The San Antonio Spurs made a stop in Auburn Hills, Michigan to face the Detroit Pistons during their Rodeo Road Trip this month.
Not only was it a win for the Spurs over the Pistons, 100-89, it was a homecoming of sorts for Spurs’ Antonio McDyess who played with the Pistons from 2004-2009 before signing with his current team in the summer of 2009 as a free-agent.
I had a chance to speak with McDyess in Philadelphia before last night’s tip-off to get his thoughts on his recent trip to the Palace of Auburn Hills, and the situation with Pistons’ guard Rip Hamilton.
Jeff: How was the recent visit to the Palace?
Antonio: It was definitely fun to see old teammates and going back to the arena. I had my best years there. Was the highlight of my career. It’s always fun to go back there. To see those guys struggling on the other end, it’s kind of tough to watch that because over half the team are still my friends. Even some of the coaching staff. It’s tough to see but still I feel like it’s my home.
We are seeing Rip Hamilton being relegated to the bench. What are your thoughts on Hamilton’s situation?
It’s kind of tough to see because I know how Rip is. He’s a winner. He plays hard every possession, he wants to win. He’s a guy that wants to win when he’s on the court. He doesn’t do anything but care about winning. To see him not playing, and knowing he can contribute to that team, is tough to watch.
