Wednesday night, after he dispatched the Pistons players with four three pointers in the final three minutes, Chauncey Billups took aim at Detroit’s coaches and management.
Wednesday made the eighth straight game Rip Hamilton has missed. Officially last night was because of the stomach flu, but if he had shown up to the arena early and healthy he still would have sat. Coach John Kuester has benched him.
And Billups told the Detroit News he doesn’t get it.“My thing is he is Pistons royalty with the things he’s done for this franchise,” Billups said. “He has not warranted the activities they have given to him. I feel like he is one of the greats and his jersey is going to hang in the stands at some point. None of the other guys whose jersey is up there had to go through this. \
“It is disrespectful.”
He’s right.
Let’s not pretend that the current Hamilton is the same player as the Richard Hamilton that was curling off picks for catch-and-shoot 17 footers in 2004. He’s lost a step and if you want to reduce his role then it makes sence. But he is no DNP-CD player. He can contribute. However, the Pistons have gone to far down this silly little road now to turn back. At first the benching was believed to be because Hamilton was part of the three-team Carmelo Anthony trade, but when that fell apart Hamilton has remained glued to the bench.
The Pistons need to trade him. Disrespectful is a good word for the situation.
