17 24 16 wrote:To answer the thread. No. He didn't want come off the bench in Detroit. Not a team player.
I think AI's problem had more to do with his minutes than with his role off the bench. He was playing 18 minutes a game, getting less run than Will Bynum. Rip was getting 28-30 when he was coming off the bench, so AI probably expected something similar. What put him over the edge was getting benched in the fourth against Cleveland, a game with huge playoff implications in which he led the team back from a sizable deficit. Dude gets yanked with 7 minutes left and never sees the floor again, and the pistons proceed to lose in horrible fashion. Add that to all the politicking going on after their Billups got traded and you had a toxic situation.
The Lakers have more pressing concerns, like getting their own free agents locked up. But you can't tell me AI terrorizing opposing teams' second units off the bench for 25 minutes a game doesn't help this team. The team's structure is set, you already have the best player/coach in basketball. It may not be worth the risk unless some other things shake out first, but if it were to happen, he would definitely help this team. There's a big difference between backing up Kobe and some beta male nobody like Rip Hamilton. If he really wants to win and add to his legacy, he makes this sort of move, as opposed to going to Charlotte or Toronto. Whether the Lakers give him the platform to do so is another issue. But one thing is certain, he would be fun to watch in purple and gold. He'd be the best sixth man in the league.
