Pistons' Richard Hamilton still limping, won't play against Bobcats

By Chris Iott
November 09, 2009, 11:40PM
MLive.com

AUBURN HILLS -- There is good news and bad news when it comes to Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton's ankle injury.

The good news: He is walking better than before, Pistons coach John Kuester said.

The bad news: Hamilton still walks with a noticeable limp.

He walked with a severe limp as he made his way out of the practice gym Monday and will not play Wednesday when Detroit hosts the Charlotte Bobcats.

"He's still getting treatment," Kuester said. "He's walking better, so that's the good news."

Hamilton was injured in the Pistons' season opener at Memphis on Oct. 28.

I must be really tired cause after reading this quote


The good news: He is walking better than before

I thought our trainers must be good to correct someone's walk, especially after he's been walking that way for 30+ years

And it's only 8pm my time! Too many hours here/at work/not sleeping

At least this thread didn't get used to funnel his anger at Joe, yet.

The question needs to be asked:

Do we need him?

I like the guy as much as anyone and he's a proven 20 point threat but him coming back changes a lot of stuff.

BG goes back to the bench, Bynum gets less minutes, offensive flow would be drastically different...

I'd like to see what the team can do with him, though. We had one game with him and the Pistons played fantastic. But our three guard rotation now is solid. I hope he can make the team more successful, because I'd really like to see his number in the rafters some day.

The question needs to be asked:

Do we need him?

I like the guy as much as anyone and he's a proven 20 point threat but him coming back changes a lot of stuff.

BG goes back to the bench, Bynum gets less minutes, offensive flow would be drastically different...
Yes we do need Rip. Ben and him are both better on offense with each other. It was proven against Memphis. Bynum Will still get plenty of minutes as will Gordon. Only thing that will happen other wise is Jerebko and Daye sharing less minutes.

Also I still like it when there isn't pressure on Gordon to score like there is now. He is more consistent when he's not called upon to carry more of the load. We gotta alot of actual tough games(alot tougher than bobcats minus Bell and Magic minus two stars) coming up and the sooner we get our starters back, the better imo.

I'd like to see what the team can do with him, though. We had one game with him and the Pistons played fantastic.
Indeed, everything Gordon is doing one on one is cool, but when you get him and Rip coming off of screens at the same time, they've made us as a team look unstoppable.

I will be happy to see the team with Rip back, but I am happy to see the team forced to play the young guys and different combination as well. I HATE when coaches ride the single lineup or style they are sure about to the most wins they can get. You have to develop the team in more ways than just "what will get me the most regular season wins."

I will be happy to see the team with Rip back, but I am happy to see the team forced to play the young guys and different combination as well. I HATE when coaches ride the single lineup or style they are sure about to the most wins they can get. You have to develop the team in more ways than just "what will get me the most regular season wins."

I agree, and I think it's one reason Phil Jackson (and Pop) gets so much credit as a Coach.

He'll play the end of the bench guys in different situations throughout the season to prepare them for the playoffs and shit.

That's how you develop players and help them with their confidence. There's only so much you can teach/learn in practice.

And I think with Rip back we'll be a lot better, and we could see some freaky line-ups too.

Maybe a Jerebko, Nova, Rip, BG, Stuckey line-up?

That would be interesting.

Jerebko is gonna be my favourite Piston by the end of the season, too

Jerebko is already my favorite Piston. Reminds me of watching a young Dennis Rodman. The guy has no elite basketball skills at all yet, but he just tries so fucking hard he makes shit happen out of pure effort.

If there were a defensive rookie award, he'd be the front runner right now by a mile.

^I called it first.

He's sorta like everything Amir should have been.

Shit, I hope we don't have to give him a max contract!

I hope the story of Joe drafting him because he can do the splits isn't true.

But history seems to favor that type of dumb decision from Joe on draft night.

I hope Jerebko plays so well that we DO have to give him a max contract. :)

I hope Jerebko plays so well that we DO have to give him a max contract. :)

That would be awesome.

And congrats to Mo for calling it first!

Kevin (Tucson, Ariz.): My wife and I are going to the Pistons’ game in Phoenix on Nov. 22 and I would love to be able to see Rip play. What’s the word on his ankle? Does it look like he will be good to go by then?

