Forward Charlie Villanueva was one of the big ticket free agents the Pistons brought in to boost the offense but he has failed. He has played in 68 games (16 starts) for the Pistons this season and he is averaging 24.1 minutes, 12.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He is also only shooting 43.5% from the floor which is really pathetic for a big man. Villanueva is probably laughing all the way to the bank when he’s cashing checks from the Pistons.

When the Pistons signed Ben Gordon they were expecting 20 points per night out of him. But he has been banged up all year long and it has hurt his play. Gordon has played in 32 games (14 starts) this season and he is averaging 29.8 minutes, 15.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The Pistons really need to get Gordon healthy and get the ball in his hands as they are not a good offensive basketball team.

The Pistons have the feeling that the more power forward Jason Maxiell plays the less effective he becomes. He has played in 44 games (15 starts) this season and he is averaging 17.3 minutes, 5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Maxiell doesn’t keep in the best shape which is likely the cause for him wearing down in games. It seems like Maxiell won’t get a chance to be a starter full-time in Detroit any time soon.

F/C Kwame Brown is still only 27 years old so maybe the lightbulb above his head will flick on at some point in his career. But, as of right now he is a huge bust. Brown has played in 27 games (0 starts) for the Pistons this season and he is averaging 14.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 489 games (216 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 22.4 minutes, 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Brown needs to step it up soon or he is going to be known as one of the biggest first overall pick of the NBA Draft busts of all-time.

Former Detroit Pistons forward Antonio McDyess returned to Detroit tonight as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, where the Spurs won 112-92 to hand Detroit their 11th straight loss.  McDyess was with the Pistons for 5 years and he said the Pistons’ current situation “is sad.”  McDyess, along with most, blame it on the November 4, 2008 trade that sent Chauncey Billups to Denver for the past-his-prime, shoot-first Allen Iverson.  With Billups as their team leader the Pistons had great chemistry and won the 2004 NBA Championship.  They also made it six straight Eastern Conference Finals, winning it twice.  For some odd reason, Pistons’ team president Joe Dumars thought that the Pistons needed to rebuild, despite their success, and the Pistons have been going downhill ever since.  They lost all of their chemistry and their winning ways, with McDyess speculating that he and Rasheed Wallace would probably still be Pistons if Billups had never been traded.  Their current 11-game winning streak is the worst since the 1993-94 season.