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AP PhotoDetroit Pistons owner William Davidson delivers his acceptance speech at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley were enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night, but it was inductee Dick Vitale who, as expected, stole the show.

Others in the class, which also included former Detroit Piston Adrian Dantley, Detroit Pistons and Shock owner Bill Davidson and former Immaculata University coach Cathy Rush, gave speeches. But the ESPN commentator held court, preaching with passion for almost 30 minutes about everything from basketball to broadcasting to family.

AP File PhotoBill Davidson will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.

AUBURN HILLS -- Bill Davidson quietly will slip into the Basketball Hall of Fame with two of the greatest centers, one of the best coaches and a bombastic voice of the game.

The owner of the Detroit Pistons will be away from the fuss.

That's just the way he likes it.

Davidson is going to be inducted Friday as a contributor for the three NBA titles and two WNBA titles he won along with the innovations he added. He was the first to put NBA teams on private planes and luxury boxes closer to the court in arenas.

"I'm honored, but I just hope politics didn't get me in," the 85-year-old Davidson said recently in an interview with The Associated Press.

Joe Dumars is sure Davidson merits a spot among the game's greats in Springfield, Mass.

AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons take pride in being able to win consistently on the road.

They'll get plenty of opportunities at the start and conclusion of the 2008-2009 season, which begins Oct. 29 at The Palace against Central Division rival Indiana.

AUBURN HILLS -- Former No. 1 overall pick Kwame Brown has been called many things during his seven NBA seasons, such as "bust" and "underachiever."

But rarely has there been talk about his ability to defend.

He's hoping to change that perception now that he's with the Detroit Pistons and is no longer in the Western Conference, where he played for the Los Angeles Lakers and later was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.

AUBURN HILLS -- I just got off a teleconference set up by the Pistons with newly signed center Kwame Brown.

He said all the right things, which is what you would expect.

What I found most interesting about him was the fact that he seemed to talk a lot about making his presence felt defensively.

AP PhotoWalter Hermann was an unrestricted free agent.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting the Pistons have signed Walter Hermann to a 1-year contract.

August 1, Detroit Free Press: The Pistons have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with backup Walter Herrmann.

The 6-foot-9 small forward was an unrestricted free agent and salary information was not disclosed.

NEW YORK -- Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the league's reputation and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating.

The sentencing in Brooklyn federal court culminated a case that hung over the league throughout the season and even into the NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. League commissioner David Stern has repeatedly denied Donaghy's claim that corruption among referees goes beyond him.

Joe Dumars has one thing in mind with the signing of former first-round pick Kwame Brown as a free agent: You can't hit a home run if you don't swing the bat. MLive Pistons Insider A. Sherrod Blakely says Brown has the talent needed to give the team one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts.

"It's a roll of the dice," Blakely tells Ryan Terpstra of WGHN-AM (1370). "That's the only way to explain it. This is a team that was looking to get guys who were willing to play hard all the time. That's something that was an issue the last couple of years. And Kwame is the poster boy for the other side of the coin on that issue. So it is a bit baffling.

AP PhotoKwame Brown's career highs are 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons have had plenty of success in the past turning former lottery busts into productive players.

Only time will tell if soon-to-be Piston Kwame Brown will follow suit.

Brown, the top overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, has agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with the Pistons.

The actual contract is expected to be signed as early as Tuesday, with an official announcement likely sometime later this week.

AP File PhotoKwame Brown is headed to Detroit.

AUBURN HILLS -- Acquiring Kwame Brown is certainly not the blockbuster move Joe Dumars talked about earlier this summer.

But based on the free agents available, Detroit could have done a lot - a whole lot - worse.

I have watched Kwame Brown since he was a high school stud who outplayed fellow high school-to-the-NBA talents such as Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry.

But what's puzzling to me about this pickup was the very thing the Pistons need right now in their franchise's development -- guys who play hard, all the time -- is the biggest knock against Brown.