G Hamilton Sits Vs. Magic
The Detroit Pistons will be without guard Richard “Rip” Hamilton as they take on the undefeated, 3-0 Orlando Magic tonight.
Hamilton scored a team-high 25 points in the only game he’s played this season, a victory over Memphis in the season-opening game. He sprained his ankle during the game, and X-rays came up negative.
Since the Memphis game, Detroit has struggled offensively with Hamilton not in the lineup. They’ve dropped two straight games to lottery teams – Oklahoma City and Milwaukee – with offseason import Ben Gordon starting in place of Hamilton in both losses.
For his part, Gordon has filled Hamilton’s shoes well, scoring in double digits in both losses; however, without Gordon’s bench scoring, the Pistons’ second unit has let them down.
The original prediction was for Hamilton to miss two games; this will be the third he sits since injuring the ankle.
