"One of the first players to congratulate Pacers center Roy Hibbert on his selection to this month's All-Star Game in Orlando was Greg Monroe.

Monroe, the Pistons' second-year big man, took to Twitter on Thursday to salute his fellow Georgetown big man: "congrats to @Hoya2aPacer for his 1st all-star selection! congrats big dawg!"

The shout-out came even though a case could be made that Hibbert took a spot that could have gone to Monroe.

Entering Friday night's game against the Nets, Monroe is averaging 16.5 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 assists; Hibbert's numbers are 13.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots.

The 7-foot-2 Hibbert is probably more of a force on defense, and the Pacers are in the thick of the playoff race while the Pistons are lottery-bound.

But Monroe said honoring his friend was more important than individual honors. Monroe missed Hibbert by one season at Georgetown, but he has gotten to know him through summer workouts at the school.

"I'm proud of him. I know the work he puts in over the summer, so I'm happy for him. I'm proud of him for getting the notification," Monroe said after Friday morning's shoot-around. "Of course I would have loved to go, too, but since I didn't get picked for it, it's something I can live with. I'm focusing on helping this team get more wins and trying to get this team as high as it can reach.""