If you're glad to see good people prevail, then you're delighted to see Grant Hill's line from Orlando's exhibition game against Dallas this week -- 26 minutes, 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal, zero ankle pain.

It was a liberating summer in many respects for the star-crossed NBA player. A fourth operation in four years on his injured left ankle may finally have healed the wound that dropped him from the game's megastar stratosphere. And the Pistons' stunning drive to the NBA championship may have taken care of any residual self-inflicted emotional scars from his unceremonious free-agency exit.

There won't be a championship ring awaiting Hill when the Magic comes to town this season -- nor should there be. Yet in Hill's mind, he deserves a small measure of ownership in the Pistons' return to the NBA penthouse after a 14-year absence.

Hill credits his departure for giving newly ordained team president Joe Dumars "more power" in righting a rudderless organization four years ago.