[Dave Bing]

Looking forward to hearing Bill Simmons put a negative spin on Joe turning a 19 million dollar contract into an 8 million dollar one. Joe did a good job here.

[hack]

I think when he takes the green glasses off Simmons nails Joe -- a mix of brilliance and confounding stupidity.

[Kstat]

Apparently we're talking to Reggie Williams.

[TJPiston]

That'd be a real nice depth signing for the SF/SG spots.

[King Mob]

We already have plenty of depth at those positions...I have to think this is either a ploy to put pressure on Stuckey, or plan B in case they let Stuckey walk or move him in a S&T.

[King Mob]

Or, even better, a replacement for BG after he's traded.

[Whiteman]

I like Reggie Williams a lot. Dude can ball.

[tin mad dog]

I really have to look him up. For some reason, I can't recall this Reggie Williams. I can only recall the one that played at Georgetown with Ewing and then later was a bust with the Clips.

[tin mad dog]

Undrafted SF in his 3rd year, out of VMI. That didn't help much. I guess I'll take your word for it. He's totally off my radar. I maybe watched 3 Golden State games last year.

[papalawrence]

Originally Posted by tin mad dog

I really have to look him up. For some reason, I can't recall this Reggie Williams. I can only recall the one that played at Georgetown with Ewing and then later was a bust with the Clips.

Lol, that's what I was thinking.

[Billl]

I still don't get us looking at him. Good hustle guy who can knock down an open shot and plays decent D - at least by Golden State standards. Unless we really clean house though, we still have a glut of wing players. Assuming stuckey is back, we've got 4 rotation guards and 2 rotation sf's. Maybe Joe has something up his sleeve, but those spots look filled to me.

[fredsue]

stats look like he can shoot well 36% and 42% from 3 land for his two years...2nd year he shot over 200 3's so he takes them....

[fredsue]

he also has good size for a two guard...but we do have an abundance of guards....bynum/stuck/knight/BG ...but maybe Joe has plans to move one of those in the near future (or even later) and thinks that Williams fits better down the road.

For example...IF he is planning on moving BG or even possibly using amnesty on him if he does not fit in after this season. Then Williams might be a good shooter to put next to stuck/knight/bynum...

[hack]

Not safe to assume Stuckey is back. Not safe to hand playing time to a rookie but better to make him compete for it. Not safe to continue to throw Will Bynum out there and expect to win games. We're trying to get away from that. If he's a solid defender and effort guy who knocks down open jumpers, that's great. We all felt the loss of Afflalo.

[Billl]

Well, if you assume that none of our rotation players will play, then yeah, we've got space. As is though, we have a ton of guards who can score.

Also, his defense is still up in the air for me. He looked OK in GS, but that might have just been in comparison to the guys he was playing with. Same could be said of his offense. I'd be surprised to see him cracking double digits on a team where not everyone has the green light to jack it.

[Dave Bing]

So it was reported that Rip was bought out for 11 million, not 8 million. This will count 5.5 against the cap as opposed to the previously reported 4.

[hack]

I've not seen the guy so I don't know. I do know,however, that none of the guards on our team are such that we shouldn't look at other players.

[DYNOMITE]

We should bench all our guards to instill upon them that there are better players on other teams.

[FadedMario]

uhh - 5.5 instead of 4 a year sucks

[hack]

I'm fed up with your timid suggestions. Really we should chain all the guards together to a fixture in the lockerroom. They can stay there until they play better.

[DYNOMITE]

In a year in which just "doing stuff" isn't going to cut it, we may be forced to take extreme measures with this broken group.

[fredsue]

the beatings will continue until moral improves.....sounds ok to me

[Stefan S]

I always imagined saying goodbye to Richard Hamilton would be difficult

By Dan Feldman • 12:36 pm • December 16, 2011

“I never had an issue with Coach Kuester.” –Richard Hamilton

When the Pistons bought out Richard Hamilton, I knew I should write something about his legacy in Detroit. For better or worse – and most of the time, better – Hamilton impacted the Pistons greatly in his nine years with the team, and I wanted to explore that in a post.
I just couldn’t.

I opened blank documents a few times, but my fingers wouldn’t type. There was no emotional connection to Hamilton anymore. I rationalized that it was because I had already written his Pistons postmortem – a year ago. If you want to read about Hamilton’s ups and downs in Detroit, read that.

But yesterday, when I read this post’s lead quote – “I never had an issue with Coach Kuester” – something finally kicked in: Disdain.

I have really grown to dislike the image of Hamilton I see. That Hamilton is rude, conniving and fake.

I know that’s unreasonable. I understand there’s a large side of him I’m not privy to. I want to make clear there very well could be a difference between the Hamilton I see and the real Hamilton.

But I also hope he sees what he’s doing, how he alienated all but the most loyal fans he had left in Detroit.

Rip is aging. That’s a tough reality for anyone, especially someone who relies on his body for a living. I empathize will Hamilton. I really do. His response to that, though, is to teleport into some alternate universe.

