Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Grant Hill looked impressive Wednesday afternoon at the RDV Sportsplex, flashing some of his pent-up athleticism during an hour-long workout.

"It's going to happen. I really believe it now," he said after his workout Wednesday. "I understand people will be doubtful, saying this guy has had this, this and this. And he's been gone this long. I understand that thinking. But I truly believe I'll come back, and play basketball again at a high level."

Since leaving the Detroit Pistons in August 2000 as a five-time NBA all-star, Hill has managed to play just 18 games for the Magic the past two seasons, each ending with a need for more surgery.

While admitting his third attempt to recover from surgery comes with no guarantee, Hill said this is the first time that he has been assured the bone in his troublesome ankle has healed completely.

"There is no more 'Let's keep our fingers crossed and roll the dice,' type of talk," he said. "In the past, there was always some uncertainty. Now there's a peace of mind I have with all the medical people telling me it's all healed. I'm confident that we've got some answers this time around."

The crutches, the casts, the walking boots and the limp are all gone. Hill said he could have been back on the basketball court a month ago. But at the request of the Magic and the medical staff, he has taken an ultraconservative approach in his rehabilitation, avoiding any unnecessary stress on his ankle.

"It's like riding a bike, you don't forget how to do certain things," Hill said. "Maybe we're being overly cautious, but it's also like a set of tires. There is only a certain amount of tread on them. You don't want to wear them out doing stupid things. I'm just hoping that these tires, these legs, because they haven't done much the last two years, will have plenty of tread left."

"The first time, it never healed. The second time, it partially healed, and the theory was either it will continue to heal on its own, it may never fully heal but it won't be a problem, or it won't heal and it will be a problem. And it gave me a problem."

Since the last surgery, done in Baltimore by Dr. Mark Myerson, who also performed the second surgery, Hill's progress has been monitored carefully with regular X-rays and CT scans. "Clinically, it looks great. From all different angles, the ankle looks awesome, better than it ever did before," said Dr. Joe Billings, the Magic team physician. "But there is no 100 percent guarantee. You can't tell for sure until he gets on the court and starts the pounding of an NBA game."

"Can I play all 82 games? We'll have to see. But my goal is to make it through an entire season," he said. "Whether I can be what I was in Detroit, I don't know. But I can come back and play better than I did last season. I want to get back to being a slasher, a guy who attacks the basket. I didn't get there last year."