We can all see this coming from a mile away and we're powerless to stop it. Signing Stuckey to $7mil per is going to further hurt our chances of balancing this roster and rebuilding this team. Yes, trading Rip would be ideal but it will require Joe taking back yet another bad contract. Rip was a mistake (duh). In order to rebuild, Joe must maximize every opportunity to un-do his past mistakes. Waiting another 9 months to a year might yield the best situation for the future when it comes to Rip freaking Hamilton.
I'm not suggesting this to get rid of Stuckey, but rather to get rid of one of our 3 primary shooting guards. We might be stuck with Rip and Ben, so get rid of the one that we don't have to keep. It will take a trading partner to unload Rip and we'll probably get the short end of that deal. It might never happen or it might not happen for a long while. I'm not suggesting to appease Rip, but just to get back to an existence where guys have defined roles. Stuck, Rip, and Gordon at the SG spot is way too many dudes with egos and way too much salary at one position. The Bulls don't even have anyone at that position and they were the best team in bball during the regular season.
Believe me, I'm not a big Stuckey fan. I don't love him and I don't hate him. I don't think he is blameless by any stretch of the imagination. But, I've got to think that the guys who have been here the longest exerted their influence over him. Now, that may mean that Stuckey is weak minded, which says loads and loads about him. But I'm guessing the older guys lead the "rebellion" and got into his head. Just a hunch.
If Stuckey can hit from the corners, even that would be great. We don't have problem getting Stuckey open. He just sucks from long range. There were 29 players in the NBA this season who shot over 40% from the 3pt land. 22 of those were guards. If Stuckey can't crack the top 20 among NBA guards in 3pt percentage, than we have no business talking about him becoming an all-star or a cornerstone player etc etc. My point is, for Stuckey to be all the he is hyped up to be, he needs to become a consistent threat from long range.
If Joe hires the right head coach... ...and we surround Rodney with the right players. ...and if we give him another 3 or 4 years. Rodney can improve his outside shot and maybe become a threat from deep.
Hamilton's been a pouty, whiny little you know what since the Curry days at the very least. Stuckey only started his act with Kuester. He's not a bigger cancer than Hamilton or Prince are. No way.
If the NBA does add the amnesty clause, that would allow us to unload one of Hamilton or Gordon. You could live with keeping one of them, to play behind Knight and Stuckey.
I think I'd pick the guy with the longest contract and waive bye bye. Then I'd start completely fresh with filling the SG position for the long term. It's the easiest position on an NBA roster to fill and we can do a LOT better than any of the options that we currently have.
My understanding of the amnesty clause is that you still have to pay the player, they just don't show up on the books any more and wouldn't count toward the cap. So, if resign Stuckey and waive Rip in the amnesty clause, we end up paying Rip his entire contract amount and Stuckey at his new market rate. If we let another bidder take Stuckey, then we only pay Rip the entire amount of his contract and get to utilize his services, which are comparable to Stuckey's. Believe me, I wish Joe hadn't been a moron and signed Rip, Ben Gordon, Charlie V, and Maxiell at above market contracts. I'd be happy if we could somehow reneg on every one of those deals. And if we could, then I'd recommend resigning Stuck. But we have a massive glut at that position, so why intentionally add another player?
Yeah, well except for the fact that Hamilton can't defend a door now and Stuckey is a lot better at getting to cup and drawing fouls. Then there's the little age issue. I'm not even sure I'd use the amnesty clause on Hamilton. I might rather do it with Gordon (longer contract) and have Hamilton come off the bench (and if he doesn't like that, he can stay home).
You need someone who is comfortable starting and coming off the bench to go with Rod for those nights he doesn't feel like getting off the bench.
If you use it on Gordon, then you'd be paying him $33Million to not play basketball here. That would be an absolute admission of a mistake by JD that I don't see him making. I don't really think Rip or Ben are any worse than when we singed them. They might not be worth their contracts, but they are worth 50 to 75% of their contract amounts. Detroit hasn't showcased a player for a trade that I can remember in my lifetime. Now would be a good time to start.
We need Langlois to write a few articles talking about how last year's revolts were all TMac's fault and how clear it is that Rip is the leader of the team, how he's taking all the young players under his wing on and off the court, and how he's spending hours in the gym getting in the best shape of his life.
The Pistons have had offers for Rip (allegedly) that they had to turn down because of ownership. I keep hearing he's going to the Bulls, but who would they give up for him?
