Some players are boarder line all-stars who often get over looked until they start to win, such as the case of Richard Hamilton. A player who was constantly thought of as a second tier star jumped to NBA stardom after he helped lead the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 NBA title. Hamilton had a stellar career at the University of Connecticut. Averaging 20 points and 4 rebounds in his three years with the Huskies, but Hamilton’s most enduring memory from college was a game winning buzzer beating put back in the 1998 East Regional’s in the NCAA tournament. The Following season he helped guide UCONN to the NCAA title. His college success helped him become the 7th pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. Success at first was hard to find. Hamilton averaged just 9 points a game on a terrible Wizards team. His stats went up his second year but the team continued to struggle. The team got better in 01-02 with the additions of #1 pick Kwame Brown and NBA legend Michael Jordan but the teams record was not good enough to make the playoffs. Hamilton averaged 20 points a game that season playing with Jordan but locker room turmoil is said to have doomed the franchise.

The following season the Wizards traded Hamilton to the Detroit Pistons for Jerry Stackhouse. The Wizards continued to struggle but the Pistons turned things around. The Pistons also added Hamilton’s backcourt mate Chauncy Billups that off-season and went from being a solid but struggling team to a perennial NBA power.

Hamilton averaged 20 points a game again in his first season with the Pistons and the Pistons made the Eastern Conference finals. The team would make the Eastern finals for 7 consecutive years, winning 2 of those to advance to the NBA finals

Success finally came for the Pistons and Hamilton in 03-04. The team finished with the best record in the East and looked like a title contender. Hamilton’s stats suffered some as other teammates like Billups and the newly acquired Rasheed Wallace picked up their stats. The Pistons would make the NBA finals against what many called a dream team; the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had added Milwaukee and Seattle guard Gary Payton and former Jazz 2 time MVP Karl Malone in the off-season to a core of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers looked like a sure thing to win their 4th NBA title in 5 years but the Pistons would stun the Lakers and defeat them in 5 games to win the NBA title. Winning all three home games at the Palace at Auburn Hills was the first time that a home team had ever won all 3 home games since the NBA adopted the 2-3-2 finals format.

The budding rivalry between the Pistons and Indiana Pacers which had started in an epic clash in the 04 Eastern finals come to a head in the 2004-05 season. During a game a fan threw a cup at Pacers guard Ron Artest and fight broke out known as the Malace at the Palace. The fight tarnished the NBA even though Hamilton had nothing to do with it.

The Pistons once again made the NBA finals in 05 and lost in 7 games to the Spurs. The following season the Pistons ended up with the best record in the NBA and Hamilton made his first all-star appearance. Hamilton would go on to make 3 consecutive all-star teams from 06-08.

The Pistons slowly declined after winning the 04 title and in 2008 they traded Billups for Allen Iverson and the team imploded. They went from an eastern finalist to barely making the playoffs and the following season suffered through their worst season since 1994.

Hamilton’s future is now is doubt with the Pistons as he is getting older the team looked to rebuild. He has a long contract which makes him hard to trade so it is unknown at this time what will happen.

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