"On Sept. 11, 2002, in the waning days before the Pistons were set to open training camp after a 50-win season, Joe Dumars and his staff made a bold move.

The Pistons' president traded Jerry Stackhouse, the team's leading scorer and most popular player, to the Wizards for Richard Hamilton as the centerpieces of a six-player trade.

Six straight Eastern Conference finals appearances and one NBA championship later, one might say Pistons' fans overcame their shock.

"We started winning and didn't stop," John Hammond said.

Hammond, now the decorated general manager of the Bucks, served as Dumars' right-hand man at the time of the trade. As well as anyone, Hammond knows what the Bulls are getting in Hamilton.

"When you can categorize someone as one of the best in the business at what he does, that puts you in an elite category," Hammond said in a phone interview. "His category is his ability to move and play without the ball and score. Before Rip, everybody recognized Reggie Miller as the best at (that). Rip came into that category as his career progressed.""