Two steps in the right direction for Pistons

Thu, Jul 2, 2009

When the Detroit Pistons make their annual preseason trip to Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids in mid-October, fans are really going to have to study the team program.

Talk about a lot of new faces in new places.

By the end of this summer, it will not be out of the question that much of the Pistons' starting five from the start of the '08-09 season — sans Tayshaun Prince — could be in new cities and in new uniforms. How strange is will seem, considering the one trait the Pistons were known for during their string of six-straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals was roster stability.

But one of the worst adjectives to hover around a franchise is "old," and the Pistons' core was approaching that stigma.

Added with playoff heartbreak eating away at Pistons' fans souls, and many were beckoning for a youth movement; a roster overhaul of sorts. With the addition of three rookies from last week's NBA Draft and Wednesday's stunning news of the signing of free agent guard Ben Gordon from Chicago and forward Charlie Villanueva from Milwaukee, they have got their wish, and in a big way.

The Pistons simply didn't dip their toes into the free agency pool, they cannon-balled in, with team president/general manager Joe Dumars reportedly handing out a pair of big paydays for a combined $90 million to what has to be considered two up-and-coming talents.

It may be too early to predict a trip to the NBA Finals for this new group of Pistons — whose roster still may be tinkered with this summer — but it will be awfully fun to see how they mesh.

If anything, there's now renewed hope for success, something that was lacking when Detroit was bashed out of the playoffs in a blink of an eye by Cleveland in late April.

Villanueva's arrival should be especially exciting, but only if you're the type who can grin some days, and grit your teeth on others. Yes, his attitude has gained a comparison to Rasheed Wallace, and his brief career has been mirrored by inconsistency.

Case in point: He was criticized after a game in March for logging onto his "Twitter" account during halftime of the Bucks' game.

But guess what? Milwaukee won the game, over the Boston Celtics nonetheless. He does somewhat childish things like that, because he is only 24. But like Wallace, he's an inside-outside threat, with the ability to stretch defenses with his soft shooting touch.

More impressively, when the Bucks were suffering huge injury after huge injury this past season, he elevated his game, turning in career-bests of 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Ideally, for someone 6-foot-11, you'd like to see a rebound average higher than that, but did I mention he's only 24? Dumars has to believe Villanueva's best days are ahead of him, and with this soon to be his third team in five years, maybe his drive, desire and production will skyrocket.

As for Gordon's arrival, strike one for Detroit as far as revenge. It was a bitter pill to swallow when the Bulls plucked Ben Wallace away in free agency three years ago, although some gratitude followed as the massive deal turned out to be a bad business decision on a player past his prime.

At least it will be nice not having to watch Gordon in the Red & Black drain long jumper after long jumper against Detroit. It's a skill that was painfully lacking from the guards wearing Red, White & Blue last season. There's no doubt Gordon was born to score. He hasn't averaged less than 15 points a season during his 5-year career, and he was simply outstanding in the Bulls' first-round playoff loss to the Celtics, pouring in 24 points a game.

The only tricky issue with Gordon is how he will fit in with the Pistons. His arrival seems to signal the end of Richard Hamilton's days in Motown, as Detroit will likely seek another low-post banger in a trade. But does that also signal that the Pistons are confident with Rodney Stuckey at point guard (who is two inches taller than Gordon at 6-5)?

Many have suggested Stuckey's game is better suited as a two-guard. What we do know is Detroit should throw out all ideas of a three-guard lineup, which backfired terribly last season with the trio of Stuckey, Hamilton and Allen Iverson.

Quickness is a nice skill to possess, but you also need size to win an NBA Championship.

The Pistons still haven't met that criteria, despite Villanueva's arrival. The team's toughness that carried it to the 2005 NBA title needs to be revived, and until that happens, forget about challenging the likes of Cleveland, Orlando and Boston in the Eastern Conference.

But if Dumars remains as aggressive re-tooling his roster as he did Wednesday, that concern will be addressed before the Pistons march onto the floor at Van Andel.

Those fans may not instantly recognize this new-look Pistons team, but it will be a lot better than being heartbroken by the old one.