Langlois: Unlikely is my best guess, Kevin, based on what Hamilton said when I asked him a few days ago if he thought he’d be able to get back during the West Coast trip? “Probably not.”

Must be a pretty fucking bad ankle sprain.

Or Rip is getting softer and weaker as he ages.

What's with Rip's explanation for being out so long and then spontaneously being able to play again?

At the very least he wasn't giving full effort to make it back on the court.

I don't see how you can make that claim. One day he's inactive, the next day he's not. That's how it works with injured players.

One morning you're inactive and haven't tried to practice, then by lunch time your wife tells you to get off your ass and a power nap makes you suddenly healthy enough to play full starter minutes.

No, that's not how it typically works.

Rip had always kept himself in shape. the amount of minutes he played isnt relevant.

After an injury? Bullshit. Conditioning doesn't take you from being unable to practice to spontaneously able to play the entire game.

Even without the minutes the story is still ridiculous. All this time we thought it was Arnie, it's actually their wives and their ability to take power naps that dictates when a player is healthy.

It's possible that his ankle was still bothering him, but decided to give it a try anyway.

It's also possible the dude didn't feel any urgency to get back onto the floor till his wife told him to get the fuck out there. In fact, it's much more likely since that's the series of events as reported by the guy himself.

Maybe Joe let him rest up?

Someone floated the theory that Rip and Tay aren't "seriously" injured and are being allowed time off for good behaviour.

I'd buy that, and Rip's return certainly helps sell it.

Anybody else think that Rip looked maybe 15 lbs. "thicker"?

Not that he can't afford to carry a bit extra.

Maybe Joe let him rest up?

Someone floated the theory that Rip and Tay aren't "seriously" injured and are being allowed time off for good behaviour.

I'd buy that, and Rip's return certainly helps sell it.

If that's what's up then FUCK DUMARS.

This team has been scrapping together starting lineups all season. If its because Dumars is cool with players taking a vacation in the middle of the season then Dumars needs to go.

Fool, asking the tough questions today, what up?

It might also be that the injury still looks worse than it feels.

When I was a kid, I had a black and blue thumb from it being slammed between a car door and the car... call it a rough childhood. It was fine after 3-4 weeks, but didn't _look_ fine for 3-4 months. I had a black thumb and was joking about the damage I could do to plants and flowers.

I could believe that Rip's been told not to do much with the ankle until it gets better. It seems to feel better, but still LOOKS ugly, so he's been hesitant to really put it through his paces. If it's worse than he thought, he might be out longer from overworking it. But the ankle seems to be fine, he's getting restless, and says "damnit, play me".

Or it could be that his wife is nagging him about Christmas shopping shit and Rip's thinking "damn, I'd rather be playing ball that listen to my wife nag me about how to spend my money". He might still be hurting, but the alternative was worse.

Fuck if I know.

Surprise, Rip said the ankle is still painful after practice. I'm shocked.

This hardly sounds like a player that doesn't care...

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2009/12/pistons_richard_hamilton_just.html


Hamilton's mood Sunday was a carryover from the night before.

"I was just happy to be out there on the floor," Hamilton said after the game Saturday. "I didn't care what anything felt like. I just felt joy being able to play something that you love to do -- and that's the game of basketball."

Hamilton used the word "joy" several times while describing his feelings about being back on the court. That was a feeling he hadn't felt in a while.

"Everyone around me thought I was depressed," he said. "Everybody was like, 'Hey Rip, you ain't talking, you ain't doing nothing,' and things like that. It was one of those things where you go home and you just sit in your room, you don't turn the TV on and you don't do nothing because it's like, 'When is this thing going to get better?' "

It became harder and harder as time wore on, he said.

"Once you get past five games, it's like, 'Aw man. What's going on?' " Hamilton said. "Then I'm at 10 games, then I'm at 15 games. It was hard."

Has anyone heard a good explanation of why he never sat on the bench while he was out, even for the home games?

Only thing that was released by the organizational mouthpiece was something like "some players are just so competitive that they just can't stand to be that close to the game when they are injured".

Not sure how I feel about that explanation.

A lot of players can't deal with being at the games and not being able to play. That's very common. How you feel about it is irrelevant.

There are hall of famers that did this.

If that's what's up then FUCK DUMARS.

This team has been scrapping together starting lineups all season. If its because Dumars is cool with players taking a vacation in the middle of the season then Dumars needs to go.

