On the first day of the NBA's free agency period the Detroit Pistons opened their checkbooks signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Ben Gordon who signed a 5-year deal expected to be worth between $45 and $50 million, left the Chicago Bulls to join the rival Pistons. Gordon lead the Bulls in scoring every year since he was drafted no. 3 overall in the 2004 draft averaging 20.7 points despite coming off the bench the majority of his time in Chicago. Ben Gordon won the NBA's 6th Man of the Year award in 2005 which he may have to do again in Detroit.
Charlie Villanueva signed a 5 year deal worth at least $35 million after the Milwaukee Bucks allowed him to become a free agent. Villanueva was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2005 and was traded after his rookie season to the Bucks, he made the All-Rookie team averaging 13 points and 6.4 rebounds. Last season with the Bucks he averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 boards while taking on more of a scoring role with injuries to Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut.
The moves are nice for the coach less Pistons but the question that has to be answered is what is going to happen to Rip Hamilton. Detroit is paying Gordon $50 million so I doubt they want him to come off the bench, how do you tell Rip he's going to the bench again but this time for a guy who has made the most impact coming off the bench. Rip didn't handle being moved to the bench very well when it was Allen Iverson and Gordon is no Iverson, so whoever the new coach will be will have to tread lightly with the situation because Rip is the leader of this team and they don't want a riff between them and the veterans. Look what happened to Michael Curry.
The moves the Pistons made are a huge blow to the Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, but it does not put them back in the title hunt. The Bulls lost their leading scorer to their rivals and they really don't have anyone to replace him, but they set themselves up to be in play for Chris Bosh or Dwayne Wade. Charlie Villanueva was being checked out by the Cavs and would have helped them immensely but instead he signed with the Pistons. Villanueva spurning the Cavs hurts them a little bit but it doesn't hurt them as much as it helps the Pistons. The next move for the Pistons should be hiring a new coach which GM Joe Dumars said he wants to get done by next week. Hopefully Detroit makes the right decision and they hire Avery Johnson but who knows because that guy should have been hired last year, by the Bulls or someone else.
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