This might not seem like a big deal considering the way his game has slipped in recent years, but it’s a nice move for the Pistons.

They are paying him the veteran’s minimum, so it’s almost like getting a player for free. And maybe his intensity and grittiness will rub off on the younger big men.

If nothing else, it gives him a chance to retire as a Piston. That’s how it should be.

It was a great game, going three overtimes before Chicago finally pulled out the victory. But I had a hard time concentrating on the game. I kept thinking that comedian Will Farrell was on the floor for the Celtics, but it was actually Brian Scalabrine.

And the chat was lively.

My boss, Ron Montri, takes his turn this Sunday with a discussion on boys basketball. It will begin at 8 p.m. Watch for details in the next few days in The Evening News sports section or at www.monroenews.com .

When Airport and Adrian tipped off around 5:30 p.m. in the Class A District Tournament at Monroe, there were maybe 100 people in Bill Bunkelman Memorial Gymnasium, including the players, coaches and officials.

By the time Monroe and Bedford took the floor around 7 p.m., the place was nearly full. It was a great atmosphere with enthusiastic fans on both sides really getting into the action.

These two teams deserved a big crowd. Bedford brought a 20-0 record into the game and Monroe was 17-3 with all three losses coming to state-ranked teams.

The game turned out to be pretty much what I expected. Both teams played terrific defense, contesting every point.

It’s a shame that this wasn’t the District championship game on a Friday night. It might have drawn even more fans then. But that’s just the luck of the draw.

Monroe came up on the short end of the scoreboard, but the Trojans have nothing to hang their heads about. They represented their school and their community well all season.

Detroit Pistons coach Michael Curry took the easy way out. There was a lot of speculation about what Curry would do when Richard Hamiliton returned from his injury.

Rodney Stuckey established himself as a rising star during Hamilton’s absence. There was no way to take him out of the starting lineup.

So, what would Curry do? Bring Hamillton off the bench? Or what about Allen Iverson?

In the end, Curry opted not to bruise any egos. He put all three guards in the starting lineup.

It may just be a coincidence, but the Pistons have lost both games since he did that.

If Hamilton and Iverson are true to their word and care about winning more than anything else, one of them will soon go to Curry and volunteer to come off the bench.

Personally, I still think Iverson would be the better choice as a sixth man. He would bring explosive energy to the second team. What back-up guard could stay with Iverson?

And on top of that, Hamilton’s game meshes better with Stuckey’s. Iverson and Stuckey both need the ball in their hands a lot to be effective. Hamilton is better simply coming off screens and shooting the ball.

The second-year guard quickly is blossoming into a star. He is fearless driving to the basket and is shooting the ball much better than last season.

He scored 40 points a few games ago and nearly reached that level again Friday night with 38 in a victory over Sacramento.

The Pistons are putting things together with a six-game winning streak. Allen Iverson seems to be getting more comfortable with his role.

It will be interesting to see how they are able to work Richard Hamilton back into the mix when he returns from his injury.

Granted, it was only Norfolk State, but the Wolverines looked crisp, ran the floor well, created turnovers on defense and played with a lot of intensity.

At the center of it all was sophomore Manny Harris. He was a good player last year, but has taken his game up several notches this season.

We won’t know about this team for sure until the Big Ten season begins, but it appears that coach John Beinlein has something going here.

What a nice choice.

Too often in the past U.S. Olympic teams have simply been a collection of stars with little or no thought to how the pieces would fit together. Every team needs a player like Prince – a guy willing to do the dirty without worrying about being in the spotlight.

I have to be honest. I didn’t see all of it. I switched to something else when the Lakers had the big lead in the first half.

Maybe the Western Conference was not as dominant and people thought.