I wish I lived in Hamilton’s fantasy land, a place where the only thing keeping him from elite production is playing time, where players didn’t age and where he never had issues with John Kuester. I want to like Hamilton again.

He’s arguably the worst player to lead a championship team in scoring since the NBA began calling itself the NBA. He certainly had the worst points per game average of any such player in the last 60 years. And I mean it as an absolute compliment.

In and around Detroit, we don’t mind doing things the hard way. We just like when things work. Hamilton’s mid-range game was the hard way. Few players zig and zag around the court, around screen after screen, like Hamilton did at his peak. It was awesome. And it was inefficient. Hamilton would have been much better served developing his 3-point range, where baskets are worth 50 percent more points than his long jumpers. But it worked, and I loved Hamilton for it.

I really wish we could all go back to that time, but I don’t live with Hamilton in his fantasy land. All I see is him trying to shirk responsibility for what wrong in Detroit, a toxic situation created in large part because of his attitude.

That the Pistons brought back Tayshaun Prince, a free agent, and dumped Hamilton, who had $19 million left guaranteed on his contract, should tell you a lot about how untenable the situation had become. Like I said, I made my peace a year ago with Hamilton’s end with the Pistons.

So, as Detroit moves on without him, I just don’t feel that different. The Rip I grew up watching has been gone for a couple years now.
I hope Hamilton finds that Rip in Chicago. Playing for a contender, especially one with Derrick Rose at point guard, will mean HOAM should show up more often. There will be plenty of nights Hamilton makes the Pistons look foolish for dropping him, even though his effort probably wouldn’t have been the same for them.

But I just don’t think Hamilton will find happiness in Chicago, or anywhere else, until he stops blaming everyone else and accepts that age is chiefly responsible for his decline. Few athletes age gracefully and watching closely those who don’t is unsettling.

I still yearn for the charismatic Rip, always smiling, punching his teammates before games. I just don’t see him returning – and I’m sick of watching this player I no longer like, quietly wishing his attitude could somehow just flip back in time a few years.

Enjoy Chicago, Rip. Thanks for making the end easy to handle.

I always imagined saying goodbye to Richard Hamilton would be difficult PistonPowered

[Kstat]

me and Kuester was cool.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by Kstat

me and Kuester was cool.

Exactly! This fragment:

But yesterday, when I read this post’s lead quote – “I never had an issue with Coach Kuester” – something finally kicked in: Disdain.

It really made me wanna puke.
Gradually, from one of my favorites, Rip has devolved into one of my least favorite Pistons.

[Whiteman]

You know how they say "timing is everything", its funny how not one person has mentioned that they are mad Rip signed with a old time confernce rival. If this went down 4 years ago, lots of people would hate RIP. Now its like we dont care where he went because its about a new direction.

Do we care if Rip is now a Bull? That use to mean something.

[King Mob]

There is no reason to get mad at a player for signing with a rival team, the idea is ridiculous.

[Orwellian O.]

Originally Posted by King Mob

There is no reason to get mad at a player for signing with a rival team, the idea is ridiculous.

You must not be a fan....that is the whole point of professional sports...get fans riled up enough to part with their hard earned $ and spend it on tickets, league pass, and merchandise.

Of course, player movement is no reason to stalk a player and spend one's nights plotting said player's demise.

[tin mad dog]

Originally Posted by Whiteman

You know how they say "timing is everything", its funny how not one person has mentioned that they are mad Rip signed with a old time confernce rival. If this went down 4 years ago, lots of people would hate RIP. Now its like we dont care where he went because its about a new direction.

Do we care if Rip is now a Bull? That use to mean something.

I think I posted something about not wanting him to sign with them. I don't blame him for doing so, though. The rivalry wasn't there during Rip's time as a Piston. We had bigger rivalries with Indiana, the lakes, Cleveland, Boston, Miami, Orlando, SA & even Philly.

It's more a case of anyone over the age of 30, that grew up a Pistons fan, not liking shitcago.
I think that's probably all of us, save the guy with the Pipple Pillow Cases and MJ toothbrush.

[DYNOMITE]

Except you are over 30. I used words like "shitcago" when I was a teenager. Now I have a wife and kids and the Jordan era has lost it's grip on my life. I wish Rip well and am glad he is gone.

[The King]

Tom Gores didn't attend Friday's exhibition opener. But the previous majority owner was there. Karen Davidson was in her customary courtside seat under the basket near the Pistons' bench. She retained a 10% interest in the team when she sold it to Gores' Platinum Equity group.
......

That was from Freep. What the hell? I thought we would never have to see that ugly face again. Smart woman keeping 10% share, though.

[Dave Bing]

She's true-blue Pistons.

[tin mad dog]

Originally Posted by DYNOMITE

Except you are over 30. I used words like "shitcago" when I was a teenager.

And have kept it clean and high brow ever since. Kudos to you, sir.

You seem to agree with me on my other point.

