The Pistons secured commitments from Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva tonight, as Joe Dumars delivered on his promise to bring in some impact players. He got that done on the first day of free agency and those additions signal a new era of Pistons basketball, for better or worse.
Fans fell in love with the tough, physical, defensive-minded Pistons that made six straight Eastern Conference Finals. Dumars is convinced the team can't play that way anymore, not with the hand-checking rules and ticky-tack calls given to the league's new breed of superstars. So the Pistons are now much more offensively-gifted, though they'll give up plenty at the other end with Gordon and Villanueva playing heavy minutes.
There's still plenty of work to be done. The Pistons have to get a starting center to pair with Villanueva. They'd like Antonio McDyess back but that would mean having McDyess and Kwame Brown rotating at center all season. It makes more sense that Richard Hamilton will be dealt for a big man, though there's a chance they could make that trade and still resign McDyess.
McDyess likes it here but I think he'll wait to see who Dumars brings in as the head coach before he seriously considers returning and leaving some money on the table. He could easily get a full mid-level exception with a contender.