Richard Hamilton has been the Pistons' leading scorer since he was acquired prior to the 2002-03 season. So it shouldn't come as a big surprise that he's having trouble finding a comfort zone playing with Allen Iverson, one of the NBA's top 20 all-time scorers.
"I think it's natural that he would be the one to take the longest to transition into our team," coach Michael Curry said. Hamilton averaged 22.5 points and shot 43 percent during the first four games before Iverson joined the starting lineup. In his first five games with Iverson as his backcourt partner, he averaged 15.7 points and shot 32 percent.
The biggest positive in Detroit's 104-86 loss at Phoenix Sunday night was that Hamilton scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 11 third-quarter points.
"Rip's fine, it's just a transition for him," Curry said. "Rip's been the leading scorer for this team since he's been here. He's still finding his way. He's getting shots in different ways than he got them before. He's getting quality shots, just not the same shots in the same spots or in the same rhythm he got them before."
Hamilton was stunned when the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to Denver as part of a three-player package for Iverson. It took him a couple of days to deal with that emotionally -- especially since he signed a three-year, $36 million extension just a day before the trade was announced -- but he's over that.
The challenge for him now is to find an offensive groove. The Pistons aren't playing the same way or at the same speed.
SUNS 104, PISTONS 86: The Suns consistently worked the ball inside to spoil the Pistons' bid for a four-game sweep of their West Coast trip on Sunday night. Power forward Amare Stoudemire racked up 29 points and 11 rebounds as the Suns shot 57 percent from the field. Allen Iverson was bottled up on the perimeter by help defenders and zone looks, leading to a 4-for-17 shooting night from the field and five turnovers.
