There is much optimism in Hooterville this year. We now, apparently, are going to see what we all thought we'd see last year: Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady together for a full season, feeding off each like Torvill and Dean.

Hill, of course, is coming back after missing all of last season (OK, he played in four games) with foot woes. But after another operation and extended rehab, he says he is healthy. If he is, he gives the Magic another dimension, which is bad news for everyone else. That's because McGrady showed last season that he among the elite in the game. And he's getting better. And he's only 22.

A Hill/McGrady parley would, in itself, be fun and productive. But it probably would not be enough, which is why Orlando is going to make another run at Tim Duncan in a couple years. In the meantime, GM John Gabriel has brought in Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant to appease the AARP folks and, perhaps, to even play a little. Grant showed last season he still has something left. The creaky Ewing is starting to make Artis Gilmore look agile but figures to play 20-odd minutes a game.