[ghandi]

Originally Posted by Dave Bing

Looking forward to hearing Bill Simmons put a negative spin on Joe turning a 19 million dollar contract into an 8 million dollar one. Joe did a good job here.

He did do a good job with the dollars but I would have liked t ohave see nRip dealt at some point before it came to this......IT kinda sucks that the Pistons lose in this deal and the Bulls get a free, playoff tested shooting guard.

[Stefan S]

OK, here is Simmon's spin (not exactly on this topic still):

• Detroit re-signed Tayshaun Prince and Jonas Jerebko for $46 million combined over four years. This would have been ridiculous even if they didn't play the same position as Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye … who, by the way, both play for the Pistons. I think this was Joe Dumars' last-ditch attempt to get fired. Next stop: robbing a liquor store.

Bill Simmons figures out what some teams can still do to get better - Grantland

[Jeff Hause]

That's actually pretty funny...

[hack]

Impressed with KD and less so with Simmons. I'm disillusioned with Joe too but that's some rather shallow analysis.

[Jeff Hause]

• Golden State struck out with Marc Gasol, Nene, Tyson Chandler, tried to overpay DeAndre Jordan (four years, $43 million), then settled on a one-year, $7 million deal for the immortal Kwame Brown. I'm not sure if "settling" is a strong enough word, to be honest. If the newly single Ashton Kutcher spent the night talking to Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Blake Lively, threw the kitchen sink at Kaley Cuoco and went home with a portly cocktail waitress, I don't think we would use the word "settling." That's basically what happened here.

So don't the Warriors front office people listen to Jerry West, or has he gone completely senile? Hasn't Marc Jackson been making fun of Kwame throughout his entire broadcast career? So much for my Warriors tickets this year...

[Hobbs]

The Warriors are trying to play defense this year and Kwame can play man defense fairly well. It's the one thing he's actually good at. He's coming off a pretty decent season.

And, of course, it's a one year deal so it doesn't matter to anyone except the guy writing checks. It doesn't hamper them in any way if he shows up and decides he's going to spend the year crying in the corner. I haven't checked their salaries, but they might have needed to give him that deal to even hit the minimum contract threshold.

[Jeff Hause]

LA, then Detroit, now Golden State... the guy haunts me at every turn...

[bozo the clown]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hause

LA, then Detroit, now Golden State... the guy haunts me at every turn...

hahaha

But things are getting exciting in L.A., Jeff. The Clippers are already looking great. I love the back court of Paul and Chauncey, it is perfect, just perfect... Butler is a nice swing man and of course Blake Griffin in the front court.

Regarding Rip, I wish him well, he was a great part of the championship team and I think of him fondly. I loved his hustle on offense. He'll fit in well in Chicago. But it was long since time for him to depart. Thank goodness...

[hack]

You think the Clips can do it on D with that backcourt? On offense, it's certainly great as long as Chauncey buys in to playing off the ball, which I'd think he will to be on the league's most talked-about team.

[Kstat]

Deandre Jordan and Butler hold everything together defensively. Butler can defend the other team's best wing, and Jordan protects everyone at the rim as Tyson Chandler 2.0.

The Clippers can throw out as many undersized guards as they want, so long as they have Griffin on offense and Jordan on defense to create havoc.

[King Mob]

I don't know how well Butler can defend the wing any more, but I also don't know if it even matters. If the Suns could contend by just shooting teams out of the gym, then this Clippers team probably can. They as good offensively and better defensively.

[hack]

Jordan certainly projects as that kinda player, but is he it yet? He's still developing. IMO I could see the Clips needing a year to figure out what works and an offseason of transactions to make this work on a contender level. I think they certainly should be a prominent part of the playoffs story though.

[Kstat]

Jordan certainly looks like he's arrived. He only had 4 blocks last night (one on Kobe that was absolutely spectacular), but it felt like he had 10. He was altering shots all over the place.

He had one dunk on both Pau and Bynum that was sick as well.

He still doesn't do much outside of blocking shots and dunking the ball, but on the clippers that's all he needs to do. He might catch more lobs from Paul than Griffin will this season.

Edit: here we go

[Whiteman]

Walter Sharpe..... Everytime I think of DeAndre, I say to myself "We drafted Narco and that rhymes with Darko"

[Kstat]

Every team in the NBA passed up on Jordan. he looked like the next Kwame Brown at Texas A&M. Credit the Clips for taking a chance on him and hitting a home run.

On 25 other NBA teams, Jordan probably isn't a major factor, because he remains pretty unskilled and undisciplined. A more aggressive approach and having Blake Griffin next to him changed the course of his career.

[hack]

Remains pretty unskilled and undisciplined, yes. So while he might get 4 blocks, and while he's improving, he's still a work in progress. I bet he's far better able to hide Chauncey's deficiencies next year than he will be this year.

[Kstat]

It depends what you're asking for. If all you want from him is to protect the rim and finish at the rim, he's as good now as he's going to get.

I'm not sure he'll get much better than this.