Rip to Cavs fell through (also, the genesis of the Rip/Kuester feud)
AHHHH FUCK YOU RIP
Quote:
WojYahooNBA:
DET and CLE negotiated down to wire on a Rip Hamilton trade, but fell apart when Rip wouldn't accept buyout terms with Cavs, sources say. [via Twitter]
3:24 SpearsNBAYahoo:
RT @WojYahooNBA: DET and CLE negotiated down to wire on a Rip Hamilton trade, but fell apart when Rip wouldn't accept buyout terms with ... [via Twitter]
3:25 WojYahooNBA:
DET and CLE agreed on protected future draft pick to go with Hamilton, but Rip wouldn't give back enough of $25M owed him, sources say. [via Twitter]
More background on Rip/Kuester feud
No surprise who's got the scoop.
Hamilton at center of Pistons’ turmoil
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/expertsa...an+Wojnarowski
Quote:
About a week prior to his banishment to the Detroit Pistons’ bench in January, Richard Hamilton(notes) berated coach John Kuester in a jarring and expletive-filled diatribe on the practice court, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
As stunned coaches and teammates watched, Hamilton bellowed at Kuester that he had been a failure in his two seasons in Detroit, blown the opportunity the franchise afforded him and was nothing more than a career assistant coach, sources said. Despite Hamilton yelling within inches of him, Kuester didn’t respond.
Several of the team’s younger players were mortified watching it and privately told agents and associates they wished they had the courage to stand up, confront Hamilton and try to take control back from the disgruntled veteran.
Quote:
With $25 million left on a contract that runs through the 2013 season, Hamilton had been nearly impossible to trade for Detroit. Still, Pistons general manager Joe Dumars and Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant had an agreement to send Hamilton and a lottery-protected 2012 first-round draft pick for a $12.6 million trade exception and a second-round draft pick on Thursday, sources said.
Cleveland was mostly interested in the draft pick, but was willing to let Hamilton join the team for the remainder of his contract. Once Hamilton made clear he didn’t want to play for a last-place team, his representatives discussed a contract buyout that would’ve allowed him to likely join the Chicago Bulls, sources said. Cleveland wanted him to take $18 million in the buyout, arguing that he could secure his 2011-12 salary now when it’s possible that money wouldn’t be paid him during a lockout next season.
Hamilton declined, and the trade died within an hour of the Thursday afternoon deadline.