Why is rip hamilton not playing

Finally, in , Dumars traded him to Chicago. Hamilton is back in town this weekend, six years from that ugly divorce. The Pistons are retiring his jersey Sunday night at the Palace. He said he is grateful, and humbled.

He lives in south Florida. For some, acknowledging regret is like denying a part of their existence. Hamilton became an All-Star through relentless motion. That motion required a monk-like dedication to his body: eat well, sleep better, eschew the parties, stay on the treadmill. He led the Pistons in scoring without the dribbling skill to consistently create his own shot. He did it without high-end, three-point range. It took him a while to find the right coach, the right system, and the right point guard.

The point guard, of course, was Billups. Hamilton was told the two of them could be a good pairing. He told me all about him.

Told Chauncey about me. Gave me his number. The first time I called him, it was like we were brothers. Hamilton and Billups grew so close they tried to plan their final contracts together. From my dad. From a small town, Coatesville, PA, 10, people. Everyone knows him as Big Rip. I was his first son so I pretty much adopted the nickname off of him.

They called me "Little Rip" until I grew up to be 6'7". I pioneered it, even though I'd watch guys before me like [Bill] Laimbeer. I put my own swag to it, put a headband, made it a fashion statement. A lot of people don't like to wear stuff on their face, especially basketball players I just felt like it separated me from everybody else. I liked how LeBron had his black mask that one game, but I tried to do it at the All-Star Game and they denied me, so I felt some type of way to see him do it.

But I heard he pulled it out right before the game. I tried something similar, but the league told me they'd fine me if I did it. It's crazy because at the time, you're a young player so the team that was already assembled, you felt you had a great chance to win it Me and D-Wade played the same position.

But it was probably Carmelo Anthony, you saw what he did in college, winning the National Championship. Once in a generational talent. Him, D-Wade, Bosh They were more proven at that time. But probably Melo. They were a dog fight during those years, with Ron Artest and Reggie still. AlexLarsen: What's your favorite memory from the ' 99 title game vs. It's crazy, my favorite memory probably was Calhoun pregame. He was a very serious coach, and before every game he wanted everybody to really focus, be locked in, keep locker room quiet, didn't want a whole lot of fooling around going on.

Before the national championship game, he was like, 'Why is everyone so quiet? Loosen up, smile, joke. Despite breaking his nose during the NBA season, Hamilton led the Detroit Pistons' championship team in scoring with Hamilton went on to wear the mask for the rest of his career.

The big question that basketball fans have in their mind 'Is why did Rip Hamilton wear a mask'? The fans still wonder as to 'Why did rip Hamilton wear a mask'.

The Rip Hamilton mask first came into the limelight during the season. Rip Hamilton's nose had been broken twice that season it happened once before in and he was advised to wear the mask the rest of his career or face nasal reconstructive surgery.

The Rip Hamilton mask proved to be lucky for him as well as the Detroit Pistons. A lot of my friends and former colleagues, especially in that area, had nothing but great things to say about Troy. This is prior to Troy actually getting the job with the Pistons. You just look at his track record, what he was able to do in OKC and now coming over here and the first thing that I love about him, that he has reached out to the alumni, reached out to the guys.

Just from a conversation standpoint, trying to figure out how do we get the team back to where it was. If you look at the previous championship teams with the Bad Boys, when we came in, the Bad Boys had an identity.

Hard nosed, toughness, accountability. They were going to grind games out. They represented the city. And the fans can identify with that. The people from Detroit can identify with that. The one thing he has done, especially with a lot of changes, is bring in guys who fit that model. Two-way players, guys who can play on both sides of the ball.

Guys that can play multiple positions. Guys that are selfless. I just think that he has the right mindset, but we all have to be patient. Weaver said he is drawing inspiration from those past championship teams — yourself and Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups and everyone else. What has it been like to see him embrace the past?

The city embodies what the team does. The team has to represent what the city is, and I just feel as though when you're new to the city and you move to a new location, you have to ask the people around you. You have to ask people who are embedded and have real equity in the city of Detroit. I think he has the right mindset for that. One thing about the Goin' to Work era is that most of its core players weren't drafted by the Pistons, but found their niche in Detroit. You mentioned yourself, starting off with the Wizards and then coming to Detroit.

You have Chauncey, who bounced around before establishing himself here. Ben Wallace too. You look at the team now, Josh Jackson who started off in Phoenix and Memphis and is now playing well.