Will Gordon and Villanueva Save the Detroit Pistons?

By Alex Stein

Things took an interesting turn for the Detroit Pistons this past year. Gone are the days of the Eastern Conference supremacy, and gone are many of the familiar names we've been accustomed to seeing in a Pistons uniform over the years.

Chauncey Billups is now in Denver (and playing great basketball). Allen Iverson, who was acquired in this trade, has also left town to sign with the Bobcats (so much for winning that championship anytime soon). Then there's Rasheed Wallace, who opted to join the Celtics after the end of this season.

In are Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, two capable scorers. In is Ben Wallace, a familiar face from the past, though not nearly as effective as he used to be.

Ben Gordon should help their scoring issues. He put up some very respectable numbers in the past for the Bulls and even came up big in several playoff games.

In 08'-09' Charlie Villanueva averaged 16 points per game, the highest of his career and at 6-11, he gives the Pistons some size up front.

This is the year nobody really knows what they will see from the Detroit Pistons. When teams get new faces people automatically assume the team will improve, that doesn't always happen. Yes, the Detroit Pistons are a playoff team but can they compete with Boston? Cleveland? Orlando? The Pistons hope Rodney Stuckey is their franchise point guard for years to come. The Pistons still have Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince who have many playoff game experience.

One player who will need to average more in both rebounds and points is C Chris Wilcox. Wilcox has been on a few teams now since his career started in 2002, maybe Detroit is where he can finally shine as a player and contribute a good deal.

This season for the Detroit Pistons will be very interesting because when people speak about the front runners in the East the pistons aren't mentioned. We will see how the new acquisitions work out. - 31494

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