Pistons Pounce On A Pair of UConn Huskies

When the bell rung to signify the start of the 2009 NBA free agency sweepstakes, the Detroit Pistons were standing at the front of the line with approximately $19M in cap space available to upgrade their team after saying goodbye to Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and possibly Antonio McDyess.  They wasted no time by agreeing to terms with two former UConn standouts, shooting guard Ben Gordon and hybrid forward Charlie Villanueva – brought in to join another fellow Huskie, Richard Hamilton.  Both Gordon and Villanueva signed five-year deals, valued at $55M and $35M respectively.

There goes the Piston cap space, and there goes their ability to sign anyone from the fabled 2010 free agent class next summer.  Was this a wise investment by Joe Dumars?  Both Gordon and Villanueva have been solid starters at times, but more often are viewed as spark-plug sixth men.  Next summer, many superstar players are available and can and will be had at a similar price tag.

But hey, maybe Joe D will continue this trend and propose a trade to bring in Josh Boone.