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//  Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Grading Detroit's Free Agent Splash

Friday, July 3, 2009
Posted by Andrew Pistone

Joe Dumars had some cash to dish out, and boy, did he dish it out. How about a combined $100 million for Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon? Isn't the city of Detroit supposed to be in financial turmoil?

All they need now is a coach. Jim Calhoun anyone? He will only sign on after they bring in Jake Voshkul, Kevin Ollie and Donny Marshall.

It's not intriguing that the Pistons decided to spend their money, but it is intriguing that they chose to spend during the summer of 2009, and not 2010. Detroit was rumored to be clearing cap space for that blockbuster summer, to land one of the big fish, like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. Patience wouldn't be a virtue if everyone had it, right?

The Pistons were in a difficult spot to begin with. They certainly had enough proven pieces to become a contender in Eastern Conference again if they tweaked their roster here and there. Dumars also could have decided to send Tayshaun Prince and/or Richard Hamilton on their merry ways, in an effort to rebuild. He clearly chose to retool, but he did he select the right players?

Villanueva definitely alleviates one of Detroit's most pressing needs; a replacement for Rasheed Wallace. It's ironic that they selected Villanueva, because his game is eerily similar to Wallace's. They both have a decent back to the basket game, are solid rebounders, and can hit the three point shot with consistency. Villanueva provides a little bit more versatility, and can handle the ball some as well.

On the other hand, Charlie V has always been more of an enigma than a consistent NBA player. His career 13.4 points per game scoring average is decent, but it never appeared like Milwaukee could count on him from night to night. Sometimes he played like the massive prospect he was coming out of Queens, New York. He would dunk on guys, step out and nail jumpers from 24 feet away, and leave opposing coaches scratching their heads. In other instances, Villanueva would be on the court, but no one would even notice he was there. With defenses gearing up to stop the incomparable Michael Redd, one would think Villanueva would have been more of a presence on the offensive end.

Even though he is only 24 years old, the former UConn star's NBA profile resembles very closely the MLB profile of Adrian Beltre during his contract year in Los Angeles. It's possible that he really pushed himself this past year, as he averaged a career high in points, rebounds, assists and free throw percentage. It leaves Pistons fans to wonder which Charlie Villanueva will be heading to Motown.

The other wealthy Huskie, Ben Gordon, brings a lot of explosiveness to the table. His playoff series against Boston speaks for itself, as he almost single-handedly kept Chicago alive during those overtime thrillers. When he gets hot, there isn't anyone in basketball who can stop him.

The 26 year old Gordon is a legitimate 20 point a night scorer, but until this year, he had spent quite a bit of time coming off the bench. This past season, however, he started 76 games, blowing away the 51 starts he had in 2006-2007. Whoever coaches the Pistons this year will have to presumably have to choose between Gordon and Hamilton at the shooting guard position.

This was a huge point of contention last season in Detroit, because neither Hamilton nor Allen Iverson wanted to come off the bench. Gordon is considerably better than Iverson at this point, just got a handsome deal to play in Detroit, and has gotten used to starting with Chicago last year. If the two Huskies can't figure it out together, this could rekindle a problem that severely hampered the Pistons in their decent to the eighth and final playoff spot.

Grade: B. These moves are solid, but not spectacular. Villanueva will probably play closer to what he did last year because he now belongs to an organization that is serious about winning, and has the chance to make deep playoff runs. It is a little scary, however, that Villanueva has only averaged around six rebounds a game over his career. This might mean that Detroit's frontline, which will consist of Villanueva, Jason Maxiell, and the toothpick skinny Austin Daye, is going to have problems controlling the glass. Gordon can score with anyone in the NBA, if he comes off the bench should be right up their in the Sixth Man of the Year award voting. The Pistons will be a team no one wants to play come April if Gordon and Hamilton politely share playing time. If not, look for Hamilton to be dealt before the trade deadline.

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