Deals with the Detroit Pistons: Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva Agree
With the Pistons having the most money to work with this off season, it was no surprise Joe Dumars let it be known that next year’s team would have a new look.
The Pistons had 39 wins last season, and that just won’t do it.
This morning, sources said that Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva were both being shown around the Pistons facilities.
Gordon, at 26 years old, was the Bulls' leading scorer last season, averaging about 21 points per game. Many said that Gordon would return to Chicago if he was given enough money, but he rejected the Bulls' offer to re-sign him.
Gordon was actually looking for a reason to leave Chicago, since he was not happy with how the team handled his contract, but did work with Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng.
Gordon would bring a scoring punch that the Pistons thought they were getting with Allen Iverson. Many of us will never forget the epic overtime games of the Bulls-Celtics series this postseason in which Gordon averaged nearly 25 points per game, was virtually impossible to guard, and was hitting every clutch bucket the Bulls needed.
A few days ago, the Milwaukee Bucks showed that they were willing to let Charlie Villanueva move on.
The 24-year-old has a great inside-outside game which creates many match-up problems. He has a smooth jump shot from the outside, and he can go in and score down low.
Villanueva is coming off his best season, in which he averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game.
However, like Gordon, Villanueva’s commitment to defense is questionable. But he is extremely talented and provides the Pistons with a younger replacement for Rasheed Wallace.
Next year’s Pistons will certainly have a new look, new players, and a new coach. TNT analyst Doug Collins is the current front-runner for the Detroit job, although Avery Johnson and other candidates have emerged.
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