Hamilton Agrees To Come Off Pistons' Bench

[Spurs Brazil]

Pistons guard Richard Hamilton has agreed to be the team's sixth man as coach Michael Curry switches to a more defensive-oriented starting lineup.

"A lot of people have made a lot of things about this," Hamilton said. "Regardless, you want to win games. Me and Allen [Iverson] both know that. They told me I was coming off the bench, that it was something MC (Curry) wanted and I said, 'Fine, cool.'

"The bottom line is you want to win games. If this is the best way we can win a championship, then I am all for it. The thing is, we have two great scorers, me and A.I. We have to figure out how both of us can be our best."

Iverson will start at shooting guard, while Amir Johnson will take Hamilton's spot in the starting lineup on most nights.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/56723/20090121/hamilton_agrees_to_come_off_pistons_bench/

[IronMexican]

Team player. You got to like that.

[bdubya]

Team player. You got to like that.

Yes sir!

(Would have been even more likable if it didn't take a five-game losing streak to get the point across, but that's on Curry....)

[urunobili]

:lol Rip is hating every minute of it :lol

[Austin_Toros]

Pistons guard Richard Hamilton has agreed to be the team's sixth man as coach Michael Curry switches to a more defensive-oriented starting lineup.

"We have to figure out how both of us can be our best."


Since when does AI play D?

Also, AI is ruining the Pistons. They brought in a 'me me me' scorer, now benched a team player.
This will probably get uglier...

[JamStone]

Since when does AI play D?

Also, AI is ruining the Pistons. They brought in a 'me me me' scorer, now benched a team player.
This will probably get uglier...

Iverson doesn't play D. But, putting Rip on the bench in favor of a more legitimate big so Tayshaun doesn't have to play power forward and Rip doesn't have to play small forward automatically makes them a better defensive team than with a small ball line-up. Would be even better defensively if Rip was the starter and AI came off the bench, but still this is better defensively than the small ball starting line-up.

AI's ego is definitely hurting the team, but this move was made so that it wouldn't get uglier. Things would have been extremely uglier if AI was the one forced to go to the bench. Rip hates it and is to some extent probably steamed over it, but he'll be more professional about it than AI would have handled it.

[DPG21920]

I smell some kind of "back handedness" to this. Just last week I read an interview with RIP about coming off the bench and he laughed and said it is not an option. It will be interesting to see how this works out.

It should be good theoretically for the team, but RIP has to buy into it.

[Rogue]

Prince is high enough to take the PF job but his skeleton is too skiny to withstand his opponent PF who is usually tons heavier than him.