NBA Obsessed » Rip Hamilton

The streak for Tayshaun is over

James Edwards — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:24:22 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Ahh, remember those warm nights in college when girls would streak across the softball field? Whatever happened to those days? Sorry, getting a little off the subject.

Tayshaun Prince

Tayshaun Prince has started 439 games in a row, which in the modern NBA with all the travel, is quite a prodigious streak. Painfully, especially for Tay, it will come to an end tonight.

His games-played streak was second among active players, trailing Andre Miller, and his games-started streak of 439 was the longest active run.

The bad news was compounded by the fact that coach John Kuester said that shooting guard Rip Hamilton definitely will miss the Toronto game and is unlikely to return Friday.

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When you look at Tayshaun Prince he seems so thin and so frail that no one would have guessed that he would become one of the league’s leading iron men.

NBA factoid: Robert Parrish played in 1,611 games in his career an NBA All Time record.

Tay last sat out a game in his rookie year and last did not start in his second year. Prince had trouble winning the confidence of Rick Carlisle in his rookie year and frankly did not show up until the playoffs. It was in the playoffs that Carlisle discovered that Tayshaun could back his man down and score with an odd looking twisting left handed shot. It was almost unstoppable due to the fact that it had never been seen during the regular season.

Tayshaun will be among the missing for tonight's game

Tayshaun has played in 537 games and another 118 games in the playoffs.

NBA factoid: A.C. Green played in 1,192 straight games and NBA All Time record.

The injury has come at a bad time for the Pistons with Rip Hamilton out as well. This Piston team does not have the depth or number of veterans that the Pistons teams of recent past.

Photo source Newscom

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Pistons are hunting for a postup player

James Edwards — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:48:02 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Today in a deal with the Denver Nuggets, Joe Dumars sent Aaron Afflalo and Walter Sharpe packing to free up salary cap money in search of signing a big man.

Sharpe had hardly played at all and Aaron Afflalo played a little bit more, but not even enough for us to remember how to spell his name. Afflalo came to the Pistons and surprised everyone with his strong defense, but strong defense does not get you on the court when you have offensive liabilities and Rip Hamilton is ahead of you.

So who is Joe D after?

The team is reportedly interested in Celtics restricted free agent Glen Davis, a second-year power forward who is coming off a breakout postseason run when he replaced an injured Kevin Garnett.

Davis, who is listed at 6-foot-9 and 289 pounds, is considered a little short for the power forward but is able to compensate with his size and bulk. He has a good midrange jumper and is a good rebounder.

If the Pistons make Davis an offer, the Celtics would have seven days to match.

Other free agents that could fit the bill are Knicks center Chris Wilcox, Spurs power forward Drew Gooden and Cavs power forward Joe Smith.

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This begs the question, will the Pistons try to make a move on Carlos Boozer or is there something wrong with him? It has been rumored that Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince would have to be involved in the deal and the Pistons were not ready to go that route.

Tayshaun Prince for Carlos Boozer?

Hmm, why not? Boozer is a career double double man and by the time the Pistons can go for the NBA title Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince will be all used up.

Hamilton is going into his 11th year and Prince is going into his 8th year, just like Boozer.

Photo source Newscom

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Artest and Hamilton return

James Edwards — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:25:46 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Houston has McGrady go down to injury.
Detroit has Iverson go down to injury.

Enter stage left…Ron Artest.
Enter stage right…Rip Hamilton.

It is the Rip and Ron show. Together they return. Separately they drive their teams to new heights.

Yes, Houston, we have a winner and it is delivered by Ron Artest.
Yes, Detroit, we can beat the Boston’s and Orlando’s as long as we have a big time performance from Rip Hamilton.

Ron Artest?

When the Houston Rockets acquired Ron Artest, you read in this space that he was brought in as a replacement for Tracy McGrady, not as a complementary piece. I wrote that at the time because I believed that Artest was the perfect fit for the Rick Adelman system – a fit that McGrady could never be. Adelman knew that, he communicated it, and GM Daryl Morey made it happen.

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Rip Hamilton?

The Pistons are 2-0 since a back injury took Iverson out of the rotation, and those two wins came over two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference: Orlando and Boston. Hamilton recorded 31 points (11-18FG) and six assists against Orlando, followed by 25 points, nine assists, and six rebounds against Boston. The chemistry that’s been missing is back, and it’s no coincidence that it’s returned as Iverson sits.

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Oh, by the way, the Nuggets came into Detroit tonight and Chauncey Billups put up plenty of daggers for 34 big ones, but Rip had 21 and the Pistons won the game.

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Piston’s dilemma Iverson or Hamilton

James Edwards — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:06:35 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Allen Iverson doing what he does best" title="allen-iverson-shooting-nc-upiphotos901260-detroit-pistons-vs" width="450" height="665" class="size-full wp-image-1613" />

Allen Iverson doing what he does best

So with Rip Hamilton coming back, who will it be? Allen Iverson or Rip Hamilton in the starting lineup?

