Maggette or Piatkowski?

Alvin Gentry made a bold statement Wednesday.

“I’m starting Corey for the rest of the year,” the Clipper coach said, referring to Corey Maggette.

Gentry then broke into a hearty chuckle. He was having a bit of fun at the expense of a few reporters, who gathered in his office before the Clippers played host to the Seattle SuperSonics.

Replacing sharpshooting guard Eric Piatkowski with the more versatile Maggette might seem like a logical move to some, but Gentry wasn’t about to commit to making a change.

Gentry did stick with Maggette as the starting shooting guard Wednesday despite Piatkowski’s return after sitting out five games because of a strained right hip flexor. Piatkowski was uncertain how much he could play. His wind was questionable.

“It does feel better, but it doesn’t feel 100%,” Piatkowski said. “I was getting sick of sitting in the training room. I’ve been out for five games. I’ll go in and do my best and we’ll see what happens.”

In the end, it doesn’t much matter whether Maggette or Piatkowski starts. Their scoring averages and minutes played are fairly close. Maggette averaged 11 points to 9.5 for Piatkowski before Wednesday’s game. Maggette averaged 24.6 minutes and Piatkowski 28.3.

“We’ll figure it out when the time comes,” Gentry said when asked who would start when Piatkowski was fit again.

Neither Maggette nor Piatkowski expressed a preference for starting or playing a reserve role. They each said they simply want to play as much as possible.

Piatkowski is one college football fan who believes there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the BCS rankings. Of course, Piatkowski also is a Nebraska alum and is pleased to see his beloved Cornhuskers playing Miami in the Rose Bowl.

So, he would have been crushed to see Oregon or Colorado, ranked ahead of Nebraska in the Associated Press poll, playing Jan. 3. Piatkowski won’t be attending because the Clippers are in Denver.