Tyrone Hill

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Tyrone Hill (born March 19, 1968 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a former NBA basketball player who usually played power forward. Hill spent four years at Xavier University, averaging on his last season 20.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.1 % from the field. The Golden State Warriors, in desperate need of some size and athleticism, selected him with the eleventh pick of the 1990 NBA Draft.

Hill had some trouble finding his niche with the fast-paced Warriors, centered on the "Run TMC" trio made up of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin and had often to play the center position. However, traded to Cleveland in the summer of 1993, he truly blossomed under the Cavalier uniform of the Mike Fratello era, earning an All-Star Game appearance in 1995. Hill was then sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1997 in a blockbuster deal involving notably Terrell Brandon and Shawn Kemp, and spent the remaining of his career between the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland, and the Miami Heat.

As the starting power forward for Philadelphia, Hill teamed up with Dikembe Mutombo and created a defensive and rebounding nightmare for their opponent. As a result, they made a trip to the 2001 NBA Finals, but lost to the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.

[edit] His style

Hill was a skilled and feared defensive player, able to defend on opposing power forwards and centers thanks to his combination of strength and quickness. While not flashy, his blue-collar play made him a very useful player. However, he was somewhat less threatening on the offensive side : while using the ball wisely (he shot .502 from the field for his career), he was an inconsistent at the free throw line and committed nearly two turnovers per assist.