"It's kind of embarrassing," Hill said as he slowly received electric massage treatment on his right wrist.

"I got it from dunking."

After all the so-called career-threatening injuries and surgeries and 13 seasons past receiving Rookie of the Year honors while with the Detroit Pistons, Hill is on pace to appear in every game for the Phoenix Suns this year.

Forget dunking. Ponder Hill actually playing an entire 82-game season after everything he's endured.

At 36-years-old, it's been a long time coming. He got close a few times. During the 1997-98 season in Detroit, Hill actually appeared and started 81 games for the Pistons. But here's where the irony comes in.

Suns head coach Alvin Gentry was one of Hill's assistant coaches – and later head coach – during Hill's days with the Pistons. Today, Gentry isn't sure where the time went. All he knows is it's purely amazing what Hill's been able to achieve since those days in Detroit and later with the Orlando Magic.

"That just tells me that I am old and I've been around a long time," Gentry laughed, his résumé littered with head coaching stints in Miami, Detroit and the Los Angeles Clippers before taking over in Phoenix.  

"It's come full circle. I didn't think he'd be playing under me at 36. I think he's as good an athlete as he was when he was a 25-year-old, I really do. I don't know if he can continually do it night in and night out, but so far he really has."

This coming offseason in Phoenix, both Hill and Gentry find themselves in similar situations: unsure what the summer will hold. Grant will be an unrestricted free agent. Gentry's hopes the "interim" tag will be removed from his head coaching title. Judging from their personal and professional relationship, Hill is already making a ploy for Gentry – and himself in some instances - to return for another go around with the Suns.

"I'd love to play for Alvin," admitted Hill, who is averaging 11.5 points and 5 rebounds in roughly 30 minutes per game.

"It seems like in four years I've had four different coaches, so I'd love to play for Alvin next year but it's a coaching situation. I'm not making ultimatums. But I think he's shown he's going to be the coach next year," he continued.

"It's like, what are they going to do with the personnel? Are they going to blow it up and start over, or what are they going to do? I don't think the team or management knows at this point. He's more than capable and qualified."

As Gentry tells it, Hill sacrificed a lot to sign with the Suns back on July 11, 2007. He can only hope that history repeats itself during Hill's upcoming free agency.

"The fact that he would take an opportunity where he fits in well, rather than take the money doesn't surprise me. If you go back and look, he passed up a lot of money with a lot of teams because he felt like this was a situation where he fit in great," said Gentry.

For Hill, Gentry – then an assistant under Mike D'Antoni - was "very instrumental" in him choosing to sign with Phoenix two years ago. And while neither situation in Detroit worked for Hill or Gentry in the long term, Grant remains hopeful this relationship will last with the Suns.

Since taking over for Terry Porter, Phoenix has returned to their up-tempo offense that was so effective in the D'Antonio era. And despite experts writing the Suns off months ago, they continue to fight to stay alive in the playoff picture out West – a testimony, Hill believes, stems from Gentry.

"Alvin's helped create the environment of getting back to the team atmosphere, the camaraderie," said Hill, noting how Gentry has "grown" during his brief season leading the Suns.

"Hopefully we can take care of business and he can get the job this summer and get another chance – it would certainly be the most talented team he's had – and see what we can do next season."

Unknowns may surround the Phoenix Suns this offseason – with a laundry list of notable decisions to address. But one reality holds true for Grant Hill and Alvin Gentry:

They want each other to come back.