OT: Pistons put Rip Hamilton on inactive list
The pistons have decided to put Rip on the inactive list for probably the duration of the season or until traded; Rip says he is healthy. Kinda a sad story for a player who met so much to Detroit baketball for many years. Its definately time for both parties to move on from each other. Wish Joe can find a trade to get him back on the floor.
http://detnews.com/article/20110204/SPORTS0102/102040421/Pistons-put-Ri…
February 4th, 2011 at 9:36 PM ^
He was always my favorite Piston of the latest championship era. One of the few that was able to master the art of the dying mid-range game.
February 5th, 2011 at 1:30 PM ^
Your avatar... it is lacking
February 4th, 2011 at 9:37 PM ^
I live in Florida (and have for the last 3 years) so I have not been following this all that closely. With that said, I was a die-hard pistons fan when I was in Michigan, and went to a lot of games, and was obsessed with them almost as much as I am with Michigan. During that time, he was always my favorite player. The way he ran circles around everyone on every offensive set was unreal. He claimed (and backed it up) to be the best trained player on the court every game. I truely hope he gets traded to a team in contention and is able to make a positive impact.
Thanks Richard "RIP" Hamiltonnnnn, for all that you did for the pistons.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^
F U KUESTER. I hate our coach. Kuester should not be able to treat a classy veteran like Rip like a nobody. I want this joke of a coach fired
February 4th, 2011 at 10:37 PM ^
Sucks now. Just because he was a good player 4 years ago doesn't mean you need to play a below average SG 30+ minutes a game.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:51 PM ^
If Joe can't trade him by the deadline, he is officially a garbage GM.
His management of this team has been an absolute trainwreck since 2008. Actually, "trainwreck" isn't harsh enough.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:38 PM ^
I dont care about The Pistons or RIP(Bulls fan) but that doesn't make him a garbage GM. RIP is very hard to move thanks to his deal. No one wants to pay him. His declining play hasn't helped either.
Now maybe paying Ben Gordan and Charile makes him a garbage GM but not being able to move RIP.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:55 PM ^
And who signed Rip to that deal? Joe did. It's not 20/20 hindsight to criticize that contract, either. Knowledgeable fans were dubious of it when it was inked. Plus, bad contracts in the NBA are moved all the time. There are no excuses.
February 5th, 2011 at 1:52 AM ^
Very solid point. And bad deals do get moved but only for other bad deals(in most cases). Like Arenas to the Magic for Lewis(2nd highest player in the league!) so he would have to trade him for another bum and bad contract more than likely.
February 5th, 2011 at 12:11 AM ^
You do realize that your 2008 starting point coincides with the death of Bill Davidson and the transfer of ownership to his wife and children who have ZERO Interest in owning an NBA franchise, right?
Joe D hasn't been able to do CRAP because they're trying to sell the team and don't want him to do anything to the roster/payroll to screw with their ability to sell.
Davidson's family is kinda like the stripper owner of the Indians in "Major League."
February 5th, 2011 at 8:49 AM ^
The 2008 starting point was generous. As it is, Davidon's death has nothing to do with the hirings of Michael Curry and John Kuester. Has nothing to do with Joe's decision to take all his cap space and blow it on Gordon and Villanueva. Nor does it have anything to do with his allowance of Kuester to go apeshit at the end of last year and fire the team up to go on a truly senseless winning streak that cost them several spots in the draft and a good shot at DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins wanted to come here and many thought the Pistons would try to trade up and get him. Joe, again, couldn't deliver.
He is DYING to trade Rip and he can't do it. He was dying to trade Tayshaun until recently and couldn't do that either. You are giving him way too much slack.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:55 PM ^
Can someone explain to me what Rip has done to deserve these insults from the press and ostracization from the team? I haven't followed the pistons very closely, so I honestly don't know whats going on.
February 5th, 2011 at 12:37 AM ^
His attitude and work ethic are the main problems. What kicked this all off was the Chauncey trade after he had just signed an extension with the team. Since then he's had to deal with the issues of his role in terms of splitting time with A.I/Ben Gordon. Immediately following the A.I. trade he was the consummate teammate. As time wore on he became more and more sick of the team's handling of him and now we're to the point where he can't be trusted anymore. He's contributed to the downfall of several coaches by not offering his full cooperation. Things such as "getting the flu" after Ben Gordon was put in the starting role don't help his image.
February 5th, 2011 at 3:37 AM ^
I watched an early season game that went down to the wire with the Pistons needing a stop at the end. During the final timeout Rip called three of his teammates together on a corner of the floor and was quite animated in discussing the play. They got the stop. It looks like good leadership until you realize he called them away from the coach.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:59 PM ^
From this, I would conclude that his career as a Piston is effectively over now. Shame. Bloody shame.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:02 PM ^
He was also my favorite piston. He has been completely mistreated during this whole thing and idk how Dumars thinks this is ok.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:22 PM ^
He's been mistreated? How?
