Washington Wizards: Ranking The Top 5 Shooting Guards In Recent Franchise History
By Ben Mehic
2) Rip Hamilton
From about 1995-2005, the Washington Bullets/Wizards were a revolving door of future stars that D.C. stupidly traded away. Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace… God Shammgod, it’s downright infuriating thinking about all the talent this franchise squandered.
One of the most infuriating and indefensible examples of the Wizards’ piss-poor management was Rip Hamilton who just as he was breaking out and truly becoming a star, found himself traded to Detroit – where he would become an NBA champion and three-time All-Star – for one raggedy year of Jerry Stackhouse.
I was 8-years-old when the trade happened, and Rip was my favorite player. I was too young to really care about Michael Jordan, and the deal was crushing to me. I couldn’t bring myself to care about the Wizards again until Gilbert hit his stride.
I’m still bitter. In the all-too-short three years we had Rip, we saw the makings of a genuine star who, even as a kid, was one of the best shooting guards the Wizards have had in decades. Rip Hamilton’s career was marked by consistency – he averaged 17+ points per game in 10 consecutive seasons, a streak that began in his second year as a Wizard.
The seventh overall pick in the 1999 draft, Hamilton began his career as the backup to Mitch Richmond. His second season saw him break out as one of Washington’s best players, averaging 18.1 points per game, even though overmatched head coach Leonard Hamilton continually moved him in and out of the starting lineup and between shooting guard and small forward. Washington won 19 games that year.
The next season was Rip’s best in Washington, and his last.
Hamilton averaged 20.1 points per game – one of only two seasons he topped 20 a game – and had one of the better shooting season of his career, hitting 38.1 percent of his threes.
The Wizards nearly doubled their win total from the previous season. Michael Jordan was giving them more national relevance than ever. Rip’s star was ascending. Then they made a boneheaded trade that should forever relegate MJ to the seventh circle of Hell, and D.C. squandered yet another potential building block.
Rip is, was, and forever will be twice the player Bradley Beal is. He was steady, smooth, calm and unflappable. He was better than the Wizards deserved.
Next: 1) Hughes