Lovable Losers: Least favorite Pistons shooting guards
Welcome to the Lovable Losers series.
This isn’t a place where we confess our hope and expectations for the Pistons’ future. It’s not a place where we speculate what’s next for a franchise that has strung together seven losing seasons in a row. It’s a series where he look back on all that misery.
Over the next five days, we’ll look back on our favorite players and coaches from one of the sorriest eras in Pistons history. We’ll alternate between favorite coaches point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers… and our least favorite from 2008-2015.
Join the discussion in the comments — we’re in this together.
Dan Feldman: Richard Hamilton
Hamilton chose a pricey extension with the Pistons rather than the ability to seek better teams in free agency — and then spent the next couple years complaining about the result of his decision. Loved him during the glory years, but late-Pistons Hamilton was more difficult than he was worth.
Brady Fredericksen: Rodney Stuckey
I went to bat year after year for Stuckey. I convinced myself he was the best player on the team and that the offense needed to be run through him. Then I thought he was a good secondary option and that he should come off the bench. Then I just started to realize that this guy was the absolute worst. In hindsight, it wasn’t the bad signings that killed the Pistons, it was Joe Dumars believe Stuckey was a star that did. We can all agree that he was, at least kind of, the Pistons *franchise player* right? He has to subjectively be the worst ever.
Tim Thielke: Ben Gordon
Ben Gordon signed a massive contract, couldn’t figure out how to play with guys whose skill sets barely overlapped his own, immediately forgot how to shoot upon arrival, killed his value, and then his removal ended up costing the Pistons a lottery pick. It wasn’t even mostly his fault. But Gordon’s time in Detroi was an unmitigated disaster.
Braden Shackelford: Ben Gordon
Part of a disastrous offseason that included two monster contracts in Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. I can’t think of a worse way to drop a $100 million. Needless to say, neither lived up to their contract. Oh, yeah, Gordon was so bad for the Pistons that they decided giving up a first round draft pick made more sense than keeping him another year. The Pistons used the money they saved on Gordon for Josh Smith the next offseason who may have been the most toxic Piston in the losing era.