Bosh? LeBron? D-Wade? No, Detroit settles for Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva

July 02 09

Breaking NBA news mixed with analysis …

Their News: "The Detroit Pistons made the biggest early splash in free agency on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Former Bulls guard Gordon will receive a five-year deal for between $55 million and $60 million, while former Bucks forward Villanueva gets a five-year deal for $40 million, sources told ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard". ESPN.com news services

Our Very Quick Analysis: Nothing against Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, but I hope this isn’t it. I hope GM Joe Dumars has another move up his sleeve and this isn’t the end of Detroit’s rebuilding efforts.

My reaction is based on November 3^rd, 2008. That’s the day Dumars ended the Pistons’ run as Eastern Conference contenders and traded MVP candidate Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets for Allen Iverson’s expiring contract.

The Hall of Fame two-guard justified donating Billups to Denver by stating the organization would gain the cap space to sign or trade for top talent and rebuild on the fly. And based on Dumars’ record as an executive, I couldn’t disagree.

For me, top talent means chasing Chris Bosh or doing everything short of tampering to indicate to Dwyane Wade and/or LeBron James that they’d receive a max offer if they opted-out next summer. In short, it means getting great, not good players.

Like you, I thought that was Dumars’ plan. Well, we were wrong.

Let’s be clear: I like Gordon and Villanueva. In fact, I like them a lot. Gordon can start or come off the bench and handled some controversial contract negotiations with remarkable professionalism. Villanueva, when not twittering at half time, is a versatile and talented scorer, who once hit for fifty points as a rookie in Toronto.

But Gordon and Villanueva are good, not great. Neither has been to an All-Star game (as a participant). Neither is talented enough for franchises to build around. And both are blending players that don’t have true positions.

To be fair, Dumars succeeded with players like Gordon and Villanueva. He built his reputation as a suit on acquiring under-appreciated assets like Billups, Rip Hamilton, and Ben Wallace. These players then repaid the franchise’s loyalty with an NBA Title. And the Pistons have always preferred an ensemble cast to a superstar model.

However, Dumars sold fans on the Billups trade because it would supposedly provide the cap space to chase elite talent, the NBA’s creme de la creme. Signing good not great Gordon and Villanueva on the first day of free agency shows otherwise.

Did Dumars make a mistake with Gordon and Villanueva? Why? Why not? Get at us in the comment box below and come back to HoopsVibe The Blog for more NBA tidbits. Photo courtesy of saidalsalah1.

12 Comments: Bosh? LeBron? D-Wade? No, Detroit settles for Ben Gordon and (...)

Posted by
Motor City Mitch
on 07.3.2009

I live in Detroit and Joe D has said since the trade his biggest thing is making a change.He said things like: If we don’t get superstars oh well, but we’ll have good player that will compete I want to win now! We have cap space now! Why wait til 2010, you don’t know whats gonna happen so it’s foolish to plan around it. So what Joe did is take players he thought could help us now. His plan is to put together part 3 of a team that plays team ball thats why he wants a coach he can teach D to help players like BG and CV get better on that end. And yet still have the balance to score and divide it up. Also he wants players that go hard consistently, he felt the other squad of vets got content and it reflected on the younger players thats why he’s ridding of all the one pieces. No one thought much of what he did when he first started piecing the team together in 2002. I think the same will happen here you may not see till year 3 but, it could definitely be the right moves we don’t know, don’t doubt Joe yet! .

Posted by
Snika
on 07.3.2009

They weren’t going to win championships with Chauncey anymore, even though he is the best playoff PG in the game. I don’t think they can get rid of Rip yet, they fired their coach because a fued with Rip, so why get rid of both? I would offer Prince and Stuckey because those are your biggest bargaining chips to receive a superstar. The only team that might be interested in Rip, would be Utah... and the Boozer talks seem to be done. I think Charlie V and BG will be with Detroit through the whole season, they won’t part with them unless it involves D’Wade or LeBron. .

