Brandon Knight pushing out Rip Hamilton?

When the Detroit Pistons took Brandon Knight with the eighth overall pick instead of reaching for a big man, they put themselves in a precarious position that they didn’t necessarily foresee before the draft began. With the addition of Knight to their already deep stable of guards featuring Rodney Stuckey, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton, the question of back court minutes immediately became a hot topic of conversation in the Motor City. Of those players, it seems like the one least likely to stay is the veteran, Hamilton.

Joe Dumars has begun shopping the Piston’s all-time leading playoff scorer around in an interest to promote a younger, fresher look for a Pistons team looking to build up a new team of stars to lead them back to the prominence they experienced in the last decade. Dumars is in love with Knight’s fearless attitude, humble demeanor and quick mind. That he’s a great shooter with a desire to succeed at the point guard position is just icing on the cake. Dumars will look to Knight to be accountable on the court and become the young face of the new look Pistons.

Nothing will be official until the lockout is over, but Hamilton won’t be around for long with Knight now in the fold. Hamilton is an energy guy who is a proven winner, so it’s unfortunate that Knight, most likely, won’t be able to learn from him in his first season as a pro, but to have the confidence of the Pistons ownership is a great sign for Knight as he begins his professional career.

The pairing of Knight and Greg Monroe is a great start for a team that could be very good in a few years.