The day after the colossal mess into which his team landed in Detroit, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle paused to say something most in attendance tolerated impatiently.

Indiana was preparing to face Orlando, and Carlisle said unprovoked , "It will be good to see Grant Hill. To me, he is an important athlete. He is a great guy, and to see him out there, it's great."

Back at The Palace, Pistons president Joe Dumars took a break from the all-brawl, all-the-time circuit to say, "I'm happy for Grant. He's a great player and represents this league the way it should be represented."

And in New York last week, hours after David Stern announced the harshest suspensions in NBA history, the league sent out an announcement that was so overshadowed it might as well have been sent out in Esperanto: Orlando's Grant Hill had been named the East's player of the week after averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in two games.

If you're looking to remind yourself why, exactly, you ever liked sports, catch up with Hill for a while. He was averaging 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists entering the week and was the player most responsible for the quick climb of the rebuilt Magic. His shooting skill has returned, and his passing and ballhandling ability from the small forward spot make him a perfect complement to Steve Francis, a scoring point guard.

Want to feel good about pro basketball? Think about this: Hill could have retired, could have given up on doctors and wheelchairs and crutches, could have spent his days eating Cheetos and contemplating his navel, and he still would have collected every cent of the $93 million the Magic agreed to pay him in 2000. But he didn't.

"We are doing a lot of talking about what is wrong with professional players, but he is an example of what is right about players," says Orlando coach Johnny Davis. "He could have walked away into the sunset, and nobody would have thought less of him."

What now looks right once looked so wrong. Hill injured his ankle in the 2000 playoffs, after his best pro season. "A lot of people probably just forgot about me or got tired of wondering if I was going to come back," Hill admits. Lord knows, he has tried this comeback thing before. Three times, in fact. The first one lasted four games. The second one made it to 14 games. The third one was the most promising -- Hill lasted until January 16, 2003, before the ankle needed surgery again.

All those comeback attempts involved new surgeries, so Hill is playing on a Franken-ankle. He had screws put in and taken out. He had a steel plate inserted. He had original bones removed and genetically engineered bonelike material inserted. He had his ankle broken so it could be reset. He had skin from his triceps grafted onto his foot.

"I feel great," Hill says. "I have the ankle of an old man, but I feel I am in great condition."

But he is cautious. He must make it through the season before he starts considering his long-term possibilities. If he's healthy, Hill is almost a sure bet to play for the East All-Star team in February, especially with two of the East's top forwards, Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest, out of action. If Hill reinjures the ankle before then, he says, this will be it.

Even if he doesn't make it, even if Hill's ankle swells to the size of a ski boot and his career ends, you've got to tip your hat to him for not giving up. And in the meantime, watch him play and enjoy it.