After last night’s 85-80 win over the Orlando Magic, the Detroit Pistons sit at 2-2, half a game behind the Cleveland LeBrons Cavaliers for the Central Division lead. It’s a little early to be talking about their position in the standings, especially since Cleveland has gotten off to a slow start. However, the Pistons’ .500 record after 4 games is nothing to panic about. The new-look Pistons have been inconsistent at times, but have also shown us that there is something to be excited about with this team as well.
One of the biggest positives so far for the Pistons has been the play of free-agent-signee Ben Gordon. BG has been everything one could expect from a $10 million per-year salary so far. He’s shooting at a 50% clip from the field (41% from 3), averaging 24 points per game. He was expected to come off the bench this year, but an early injury to Rip Hamilton has forced him into a starter’s role, and he has performed admirably. Detractors have complained that he hasn’t been much of a playmaker thus far, but it’s not his role. Joe D brought him in as a scorer, someone who can come in cold off the bench and light it up in a hurry. He has been able to stretch defenses, allowing for more holes for both Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum to get to the basket. Last night’s game was proof of that. BG didn’t hit any 3s (no Piston did), but Stuckey and Bynum were able to get to the basket all night long and draw key fouls on the Orlando bigs.
On the other hand, Charlie Villanueva has been an early-season disappointment. To his defense, he’s had to deal with an injury throughout the entire preseason. This has limited his playing time with his new teammates. There’s definitely some chemistry issues thus far, but nothing fans should be worried about. Also, I think CV31 is pressing a bit. From reading his Twitter page all summer, you know he wants to play well in Detroit. The D is famous for treating their heroes like royalty, and I think Villanueva wants to be a part of that. Give him time Pistons fans, he’s going to be ok.
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