Post by CC06 on Nov 9, 2022 16:37:33 GMT -5
Richard Hamilton demands trade
When the Denver Nuggets selected Richard "Rip" Hamilton with the #9 overall pick in the 1999 Rookie Draft, there were expectations that the Connecticut product would be the shooting guard of the future for a franchise that had been down on its luck for many years. Hamilton immediately delivered for the Nuggets, scoring 20.6 points per game as a rookie and earning All-Rookie First Team honors. However, when new management took over the Nuggets, they had their own plans -- plans that apparently didn't include Hamilton.
One of the first big moves by the new general manager included trading for rookie SG Michael Redd the following year, and Redd quickly displaced Hamilton as the shooting guard of the future. Hamilton, who looked like a future all-star as a rookie, was relegated to a bench role. Only a year later, he's almost out of the rotation entirely, as the franchise drafted another wing in Shane Battier who's taken minutes away from him.
Hamilton missed six of the team's early games for what was cited as migraine headaches; however, Yahoo! Sports has learned from Richard's agent that it was actually due to internal disputes between Hamilton and Nuggets' management. Hamilton has made it very clear, he wants to be traded away from Denver, and he wants it to happen as soon as possible. He's currently under contract for just this season, but his rookie contract does include a fourth-year option that will be exercised in all likelihood. His status is certainly something to monitor, as it seems all bridges have been burned in Denver.
When the Denver Nuggets selected Richard "Rip" Hamilton with the #9 overall pick in the 1999 Rookie Draft, there were expectations that the Connecticut product would be the shooting guard of the future for a franchise that had been down on its luck for many years. Hamilton immediately delivered for the Nuggets, scoring 20.6 points per game as a rookie and earning All-Rookie First Team honors. However, when new management took over the Nuggets, they had their own plans -- plans that apparently didn't include Hamilton.
One of the first big moves by the new general manager included trading for rookie SG Michael Redd the following year, and Redd quickly displaced Hamilton as the shooting guard of the future. Hamilton, who looked like a future all-star as a rookie, was relegated to a bench role. Only a year later, he's almost out of the rotation entirely, as the franchise drafted another wing in Shane Battier who's taken minutes away from him.
Hamilton missed six of the team's early games for what was cited as migraine headaches; however, Yahoo! Sports has learned from Richard's agent that it was actually due to internal disputes between Hamilton and Nuggets' management. Hamilton has made it very clear, he wants to be traded away from Denver, and he wants it to happen as soon as possible. He's currently under contract for just this season, but his rookie contract does include a fourth-year option that will be exercised in all likelihood. His status is certainly something to monitor, as it seems all bridges have been burned in Denver.