Early Tuesday morning, Luke Ridnour wanted to talk to Hill about some comments he made to reporters on Monday afternoon questioning his role and his future with the team after getting benched in recent fourth quarters in favor of Earl Watson.

Hill declined to divulge what Ridnour told him, but suffice it to say that Ridnour was contrite.

?He cares,? Hill said. ?Players like that ? they care. They can?t sleep, they want to talk, they want to confess, they want to apologize, they want to be educated. There is a reason they want to talk. In Luke?s case he is scared. He is a baby. He is what ... 23?

?Like I told him, Avery Johnson was cut six times. He was cut Christmas eve once. Sometimes to really make it at that position, you have to persevere, you really do. That position is hard.?

Ridnour said he did not understand why he had been getting benched when he thought he was playing well.