The one thing about Piston coach Michael Curry’s insistence on playing "small ball" is that gave the Pistons an excuse.
They weren’t going to win much with a three-guard lineup. That much was evident.
Well, now that Curry has done what seemed inevitable - taken Richard Hamilton out of the starting lineup - the Pistons are out of excuses.
The Pistons also have six of their next seven games at home, including against Cleveland and Boston.
Litmus test time.

- My best guess is that the Tigers will sign Justin Verlander to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. Verlander is still three years away from free agency and coming off by far his worst season. Given his performance last season and the state of the economy, it would behoove the Tigers to wait before giving Verlander a long-term contract that takes him into his free agency year. It would also benefit Verlander, because his value will be higher if he returns to form this coming season. Doubt it get to arbitration, though.

- The Red Wings need Henrik Zetterberg to play better. He was minus four Tuesday night at Phoenix and is scoring less than a point per game.

- Greg Robinson seems like an ideal fit for the Michigan defensive coordinator position. Some coaches are just made certain roles. Obviously, it wasn’t to be a head coach for Robinson, who labored at Syracuse. But he is an excellent coordinator.