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FanHouse Charlie Villanueva

Latest Charlie Villanueva Stories

Tired Pistons No Match for Rested Suns

Ben GordonPHOENIX -- The NBA's schedule is never something that teams will use as an excuse for playing particularly poorly in any single game.

But sometimes, the way things shake out, it can definitely be seen as a legitimate reason.

The schedule dictated that the Pistons finish up their four-game, West coast swing against a Suns team that averages 117 points per game on their home floor. And coming off of a tough, overtime loss in Utah the night before, Detroit never had a chance.

Redd Wants to Remain with Bucks

Michael ReddMILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee is cutting costs. With that being no secret, guard Michael Redd doesn't deny there is a possibility he could be traded before his contract expires in the summer of 2011.

But that's not what Redd wants.

"Oh yeah, absolutely,'' Redd said Thursday in an interview with FanHouse about wanting to remain with the Bucks through the life of his deal. "I've been here for 10 years. So I've enjoyed my time here, man, and the team keeps getting better.''

Redd, 30, is making $17.04 million this season and has an $18.3 million early-termination option for next season. It would be a shock if Redd, who has played his entire career with the Bucks since entering the NBA in 2000, opted out.

Questions Surround ESPN's NBA Latino Power Rankings

ESPN has assigned its Spanish-speaking correspondent Alfred R. Berrios to keep up a weekly ranking of the NBA's Latinos for its ESPN Deportes property. Celebrating the game's Central and Southern American tentacles is a positive thing, and the NBA has long sought to integrate the multitudes of Spanish-speaking sports fans in the United States and abroad into its fold.

But ESPN's list is just weird in terms of inclusion and exclusion.

Suns Score 123 Points, None of Which Belong to Alando Tucker

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

It was all Phoenix last night as the Suns beat the Hornets 124-104. The Suns scored 101 of their points in the first three quarters, so you can tell where this is going. Steve Nash needed just 23 minutes to post 12 points and 10 assists. Amare Stoudemire added 21 points. Even Goran Dragic got in on the fun adding 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Unfortunately, Alando Tucker was the only Sun held scoreless. On the bright side he wasn't the worst player in the game. That honor goes to the player responsible for last night's lotto line.

On the other side of the ball Chris Paul played inspired ball after Steve Nash called him the best point guard in the league. Paul had 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting with four treys, six assists and four steals. Chris Paul is making 2.2 threes per game and is shooting 63-percent from the floor in his first nine, which is making him the clear-cut No.1 player in all of fantasy.

Hoops Heist: Go Get Granger

One of the best parts about playing fantasy basketball is that we all get to play the role of Sam Presti, Daryl Morey or, for some of us, Isiah Thomas. It's fun to be able to pull of a trade with the kicker being that it has no real life implications.

So you traded away Carmelo Anthony last week for Kevin Martin. It happens. You wake up tomorrow, put your pants on one leg at a time, and go about your business. Hoops Heist, however, is here to help you target players in your league who will return value that will make you wake up and put your pants on two legs at a times. Imagine that.

We'll run through a few players whose current value might make them an easy target in the trade market. In other words, buy-low candidates. Don't worry, it's not stealing. It's more of a business transaction.

Tweet This: Fifty Fantasy Basketball Tips


You kids and your Twitter. There's something about 140 characters to get your point across that just seems to make sense. The whole idea got me thinking that instead of dragging out some fantasy basketball column that you'll likely just skim over, what do you say I give you 50 fantasy basketball tips and observations in 140 characters or less. You have no vote in this matter, so you're getting them anyway.

These tips are not only designed for those of you who have yet to draft your fantasy teams, but they're also for those who are looking to improve on their post-draft squads. Hopefully this is a helpful way to get out as much information as possible while keepin' it mainstream.

FanHouse Preview: Pistons

Rip Hamilton, Charlie Villanueva and Ben GordonFanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Everything that could go wrong for the Pistons did last year, from front-office blunders (the Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson trade), indefensible coaching decisions (three guards and Tayshaun Prince as a power forward?) to a rash of injuries (only two starters played more than 67 games).

We could rehash the depressing nitty-gritty details, but why bother? It's a new season, and this year's squad looks very little like the one swept out of the playoffs in front of a turncoat Palace crowd.

Instead, let's focus on the changes, which should destroy your outdated notions of what Dee-troit Basket-ball is all about. First and foremost, the Pistons went from being one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest -- and not just because four rookies will make the roster.

Player to Watch: L.R. Mbah a Moute

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is not going to set the world on fire. But he's the type of player that can provide the gasoline.

To say Mbah a Moute was under the radar last season is to vastly overestimate the strength of radar systems. Coming out of UCLA, Mbah a Moute was considered a project like so many rookies. He didn't possess the wowzer tangibles (standing only 6-8 and being listed as a power forward will do that to you), didn't stir the senses with playmaking, and was considered a good college player that he might make it with some time.

And then Mbah A Moute actually hit the floor.

Cedric the Entertainer on Doing Vegas with MJ, Tiger and Chuck

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer is a huge sports fan who tells us that he use to be a boxer and these days he enjoys golf. In this FanHouse exclusive we talk to Cedric at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California (not to be confused with the Sherwood Forest -- home of Robin Hood). Cedric who hangs out with lots of top athletes tells us about the time he was doing Vegas with Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Charles Barkley.

Check out the video after the jump.

Summing Up Some Offseason Moves

Rasheed WallaceThere's still some tidying up to do this free agent season. We still need to find out about Lamar Odom, David Lee, Andre Miller, Drew Gooden and a few more interesting names out there.

But there's already plenty in the books, so let's take a look:

Best offseason move: Celtics sign Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace is a perfect fit in Boston, playing alongside veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. If Boston stays healthy, they'll likely have the best interior defense in the league: Kendrick Perkins, Garnett and Wallace.

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