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.

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.

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.

The Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers all will be playing at home on the same night. I am certain that all three will draw good crowds. Parking will be at a premium in downtown Detroit and the sports bars will be packed.

But it is a shame that all three are playing at basically the same time. At least they could have staggered the starting times a little bit.

It is a good problem to have. No other city can boast the kind of basketball and hockey success that Detroit is enjoying.

Personally, I will stay home an soak it all in on TV. I’m lucky enough to have the night off. My TV clicker will get a workout.

The played four times in five nights and won all four, including three of those on the road. They have won five in a row overall.

Granted, the teams they beat during that stretch aren’t the greatest – Cleveland (without LeBron James), Milwaukee, New Jersey, Atlanta and New Orleans — but to survive that brutal stretch without a blemish shows the Detroit is once again one of the top teams in the Eastern Confernce.

And, they won impressively. The closest contest during that four-game stretch was 11 points.

But Thursday night the only reasonable response to the game against Cleveland was “Wow!”

LeBron James put on a phenomenal show. I thought the Pistons actually played very well, but James refused to lose this game. As I said in an earlier post, we are watching a superstar grow up in this series.

The young superstar is growing up right in front of our eyes.

In Game 1, he passed up an opportunity for the winning shot to pass off to a teammate. In Game 2, he took the shot himself, but was unable to finish. In Games 3 and 4, he took his team on his shoulders and carried it to victory.

It will be interesting to see how he fares tonight when the Cavaliers return to the hostile environment of The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons need to find a way to stunt the growth of this rising star.

If you live in Monroe County and are trying to follow any of the playoff games at night, forget it. Flagship station WDFN in Detroit powers down after sunset and is just about impossible to pick up beyond a 20-mile radius to the south.

There is an alternative for the Cleveland Cavaliers series. Cleveland’s WTAM (1100-AM) is a 50-watt, clear-channel blowtorch station that can be heard in 38 states and Canada. It can easily be pulled in on most radios in Monroe County. It also hosts a pretty good postgame show until 1 a.m.

Cavaliers announcer Joe Tait, who used to be the voice of the Cleveland Indians, is one of the best in the business (better than George Blaha). It’s a nice alternative if you’re in your car and can’t follow the Pistons.

They will take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch of last year’s semifinals where Cleveland stretched Detroit to seven games. We could have a nice little rivalry brewing here with a young Cleveland team trying to claw their way past the Pistons, who will be playing in the conference finals for the fifth straight year.

Some people have told me they get sick of the constant attention paid to James. But that really doesn’t bother me. He deserves it. For all the pressure he endured coming into the league as perhaps the most heralded high school player ever, he has remained amazingly well grounded.

For some reason the guy who bugs me is Anderson Varejao. Maybe it is the wild hair or his aggressive style, but for some reason he rubs me the wrong way.

Is there are player on the Cavs, the Pistons or any other team that you love to hate?