Rodney Stuckey: “Playing In Detroit…It Was Tough”

Mar 3, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons shooting guard

(3) dribbles around New York Knicks point guard

(9)in the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit won 96-85. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Rodney Stuckey has been though a lot in Detroit.  He had to deal with six different coaches and a ton of losing. Some would say the Stuckey had a hand in creating a losing culture in Detroit.  At times he was a malcontent and often clashed with coaches.

But Rodney Stuckey says all of that is behind him now.

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The former Detroit Pistons point guard has agreed to sign a veterans minimum contract to come of the bench for the Indiana Pacers.  Now that he is a Pacer, Stuckey opened up to Indystar.com’s Candace Buckner and had some interesting things to say about his time in Detroit.

"“As far as being in Detroit and playing, it’s been tough,” Stuckey said. “I don’t accept losing. I hate losing. It’s never fun when you’re losing. You got to try to get through it and that’s what I tried to do. All that’s behind me right now, it’s a fresh start. I’m just excited about this opportunity to come into a great organization and compete.”"

It was hard for the fans to watch the Pistons lose and watch Stuckey feud with coach after coach while never really reaching his potential.

Surely Rodney Stuckey didn’t come to the Palace with the idea of losing . A poll of NBA players would certainly reveal that losing is not number one on anyone’s the career bucket list. But good players find a way to overcome adversity.Rodney Stuckey seemed to become it.

To be fair Stuckey later took some responsibility for his actions.

Rodney Stuckey describes singing in Indiana as a “fresh start” vowing to do whatever it takes to play a role on a wining team again.  A strategy he never adopted while he was a Piston.

Has Stuckey turned the corner in his career? Only time will tell.

"“I was young and you live and learn, you go through every situation,” Stuckey continued. “I’m 28 now, I’ve been through a lot of different experiences throughout life and I know how to handle different situations now. That’s just how it is. I know for sure when I come in here, I’m definitely going to respect each and every one of these guys.I’m coming in to learn. I want to learn and I want to get everything down and make sure we’re all going to be on the same page. There’s not going to be separation between me and any other person on the team and even in the organization. I’m just ready to come in, I’m ready to learn and I’m ready to compete with my team.”"

If the old Rodney Stuckey has been left in the past he could help the Pacers reach the NBA Finals.  A feat that would most certainly burn the collective asses of Pistons fans who watched him pout on the bench for all these years.