According to reports, the disgruntled Richard Hamilton could have been traded away from the Detroit Pistons, but refused to do so. Instead he stayed with the team and remained in head coach John Kuester's dog house on the bench. It's been a bad situation for Hamilton as he hasn't played much this whole season due to disagreements with Kuester. In fact, the Hamilton has gotten in the Kuester's face and yelled profanities while Kuester did nothing, but take it.

Accepting that sort of disrespect is not going to win over a team's belief in the coach and while Hamilton is obviously wrong for doing what he did, the fact that Kuester didn't respond basically signals that it's over between the coach and the team, both the players and the front office who will want to distance themselves from this mess. As for Hamilton, he's basically sealed his fate as a problem player that not only yelled in his coach's face, but didn't accept the escape route given to him by the Pistons. He'll be labeled as a malcontent and his next destination, should he have one, will be hard to get to.

During the Pistons' heyday when Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, and company where ruling the NBA, particularly the Eastern Conference, and won the NBA title, Hamilton was one of the good guys. He was likeable and charismatic, a fan favorite. However, it seems that the veteran in his old basketball age has gotten jaded, longing for the glory days the way old high school athletes reminisce in their 40s. Refusing to leave in a trade and get a new start seems childish, only to stay and continue to be a distraction and allegedly getting the rest of his teammates to join Hamilton in a boycott of a recent shootaround before a game.

What happens next? The logical solution would be to oust Kuester, deservedly so or not, and try to gain the respect of the players on the team. Former Detroit Piston Bill Laimbeer, famous during the Bad Boys dynasty in Detroit, has gained a lot of support in him taking over. Laimbeer, a bruiser and someone that didn't take any crap during his playing days, certainly wouldn't take any during his coaching days. Plus the ownership of two championship rings with the team affords him a significant amount of credibility. It's hard to say what happens to Hamilton considering that he is still owed a lot of money, but he won't be able to shoot off his mouth with Laimbeer should the Pistons go that route. Laimbeer was not only one of the best at shooting off his mouth while he was a player, he also backed it up. If Laimbeer became the head coach, Hamilton would be wise to back up and fall into line.