Houston — For most of his first season with the Pistons, Beno Udrih has had a seat on the opposite end of the bench from coach Stan Van Gundy. As the third point guard, he’s been away from the action and mostly has been able to keep his warm-ups on.
For almost two months, Udrih was relegated to the end of the bench, next to one of his closest friends on the team, Boban Marjanovic. They could talk strategy or chat during games but as the Pistons struggled through the season, Udrih started to take on a different role: mentor and grizzled veteran.