this season,” Hill said. “He gives us that girth and toughness inside and that defensive presence. We have the firepower to score, we just have to get stops and Brian can help us get them. He knows how to play. He needs to be out there even more