He signed a contract guaranteeing him $12 mill/year. He's quit on 3 coaches now. He gets frustratingly bad T's all the f'ing time. He's made himself DNPable and helped (along with the $) make himself untradeable.
He was a great piece to a great team, but that's it. I liked the way he played under Larry Brown and, at times, under the other coaches he's gone through. I'll miss that, but I won't miss his issues with authority.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:16 PM ^
While I think the Pistons have been playing a little better with him sitting, I think things could have been handled better.
Haven't been paying too much attention to other NBA teams - does any contender need a veteran shooting guard? And small forward while we're at it.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:16 PM ^
I've never been a big NBA fan, but I loved the championship team... so much heart, so much character, and they bitchslapped the Lakers. It's just been sad to watch that origional group be dismantled one member at a time, one bad trade after another.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:17 PM ^
February 4th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
I hate how long it took Dumars to try and rebuild the franchise in a new era. He decided to let Prince and Rip essentially rot in Pistons jerseys on horrid teams while he has whiffed on I believe over 4,000 different suggested trades involving each of them in the past couple years. Then he re-signs Ben Wallace so we get to watch his twilight years up close. Rasheed didn't exactly go out under the best of circumstances. I feel like Chauncey is the only one of the old five whom my memories of are not soiled.
On top of that, Joe has assembled a team that is tailor-made for NBA purgatory. Not bad enough to get a great player in the draft (unless they get REALLY lucky with ping-pong balls) and not good enough to have a prayer at winning a playoff series if they could even get there to begin with.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^
I think a lot of what happened here has to do with the ownership situation. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Davidson wouldn't let Dumars spend the cash on players, so he's been kinda handcuffed.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:49 PM ^
Where are the anarchists and grafitti artists when you need them. I want a kid 20 years from now to ask about "Free RIP" on the wall of an abandoned building in Detroit and ask, "Daddy, why do they want to free rest in peace?" No son, way back when there was a basketball player who was being held hostage for $12,000,000 per year and they just would not let him go. It was sad to watch a grown man sit on a bench for all that money.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:06 PM ^
is untradeable at the moment, but it'll be more tradeable next year since it's expiring contract. No one would want to touch Rip's contract as of now. The best chance was with the 3 way trade with the Nuggets and Nets, but Melo said no. Nothing that Dumar can do except let Prince go and free up cap space for next season.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:10 PM ^
I thought the Nets' owner nixed the deal as too expensive.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:28 PM ^
but Melo was the one who's holding up the trade. The Nuggets couldn't pull the trigger unless they sign Melo on an extension. Eventually, Mikhail got sick of it and just ended the discussion. The trade would free the Pistons from Rip Hamilton's contract and save the Pistons about 17 million of cap space. That is better than being saddled with Gordon's and Villaneuva's ridiculous contracts with no cap space. Throw in Tayshaun's expiring contract after this season, you get a ton of cap space for next season
February 4th, 2011 at 11:16 PM ^
FUCK Karen Davidson...that gold digging biatch. Selling the Pistons when Mr. Davidson wanted to keep it in the family.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:16 PM ^
This disgusts me. Rip doesn't deserve this. He has done everything for this franchise not just on the court but off it as well. This is just a kick in the groin to Rip. He doesn't deserve this.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:44 PM ^
One thing about Hamilton is that he brings his all night after night, and is a pros pro by all means a guy that has done it the right way from day 1. Sad to see him getting treated this way.
February 5th, 2011 at 1:21 AM ^
FSN put up a graphic during a game comparing the run the team was on to the Bad Boy era and it compared very favorably. I remember Blaha saying, "enjoy this time, Piston fans, because you never know when the run will come to an end." So to Rasheed, Rip, Ben, Tay, and Chauncey...It's belated from me...but thanks for the memories, hard work, and awesome basketball. I will never forget the Pistons of 2003-2007. It was a great ride.
February 5th, 2011 at 1:42 AM ^
RIP to the Celtics please?!
February 5th, 2011 at 2:45 AM ^
RIP to the Celtics, please.
February 5th, 2011 at 9:11 AM ^
Rip for Rondo straight up? If thats not a good deal maybe Joe D would be willing to throw in Chris Wilcox...
February 5th, 2011 at 10:14 AM ^
because that would be a huge ripoff in favor of the Pistons. Rondo is a NBA all-star and is getting better every year. Rip is on the downside and doesn't really fit with the Celtics because they already have Ray Allen in Rip Hamilton's role except that he's a 3 point shooter.
February 5th, 2011 at 12:26 PM ^
Not serious, thats not just a ripoff; its a gasol for brown/crittenton/picks robbery.
February 5th, 2011 at 4:38 AM ^
Rip is R.I.P.
One of my favorite pistons, but its time to part ways.
February 5th, 2011 at 9:57 AM ^
They need to trade him so he can go on and have success elsewhere. Sadly, we could have traded Rip, Tayshaun and Stuckey for Rondo and Allen a few years ago. Hindsight and all but damn that would have been nice.
February 5th, 2011 at 1:46 PM ^
This is a total debacle.