Former Utah Jazz point guard George Hill drawing interest from the Cavs

Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers have expressed interest in former Utah Jazz point guard George Hill.

In an extremely odd turn of events, if we’re honest with ourselves, George Hill has managed to become one of the more polarizing figures among Utah Jazz fans. To start out his time in Utah, he was absolutely sensational and he won over the hearts of nearly an entire fanbase with his solid play and incredible fit. In fact, when extension talks between Hill and the Jazz faded out, there were several fans (myself included) who were quite disappointed.

However, it wasn’t long into the season before an onslaught of varying injuries took their toll on Hill, rendering him sidelined for much of the year. Once the playoffs hit, Hill played a significant role in Utah’s first-round victory over the LA Clippers, but then he sat out the final three contests in the series against the Golden State Warriors with an injury that many believed he was capable of playing through.

Combine those issues of salary requests and injuries, and Hill suddenly fell out of graces with the Jazz and was all but cut loose when Dennis Lindsey and Co. opted to trade for Ricky Rubio instead. Hill then went on to earn his “big payday” by signing with the hapless Sacramento Kings and, at the time, the overwhelming sentiment in Jazz land was nothing short of “Good Riddance”.

But after struggling through half a season with an under-performing Ricky Rubio, I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to say that a good number of Jazz fans would actually be willing to welcome Hill back with open arms if given the chance. That’s extremely unlikely to happen now due to burned bridges, an unappealing contract and a now questionable fit, but it does appear that Hill could very well be on the move from his recently joined Sacramento squad.

He’s already been circling the web in a number of trade rumors, but things seem to be significantly heating up according to a recent report from Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania. Shams broke the news today that the Cleveland Cavaliers have expressed interest in George Hill in an effort to bolster their backcourt.

Hill is a very capable guard that, despite having a bit of a down year, is still a solid defender when he wants to be and is shooting extremely well from three. His fit next to Isaiah Thomas seems somewhat questionable, but Hill can play either guard position or could potentially come off the bench, so perhaps his presence would be just the lift the Cavs need.

I have personally remained a big fan of George Hill and would love to see him in a more favorable position than with the bottom-feeding Kings, but I’m not confident that his addition would be enough to get Cleveland over the hump in overcoming their woes and challenging the Golden State Warriors.

Nevertheless, a move is likely imminent for the Cavs and Hill would certainly be a nice piece. If they have a few other tricks up their sleeves, perhaps they’ll really be able to make something exciting happen as they push towards the playoffs. Or, as is sometimes the case during trade season, maybe this and other rumors will be little more than empty fanfare and Hill will eventually stay put.

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Whatever comes of him and any current Jazzmen on the trading block, you can be sure to catch it right here on TheJNotes.com as soon as the news is out.