Pistons coach John Kuester insists he's made an attempt to sit down and talk with Richard Hamilton.

Hamilton claims he was approached by longtime head of team security Jerry Hendon to speak with Kuester and was offended.

"We've reached out, and we have the open-door policy," Kuester said. "There's a combination (of responsibility). Anytime a player need to talk, my door is always open."

Hamilton hasn't played in Detroit's last eight games.

"You get into a number of things, talking about players," Kuester said. "Rip has meant so much to this organization.

"Unfortunately, we weren't playing well and I had to make a tough decision."