Will it be Hamilton, guard Allen Iverson or power forward Amir Johnson?

After practice, Curry said a decision hasn’t been made but his comments seemed to indicate where he was leaning.

“We’ve seen just from the data in our games that we know defensively … it’s no secret when we got two bigs and (Tayshaun Prince) at the three-spot we’re our best defensively and at the end of the day that’s normally what’s going to drive most of our decisions,” Curry said.

If he keeps that line of thinking that would mean either Hamilton or Iverson would come off the bench.

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Allen Iverson has been a surprise to many, as he has played well and the Pistons have been able to win with him in games.

One can’t help but notice that when the younger Pistons, Amir, Maxiell, Stuckey, and Afflalo are in the game the Pistons are much faster and play well with Iverson. When the older Pistons, Prince, Hamilton, and Rasheed Wallace are on the court, it is a much more half court game and the pace is noticeably slower. Iverson does not fit quite as well with that group.

The real question is not who should be starting, but how do you mesh both players into the lineup. The Pistons need the relentless scoring of AI and his up tempo game, but come playoff time the game goes more half court and the curl plays for mid range jumpers by Hamilton become very important to winning.

Coach Curry has to find a way to get both players involved.

Photo source Newscom

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Pistons and 76ers – a tale of two cities

James Edwards — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 02:46:57 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Rodney Stuckey can fly past you, but is he ready to pilot the Pistons to victory?

Chauncey Billups was traded for Allen Iverson. Chauncey was on the decline. He no longer dominated in the playoffs and often left the team stagnant. Don’t get me wrong, he was a Piston warrior, but they were not going to win it all with Billups.

AI will share time with Stuckey and bring more speed and penetration to the offense. This will allow more players to play, like Afflalo, Amir, and Maxiell with an up tempo style.

Is AI the answer? Probably not, but change was needed and Chauncey was from Denver. Joe D cut a deal that seems to benefit both teams.

he’s the guy who has averaged more than 40 minutes a game during his NBA career.

And he says he’s ready if the Pistons want him to revert to his old playing style.

“Yeah, that’s just the competitive nature that I have,” said Iverson, 33. “That’s just inside me. I want to be the guy with the ball. I want to be the guy making the decision. But that’s just not the case anymore, and I have to adjust.

“I don’t have a problem with it. I think the bigger picture is winning a championship.”

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Philly is involved in that transition from making the playoffs to being consistently good and challenging to go farther in the playoffs.

EB is not the answer for the 76er’s but he is an important piece to the puzzle.

Philadelphia is still searching for that leader on the court and depending on leadership from the coach. Someone has to rise up and lead with their play. That was the importance of Billups to the Pistons. The 76ers need to find their Billups.

Detroit now belongs to Tayshaun and Stuckey. This will be an experiment due to the fact that neither player has an outgoing personality, a personality to get the team to follow them. This could be where the relentless play of Allen Iverson will fill that void until those players can take over.
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Rip Hamilton rips Flip

James Edwards — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:37:50 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Yeah, Rip rips Flip. Say that 10 times quickly. Heck, say ‘10 times quickly’ ten times quickly.

Enough with the quickly. Rip was unhappy last year in what should have been a very happy year.

“I have always been happy,” Hamilton said Wednesday. “I had a son (at the start of last season), which was one of the greatest times of my life. That was not a disappointment. Nothing off the court was a disappointment.”

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Instead of having a great year Rip was often out of the game mentally and emotionally. He became the mini-Rasheed Wallace, in terms of mood swings on the court. Too many Rasheeds is not good for the soup.

One thing my own coaching years in multiple sports (and the addition of being a father) has taught me is that young people want to have discipline. No they don’t want to be punished or spanked or benched. That is not what is being said here. What they want is an informed notion of how they should behave. It makes life easier. What they want is to know what is expected of them and how they can be their best. They need the accountability to be their best.

Coach Michael Curry agrees.

“Players like to be challenged, and they want discipline, even if they fight at times,” coach Michael Curry said.

“Rip was frustrated because he didn’t feel that everybody was being held accountable. Our goal as a coaching staff this year is to do a better job holding everybody accountable every day.”

Hamilton has been a happy camper thus far and is anxious to turn the page on last season.

“I don’t want to talk about (Saunders), either,” he said. “It’s a new season, and I am glad MC is the coach. You can’t look to the past. I am glad to move on and focus on the season ahead of us.”

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Pistons Rodney Stuckey – in with the new

James Edwards — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:14:07 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Rodney Stuckey going to the hole

The Pistons have enjoyed phenomenal success through the recent years to the point that making the Conference NBA finals and not making the finals is seen as a major disappointment.

Heck, last year Joe Dumars even put the whole starting team up for fire sale, if anyone would trade for them.

