Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports:
When Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars signed Charlie Villanueva, 25, last summer to a five-year, $35-million contract as an unrestricted free agent from the Milwaukee Bucks, eyebrows were raised.
Villanueva, a highly skilled power forward with long-distance touch and the ability to score with either hand in the paint, also was known as a defensive liability and uninterested in rebounding.
But “stretch fours,” as Pistons coach John Kuester calls power forwards with three-pointer ability, are rare, and the thinking was Villanueva could be coached up on the grittier aspects of basketball.
However, that hasn’t happened this season. Villanueva is constantly exploited by opponents on defense, and it’s hard to count the number of offensive rebounds he has allowed. He hasn’t been completely healthy all season, either.