Just Pull The Trigger Already

“I know the situation. I know how it went down and what was said and how it was said but even after that I never thought it would get to this point. Of course he is not going to play now. It is personal. You are going to have to trade him now. Rumors have persisted that Hamilton is a disruption and cancer for the team. He’s heard the talk and doesn’t like it”.



Those were Ben Wallace’s words after the Detroit Pistons beat the New Jersey Nets last night on Richard Hamilton’s benching. Clearly Wallace isn’t the only Piston that feels this way. I think the whole team feels Hamilton can help the team, but no matter what they say, there’s nothing they can do about it. I’ll stop short of saying conspiracy, but team president Joe Dumars must’ve sent this message to coach John Kuester from afar. Don’t play him.

Hamilton was put on the inactive list for last night’s game. A list for players that are injured. Rip’s not injured or ill. He’s just been benched and it hasn’t been for the good of the team. I know Dumars wants this team to try and make an attempt to get to the playoffs. I don’t agree with it but hey, he’s the prez and I’m sitting at my kitchen table relaying my thoughts. If he wants to make a playoff push Hamilton wouldn’t be doing woodwork on the sidelines. 

Wallace is right. It’s a must they trade him now. All that means is if they do trade him they’ll probably get a worse player in return with an equally bad contract. Those will be the only offers they get, unless a sweet three way deal comes along to ship Hamilton out of town. And I don’t see any of those coming anytime soon, not with the way teams covet expiring contracts and young talent. That means they’re stuck with each other for the forseeable future. By then there might be a full blown mutiny on this team, because they don’t really like Kuester, nor do they respect him. I know the Pistons as an organization really can’t move forward until they find a buyer for the team, so this situation as a whole will get a whole lot worse before it shows any signs of getting better.  

Wallace Plans To Defend After Career

If Ben Wallace has his way, he’ll be conducting a different kind of defense when his playing days are over. The Detroit Pistons big man plans to become a defense attorney when he retires. He just doesn’t know when that day will come. The more Wallace thinks about retirement, the harder it is to walk away.

He has been discussing plans with his lawyers at his Virginia home. He’s also been looking at prospective law schools to pursue a law degree. He does have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from his college days at Virginia Union. So he has a head start on his post playing career.

I, for one would like to see how this turns out. You never hear about players making plans for their future or talk about furthering their education. Ben is a proud man and a hard worker so I think he can carve out a solid career in the law field. If he’s as committed in the courtroom as he is on the basketball court, this mountain of a man will be tough to beat.