But there is one guy that was ruled untouchable. That guy is 6′ 5″ Rodney Stuckey. Here is a point guard that can go to the hole at will. Here is a point guard that is brimming with confidence and can’t wait for the season to start. Here is a point guard… well you get the point guard point.

New coach Michael Curry has all the confidence in the world in Rodney Stuckey and vice versa.

Curry has indicated that he likes the scoring Stuckey and veteran big man Antonio McDyess could bring from the bench.

“When you have both of those guys anchoring your second unit, it allows your other role players to play their roles and not play outside of themselves,” Curry said.

Stuckey and Curry have formed a mutual admiration society — Stuckey thinks the new coach will fully exploit the talents of the team; Curry has indicated he will emphasize more running and more pressure defense, stuff that Stuckey wants to hear.

“He’s going to give us opportunity to showcase our talent, and when the young guys get out on the court, we are going to do what we do and go out there and play hard and play good defense and it’s going to lead us to victories,” Stuckey said.

source

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Joe Dumars closes the door on Piston deals for now

James Edwards — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:17:36 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Chauncey Billups cannot believe his hometown Nuggets did not want him

Hey, you had your chance and blew it. It is hard to believe that nobody in the NBA wanted Rasheed Wallace or Chauncey Billups.

It is difficult to fathom that no team could have improved themselves by dealing for Tayshaun Prince or Rip Hamilton. But that is exactly what happened.

Only Rodney Stuckey is untouchable. The rookie showed great promise in the playoffs last year.

Now Joe D says the deals are done. He is still not happy with the way the season ended. On the Piston tour this past week, Joe D says the expectations are the same, NBA Finals or bust.

New coach Michael Curry is supposed to light the fire under their behinds.

It remains to be seen.

Billups, Hamilton and Prince are entering their seventh season in Detroit, hoping to at least advance to the conference finals for the seventh year in a row.

But Dumars is confident new coach Michael Curry will motivate the old nucleus to play hard.

“Part of the reason we hired Michael Curry was that he can instill a sense of urgency in how we play and the discipline that we play with,” Dumars said. “Those two things were missing last year, in my estimation.”
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LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh Free Agents 2010, but what of 2009

James Edwards — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:55:05 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

LeBron James is partying at the thought of all the NBA players available in 2009

Even with all the big name free agents in 2010, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in the group, the year 2009 could still be the year of the free agent.

Try this out for 2009.

Some of the Restricted Free Agents: Andrew Bynum, Marvin Williams, Jason Maxiell

Some of the players that can opt out of contracts: Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, Rip Hamilton, Hedo Turkoglu

True Free Agents: Shawn Marion, Andre Miller, Rasheed Wallace

So what about money?
Some teams are loaded depending on what happens.

Thunder 25 – 30 million
Trail Blazers 15 – 32 million
Grizzlies 18 – 24 million
Pacers 11 million
Heat 10 million
Bobcats 10 million

Plain and Simple, there will be lots of player movement in 2009 in the NBA.

story source espn

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Pistons and Kwame Brown?

James Edwards — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:01:06 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Kwame Brown looks huge compared to Jermaine O’Neal in this picture

Just when you thought it could not get any crazier, Joe Dumars and the Detroit Pistons signed Kwame Brown. Yeah, that Kwame Brown.

Kwame was a 1st round draft pick by Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. In fact he was the first pick of the draft.

His career has really been hopeless, especially after being the first High School player ever drafted 1st.

Your intrepid author had to do a little research to figure out why Joe D would go after Kwame Brown and the result is a little surprising.

When Lakers center Chris Mihm went down with a season-ending ankle injury on March 12, 2006, Brown took over the starting center position. During his stint as a center, he raised his averages from 6.1 points and 6.3 rebounds to 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds and started every game for the Lakers in the playoffs. Surprisingly, Kwame Brown became a central part of the LA Lakers seven game series with the Phoenix Suns. Although they would end up losing the series, it had appeared that Kwame Brown’s potential was beginning to show. The surprising consistency Brown showed while playing center prompted Phil Jackson to make Brown the starting center role in the 2006-2007 season. Brown was injured at the beginning of the season and Mihm was also out with injury for the whole season, so the starting job at center was given to the young Andrew Bynum. After playing the majority of the minutes at center despite the bench role, he was given the starting job in early December. Brown again became injured in the 2007-08 season which allowed Bynum to start again at the center position where he has now flourished.

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So here was the deal.

A team source confirmed the deal is for two years at $4 million per season. He made nearly $9.1 million last season, the final year of a three-year deal.
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Can Joe D do it again like he did with Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton and seemingly take a drifting player’s career and turbo charge it?

Trust in Joe D.

The best comment on this issue was “What, Darko wasn’t available?” (by DetroitDave)

The Pistons are still dogged by the Darko deal, but what GM would not have chosen Darko. Athletic 7 footers are hard to come by and Darko had all the markings of a 10 year starting center. To Darko’s credit, he is still in the league.

Of course, so is Kwame, for that matter.

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