PROTECT THE PAINT

This Wednesday, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva came to Detroit and became the first NBA free agent “signees” of the summer. New Piston Gordon will make $55 million over 5 years, while Villanueva will net $40 million over the same span.

We mentioned/predicted in our story earlier this week, 2009 NBA Free Agents: Cap Space Talks Or The Free Agents Walk that Gordon would be a great fit if he were to land in Detroit. Protect the Paint will now take a deeper look into the pros and cons of what these signings will do for the Pistons.

PROS:

Signing Gordon and Villanueva delivers two potent scorers to the Detroit roster. We stated in our previous free agency story that Rodney Stuckey and Gordon  are a great 1-2 punch. Gordon has a career 21.3 ppg average, and Stuckey’s game is improving. With Iverson departed, Stuckey should return to the player he was prior to AI’s arrival.

Ben Gordon needs to improve his shot selection in Detroit (Credit: smackenergybar.com)

Ben Gordon is 26 and in his prime.  He gives the Pistons more offense, but is it that different than what they had with Allen Iverson? We assume he will start, but if he doesn’t, he comes off the bench spelling either Rip Hamilton or Stuckey. Gordan has a knack for scoring points in bunches. His defense is a different story.

Villanueva averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds last season but those numbers are actually quite deceiving. Villanueva’s true scoring average when starting was 17.7 ppg, with 7.3 rpg, 2 apg, adding nearly a steal and a block per contest. If he learns to suppress his lust for the three-pointer, he will become a far more effective offensive player. He can increase his point and rebound totals as a result of positioning himself closer to the basket.

Villanueva, 24, is on the cusp of entering his prime. He should immediately start for the Pistons and will pose trouble for the opposition as the 3rd or 4th scoring option.

The two players are both solid free throw shooters, and have little flaws in their offensive talents, other than shot selection.

CONS

Charlie Villanueva needs to attack the rim more for Detroit (Credit: blair.edu)

Villanueva is amongst the worst defenders in the NBA at the power forward position. During a recent chat with NBA statistics guru Haralabos Voulgaris, he stated,

“He (Villanueva) is the worst PF defender in the league by a longshot”.

Villanueva’s adjusted plus minus confirms Haralabos’ statement.

After much belaboring in Milwaukee by Scott Skiles, Villanueva did slightly improve his defense during some stretches. Time will only tell if this trend continues. The Bucks were extremely short on players because of injuries, so it’s fair to wonder if Skiles–often disgusted by his defensive efforts–would have given him so many minutes if the Bucks’ injury situation had been different.

We witnessed Gordon’s major flaw in the playoffs versus the Boston Celtics last season. Gordon has a habit of trying to force the offense, resulting in quick, low percentage shots. This hurt Gordon’s Bulls against the Celtics during the Eastern Conference 1st round game 7.

Gordon's judgment and shooting skills vanished in game 7 (Credit: ESPN)

Gordon’s poor shot selection during the 4th quarter allowed the Celtics more  possessions late in that deciding game (not to mention other key moments of the series). The Celtics then capitalized by converting multiple free throws to seal the win.

Moral of the story: Ben Gordon is not a clutch player and you could make the case the Bulls will be a much better team without him. The power struggle for the basketball between Gordon and Derrick Rose hurt the Bulls all year.

Additionally, Gordon (who you could call one-dimensional) has a long way to go defensively. His lack of height at the two-guard position will cause him problems defending the larger shooting guards in the league. The firing of defensive-minded Michael Curry indicates a new style of play in Detroit will be integrated for the upcoming season.

SYNOPSIS:

Ultimately, Gordon and Villanueva are talented, young offensive-minded players who will add to a lineup with their athleticism and ability to score.

Stuckey, Gordon, Hamilton, Tayshuan Prince, Villanueva, and Jason Maxiell comprise a solid core moving forward. If players like Maxiell, Rip and Prince can compensate for Gordon and Villanueva’s defensive inadequacies, making a low-seed playoff push is realistic. Of course, this will be dependant upon who Dumars hires as head coach.

Anyone escaping the doldrums of Milwaukee must feel as if they have a new lease on life. But that does not indicate that it will be a new lease on new defensive desires. Hopefully Detroit’s core can help Villanueva accelerate this development. If not, it could mean a trip back to the lottery.

We here at Protect the Paint must ask: What is Joe Dumars’  vision for the future direction of the Pistons?

Dumars succeeded early in his tenure as GM, but last year he traded away Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson and  it failed miserably. Having Kwame Brown on the roster additionally tarnishes his track record. The 2003 drafting of Darko Milcic immediately indicates a trend that for every good move he’s made, Dumars also has the capacity to blow it.

Milicic is the symbol of Joe Dumars' bad management decisions (Credit: ESPN)

Will anyone ever forget the Darko selection?

Iverson could replace Darko as the symbol of Dumars' mistakes (Credit: mlive.com)

Can Gordon and Villanueva  eventually make Detroit fans forget about the Iverson trade?

Will Villanueva and Gordon learn to defend and use better shot selection?

There are too many unknowns to have a positive reflection on the outcome of these signings. We will have to see who coaches this team and what demands (most specifically on defense) he makes on the newest employees of the Motor City.

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