Blog Squad: Charlie Villanueva
Bienvenidos a la sección de Blog Squad en Español, una colección de artículos de opinión, de periodistas, artistas y especialistas en básquetbol alrededor del mundo, quienes han querido compartir sus pensamientos acerca de la NBA. Aquí podrás consultar las columnas de opinión de cada uno de nuestros invitados especiales.
Los puntos de vista expresados en Blog Squad en Español representan únicamente la visión de quienes escriben en ella. No representan la posición de la NBA.com/español, de la NBA o de alguno de los equipos de la liga.
2010 CENTROBASKET FIBA TOURNAMENT
Charlie Villanueva.
Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Blog Day #2: Tuesday, July 7, 2010
PASSIONATE
Hey guys, so our team is looking pretty good. It was a rough start, but the Dominicans won our first game, and yet we won again tonight. I’m writing this now late Tuesday night, from the hotel room, it’s around midnight, and we’re now getting back to the hotel. The night before, we beat Panama, this was our first game of the tournament. I didn’t play the way I wanted to in that game. I got into early foul trouble, and wasn’t shooting the ball well. On top of that, remember what I said about the air conditioner, well… it was still broken and the court was like an ice skating ring – it was way too slippery. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I sat most of the second half. Coach thought it was best for me as well. Nonetheless, our team held it down. Our bench stepped it up in a big way, and my MVP of that game goes to Kelvin Pena, which finished with 18 pts – this kid can shoot. We were down most of the game, but then rally in the 4th quarter; I think it was an 11-2 run that sparked the comeback. I’m proud of how we pulled together towards the end, when it counted the most. But we shouldn’t never been down to being with. We need to throw the first punch and maintain that lead, and also stay consistent.
Our game tonight vs. Jamaica was even tougher than Panama. Roy Hibbert, which you guys know plays for the Indiana Pacers, was a tough guard. The guy is a monster, with good foot work, and he wouldn’t miss a Free Throw. He gave us some problems in the paint, but we got him into early foul trouble, which was a huge benefit for us. He eventually fouled out. And we took advantage of that. This game should our team’s depth. Our bench came through in a major way yet again. We should a lot of passion and heart in this game. The crowd is also an advantage for us, like our 6th man, they stayed cheering and had faith in us regardless of the scoreboard throughout the game. I love that! I finished the game, leading my team with only 13 pts, wasn’t a great shooting night, but I think defensively I contributed much more (couple of blocks and steal). I had to change my sneakers at halftime since I had ordered these custom Nike kicks with the wording of “Santo Domingo” imprinted on them, but they didn’t arrive to DR till this evening like 8pm. The game started at like 8:30pm. So I had someone get them from me at the hotel as soon as it arrived. At halftime, I made the switch, lol. It crazy, because something as simple as switching your sneakers, gives you a boost in confidence. Regardless, I’m just happy we came through as a team with our second win. Oh and by the way, even though the air conditioning still didn’t work, the Federation provided these big portable cooling fans in every corner of the court, which helped keep the court cooler than before. That helped a bit.
We have the day off tomorrow then is British Virgin Islands on Thursday. Let’s keep it rolling. Later.
2010 CENTROBASKET FIBA TOURNAMENT
Charlie Villanueva.
Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Hey guys, I gotta say this… it has been a great honor and privilege to represent my roots and culture of the Dominican Republic by joining the national team, which I official joined the team as of last year based on the FIBA rules, receiving dual-citizenships. Now for this summer, the Dominican Republic will host the 2010 FIBA CentroBasket Championship, which is the qualifier tournament for the Central American and Caribbean region for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship. The CentroBasket tournament will be held at Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto of Santo Domingo, running games scheduled from July 5-11, 2010. I got here a couple of days ago and began practicing with the team immediately.
For this tournament, the following 10 national teams will take part: Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and US Virgin Islands. The 2010 CentroBasket Championship qualifies the top four teams for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship; announced to take place in Argentina. Just for your own info, our team roster consist of the following members: (you might recognize some of these names, especially if you follow college basketball)
Ronald Ramon #4
Carlos Morban #5
Carlos Paniagua #6
Elpidio Fortuna #7
Juan Pablo Montas #8
Kelvin Pena De La Cruz #9
Elys Manuel Guzman #11
Franklin Western #12
Charlie Villanueva #13
Amaury Filion #14
Jack Michael Martinez #15
Looking forward in playing with such a great group of guys. Our coach is Eric Musselman, which has great NBA experience and knowledge, he was the former head coach for the Sacramento Kings and Golden State. Since I take great pride on my DR red-white-and-blue, exactly the same colors of my Detroit Pistons, I figure I start a daily blog, while in Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic. Just another way to stay connected to the beloved NBA fans. Thanks to the NBA Enebea, as I’m down here during my participation in the 2010 CentroBasket Championship as a member of the Dominican Rep. national team, I’ll keep you guys posted with the ins and outs. Like I always say, stay connected. Let’s get started.
