Athletic News

Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva relieved to sign long-term deals with Pistons

by A. Sherrod Blakely
www.mlive.com/pistons

AUBURN HILLS -- Growing up in New York City, Ben Gordon played a pivotal role in convincing Charlie Villanueva to follow him to Connecticut, where they helped the Huskies win a national championship.

But there was no need to sell his college teammate on the advantages of signing a long-term deal with the Detroit Pistons.

“The last time I played with Ben, we won a championship,” Villanueva said. “That made my decision a little bit easier as far as coming here.”

Both players committed to the Pistons on the first day teams could woo free agents. Those commitments became official Wednesday, the first day teams could sign free agents.

Gordon, coming off a career-high 20.2 points per game last season in Chicago, agreed to a five-year deal worth at least $50 million. Villanueva signed a five-year deal worth $35 million.

In addition to having a chance to play significant minutes, both came into free agency looking for the security that comes with a long-term deal.

“I wanted to get it over with,” said Villanueva, who has played for four coaches in his four NBA seasons. “I just wanted to make sure my career was secure. I didn’t want to wait at all. Now, I can concentrate on working out and preparing for next season.”

Gordon and the Bulls spent the past couple offseasons trying to work out a long-term deal but could not get one done.

Gordon, 26, said he sensed his time in Chicago was just about up.

“Right after the season, I knew I probably wouldn’t be back in a Chicago Bulls uniform,” he said. “Talking to Joe (Dumars, the Pistons’ president of basketball operations) the last few days, I knew this was somewhere I wanted to be right away. Joe is all about winning a championship, and everything he has done in the past and everything he continues to do in the future is geared towards trying to get a ring. It was an easy sell for me.”

Detroit targeting Gordon and Villanueva and its draft picks last month signal a team transitioning from a grind-it-out defensive squad to one looking to become more explosive offensively.

“You look at the game today, and the game is changing,” Gordon said. “You look at other teams around the league, everybody is trying to upgrade their team, especially offensively. Joe realized that, and he’s trying to get players into this organization that kind of fit that style.”

Both players acknowledged that the Pistons’ style of play is in transition now.

However, the goals remain the same.

“The ultimate goal is to win the championship,” Villanueva said. “That’s what we’re striving to do. I’ve never been to the playoffs. I don’t know how that feels. I’m tired of losing. I have a good chance here in Detroit to win some ball games.”

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