I don't think it's a mere coincidence that all of a sudden rip is ready to play big minutes right when bynum starts missing time with an injury (in addition to gordon) creating a void in the guard rotation.

Could Rip have played hurt much sooner? Maybe. Is it that big of a deal? No. It gave the team some time to figure out what they have in stuckey and bynum.

Same thing with prince and the kids at the small forward position.

Don't be surprised to see prince make a miraculous recovery when the all-star break rolls around and it's time to focus on a playoff run.

And who cares? Does it make sense to burn out the vets and therefore not develop the kids in order to battle for a #4 seed or is it better to give players rest and make a run for it with the 6, 7, 8 seed while also creating a stronger, deeper bench in the process?

I know you disagree with me but the spurs have been doing shit like this for years, giving their big 3 breaks and time off during the regular season in hopes of keeping them fresh for the 2nd half. It's about time the pistons started doing this.

Remember all that talk in previous years of the starter's playing too many minutes during the regular season only to burn out in the playoffs?

Wait, so first Rip's conditioning spontaneously heals him and now he's in such poor condition that he needs 15 games AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON for a vacation.

Popovich does't have guys fake injury to give them time off, he plays them less minutes or develops game plans where Tony or Manu is the primary focus that game to relieve Timmy. You know, like a coach is supposed to do.


How you feel about it is irrelevant.
Classic Kstat.

You don't know that Rip faked his injury, which everybody saw on TV, and you also don't know that the Spurs players DONT fake injuries. I'll take Rip at his word, given that he almost never misses significant time.

I'm not a doctor. i don't pretend to be one, either. I'd be an idiot to judge the severity of the sprained ankle of someone I saw on TV.

Rip damaged 3 tendons in his ankle. It was a pretty bad sprain. He did practice and work with Kander. What he didn't do is have one final practice afterd deciding he was "ready." It was kind of spontaneous. I fail to see hwo you can accuse Rip of sitting out and Dumars condoning it or allowing it.

You're reaching big time.

Yeah, despite the fact I'm sure we're being fed a line of BS somewhere on the deal, we all saw him get hurt. He said that Arnie called it the worst he's ever seen. I doesn't hurt us to give him rest. I just don't care, let alone want someone fired over it.

Classic Kstat.

Lol, even better that he went back in and edited that part in afterwords.

I think K might be some kind of Pistons SuperFan robot, "How. You. Feel. Is. Irrelevant."

Rip damaged 3 tendons in his ankle. It was a pretty bad sprain. He did practice and work with Kander. What he didn't do is have one final practice afterd deciding he was "ready." It was kind of spontaneous. I fail to see hwo you can accuse Rip of sitting out and Dumars condoning it or allowing it.

You're reaching big time.
Try reading. Those scenarios were brought to you by the people arguing that Rip wasn't milking the injury. THEY spit-balled that Dumars was giving him time off or that the coaches wanted him out of the rotation to play the young guys or that Rip needed a vacation at the beginning of the season because he's so poorly conditioned.

That's the best they could come up with to explain how Rip's ankle is magically healed after a power nap.

I never claimed Rip wasn't ever injured. Just that he clearly wasn't all that motivated to get back on the floor.

It's possible that GrantBell was responding to the drivel I spewed regarding my theory that the team has been less than truthful about the severity of their "star" players injuries in hopes of letting their bodies rest after years of mis and over-use by the hands of foolish basketball coaches like flip the stuttering retard saunders and curry but also to see what they have in the young guys.

Dumars has been very critical of the league's IR policies in the past, I can definitely see him using these to his advantage (if resting players is deemed advantageous) considering it's the team and the team only that has a say on both the severity of injuries but also when a player is healthy enough to return (team meaning players, coaches and management). The league does not provide a checks and balances when it comes to this.

It seems unlikely that they intentionally rested Rip in the midst of a 7 game losing streak.

Obviously the guy got hurt. Obviously he did the rehab to come back. Maybe he was healthy enough 4 games ago? Maybe 5 games ago?

I don't really care. The only thing I wonder is what could possibily be gained by bringing Rip back at the first available moment...

Nothing - it's fucking December. Let the guy chill out, shoot jumpers, spend time with the wife and kids and maybe after the holidays bring him back