Posted by
hasn bin laiden
on 07.3.2009

shoulda kept the powder dry for ’10. this was a classic case of making moves that might win a press conference, but won’t win jack in the playoffs. as you outlined above, detroit has won with ensemble casts before; but this is the wrong ensemble. how far do you get when defense is treated as optional? also, the billups trade is justifiable. detroit’s cast was old and a little too satisfied with themselves. they had no realistic chance at winning any more titles, so it was time to break them up. the unjustifiable move was extending rip to 2013 immediately after the chauncey trade. now he’s gotta be traded to clear room for gordon. have fun with that, joe d. .

Posted by
Cory
on 07.2.2009

If the Pistons trade Stuckey who’s going to play point. Your joking if you think BG can and bynum is a solid back but nothing more. If Joe D trades Stuckey Rip and Tay for a bosh or Amare that would be a mistake, In my opinion only real good big we could get (i.e bosh) would cost too much. Try and get a center like Dalembert for Rip and 2010 2nd round sixers would take it (with Brand and Speights) .

Posted by
O.Sandor
on 07.2.2009

Hi Snika, thanks for commenting. Great point. Right now, the Pistons are too perimeter heavy and need a post up or down-low threat for spacing. Like I said, I don’t believe Dumars is done. At least I hope ... thanks for reading. .

Posted by
Snika
on 07.2.2009

Make a push for Bosh or Amare, offer Prince and Stuckey... they will love that since both are re-vamping their teams, and it will give you the on court balance you need. .

Posted by
Kwame Brown aka I’ve got feet instead of palms
on 07.2.2009

If Detroit trade Rip it’ll be a disaster. It just would be replacement just to do something-not neccessary smart. As for BIG men don’t count on Kwame Brown I mean pleeeaaasseee that guy is a BIG joke-can’t dunk under the basket, can’t even hold the ball like he should. Detroit needs a big men and in my opinion Nate Robinson would fit perfectly=everything but not Brown ;] .

Posted by
mintwill68
on 07.2.2009

I am very excited about Gordon coming to Detroit. Now in my opinion I think Joe needs to look to trade Rip, Prince or even Stuckey, to bring another big man into town. I hear that Kaman may be available. .

Posted by
O.Sandor
on 07.2.2009

Hi Mike, Thanks for commenting. I’m not knocking Gordon or CV. Both are good players; they are probably Dumars’ best option. However, trading Billups, who is a great player or a couple of notches above Gordon and Villanueva, was supposedly done, so Detroit could get or at least chase a great or top player. I see no evidence of the Pistons pursuing Bosh or plotting a run at Wade etc. For me, they gave up a great player and have only gotten back good. Still, Dumars knows what he is doing and perhaps he has another move coming. Thanks. .

Posted by
MoneyMike
on 07.2.2009

Much like Chauncy when he came to the D, Gordon has never had the chance to be the for absolute number one for a team. He is going to have a break out year next season and turn a lot of peoples heads. As far as CV goes... Im not sold. The Pistons need a big body to dominate the post badly... and Kwame Brown is not the answer. I think Joe D is looking to trade Rip and a few other pieces for a good big man. Not great... but good. There just arent enough "great" bigs in the league. .

Posted by
What do I know?
on 07.2.2009

If this is all Joe D is going to do ,they are in trouble.A.I and Rasheed vs Gordan and Villa is a improvement .Though the Stones were under .500,now maybe a little over.They must get help up front via trade or they will be only a fair team.They basically replaced to older players with younger but not better players.The right trade could help make them a very good team again.If not ,they will be just another team. .

Posted by
Mik
on 07.2.2009

How many elite players are there in the NBA? Maybe 5-7? Gordon was Bulls’ best player and the best available free agent shooting guard on the market. Both him and CV are still young and their game has another level to go to. As you said yourself, that’s the blueprint that Joe has used successfully, so why stray? .

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	About Oly Sandor
Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More

Bosh? LeBron? D-Wade? No, Detroit settles for Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva

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