Richard Hamilton: Detroit Pistons Finally Finding Their Footing Without Rip

Messy.

In a word, that is how this whole Rip Hamilton situation has been handled.

Ever since word surfaced that the Detroit Pistons guard was being offered in part of a deal that would land Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony in New Jersey, all sides have handled the situation poorly.

Denver's brass has looked amateur at best and completely incompetent at worst. New Jersey has stoked dissent amongst all parties by constantly leaking information about the potential deal.

And then there is Detroit. The Pistons seem to be the most eager of all parties, not only remaining silent about the situation, but even choosing to bench their part of the deal in Hamilton.

The benching of Hamilton should be a tough emotional ride for Pistons fans.

On the one hand, Hamilton was the leading scorer on a great run of Pistons teams, including the title team in 2004. He should deserve better than this.

But on the other hand, Hamilton is obviously a square peg in the round hole that is today's Pistons. Hamilton needs the offense to focus on him, and the defense to hide him. He needs a smart, strong point guard to set him up for his trademark pop-up jumpers and to take the pressure off of him on defense.

Additionally, Hamilton has been a headache for Detroit ever since the team dealt former point guard Chauncey Billups. He has outwardly sulked, played lackadaisically at times and has not been a vocal leader on a team looking for an identity.

But no matter how you slice it, he deserves better.

That being said, it had to be done. Detroit needs to transition to the future and Hamilton is not part of that future. Now is the time for the young guys to get some playing time and show what they can do.

Detroit has finally figured out that Rodney Stuckey is not a point guard, but is a fairly dynamic shooting guard. In the last three games, Stuckey has appeared relaxed and energetic at the same time, content to no longer have the pressure of running the team squarely on his shoulders.

They also figured out that Ben Gordon needs regular minutes to get into any type of groove offensively. When Hamilton was playing, coach John Kuester appeared to be apprehensive to take him out, therefore Gordon received only sporadic playing time. Since Hamilton has been benched, Gordon has averaged over 17 points per game and looked relaxed as well.

Furthermore, rookie forward Greg Monroe has finally begun to figure out his game, and a run of four straight double-doubles proves that point. While he has been scuffling a little in the second half of games due to what appears to be a lack of conditioning, he has at least scratched the surface of his potential.

Add to the mix Tracy McGrady and his ability to run the offense, and this Pistons team suddenly has become watchable again.

However, this team still has a long way to go.

Make no mistake about it, they still appear to be more like a pickup squad than a real team. They still have a number of players that essentially play the same position. They have major holes, namely at point guard and in the front court, and they still have some young players that need to see more minutes.

The goal for this team moving forward is to try to gel as a team while developing the young guys. Austin Daye needs to see more minutes. While Tayshaun Prince has played well recently, Daye needs to see more action if he is going to reach his vast potential.

Then there is McGrady. He has without a doubt played better than I thought he would when team president Joe Dumars signed the veteran before the season. The offense certainly looks better when he is running the point.

But McGrady is not a long-term solution for this team. In all honesty, there really is not a long-term solution at point guard on the current roster.

That being said, Will Bynum definitely could play a long-term role for this team. He is a nice spark plug coming off the bench and while he struggles from the perimeter, he is explosive getting to the hoop.

It is very possible that the Pistons are showing off Prince and McGrady for potential suitors ahead of next month's trading deadline.

Regardless, Prince, McGrady and Hamilton will not be with this team next year and if their replacements are on the roster, they should be getting more minutes.

The bottom line is that the Pistons have finally decided to transition to the future and the Hamilton benching is the first step in this process.

And while we should applaud the team for finally taking a proactive approach to this train wreck of a season, we should also reserve our judgement on Hamilton until years have passed and emotions are more forgiving.

He gave a lot to this franchise, and if this is it, we should part on good terms.