Blog Day #1: Monday, July 6, 2010
DETERMINATION
The nerves has had me going up and down all day as I’m now getting ready to prepare for my debut in my country, the Dominican Republic. It will be the first official game I play out here as a member of the Dominican team. I was on the team last year, but that FIBA tournament took place in Puerto Rico, which I still have a sour taste in mind related to the final outcomes of those games. Last year’s results left disappointment in my hands, and with great disappointment there will be great determination. My only goal, and my primary reason to be here is to win Gold. I know it won’t be easy, but anything received great in life is well fought and earned. And I’m here to go to war.
It feels crazy because I was born and raised with a Dominican culture though in Elmhurst Queens, New York City, but standing here, in the grounds where my mom and dad both descent from, and both lived a struggled living, I stand today as a proud man and son. I can’t front, at first I felt some pressure, especially since I was classified as the only NBA guy – Al Horford and Francisco Garcia couldn’t participate in the tournament due to some other circumstances. So I had some concerns at first. Francisco actually got here yesterday from Sacramento. So even though he won’t be playing, he will still be here in full support. We’ll need that! Al is still with us at heart, he might try to make it down here at some point. But regardless, this is the Dominican TEAM, not Charlie’s team or any individual’s team. We need to come together as one. It’s crazy how people, especially media, gets over hyped on the importance of a single player and neglect how critical it is to have the right balance on your team in order to produce wins. We all need to contribute, and I’m confident we will do so in this native showcase tournament of CentroBasket.
We play our first game today against Panama. I can’t wait. I was a little concerned about the arena facility conditions. We’ve had several practices in the past week at the Palacio de los Deportes arena, where the games will be taking place, and the floor is horrible. Some of the guys have actually already gotten hurt a couple of times with the slippery floor. If you know me, I stay smart when it comes to that; I wouldn’t want to jeopardize anything. I only play if the conditions are safe. I think since the air conditioning isn’t working that’s what kills the court. There was even a point, the trainers would pour coca-cola, yes soda, in order to make the floor sticky. LOL! We’ll see what happens… the executives of the federation claim the busted air conditioning system will be fixed before tip-off. Nonetheless, we have to go out and play hard, no matter what’s against us. Let’s fight for that Gold. No Pueden!!!
I look forward in staying connect with you guys and LETS GO DOMINICANS!!!
Keep reading below for more blogs from Charlie.
Bienvenido
Charlie Villanueva. Diciembre 21 del 2009
Que pasa mi gente? This is Charlie V. publishing my first blog posting for the 2009-10 NBA Season, all done through the new section of NBA.com called “ene-be-a”, which for most of you that already speak Spanish like me, understand that it’s the pronunciation of “N-B-A” en Espanol. I think this is a really cool idea and I’m happy to be a part of the growing evolution in having more and more Latinos in the NBA, especially for Dominicans. We’ve dominated the MLB, now it’s time to come up in NBA. Shout out to my fellow Dominicans Al Horford and Francisco Garcia.
I’m going to be providing you guys with real talk, behind the scene, personal thoughts, and entertaining content for your reading. Though both my parents are from the Dominican Republic, I was born and raised here in the U.S. (New York City), so I’ll be writing mostly in English with some Spanish. We call that “Spanglish” growing up in Queens, LOL. I’m happy to finally have a place for us bilingual speaking Hispanics. It doesn’t matter if you were born here or outside the U.S., if you have any Latino background or influence in your life, nba.com/enebea is where to be at.
Keep reading below for more blogs from Charlie.
New Home, New Boss
Charlie Villanueva.
I’ll tell you another spot where to be, at least for me, is right here in Detroit, with my beloved red, white, and blue Pistons. I’m so happy to finally have a place where all parties understand each other and they’ve implemented a traditional winning mentality. I give all due respect to our GM, Mr. Joe Dumas. Joe is mainly the reason why I decided to come to the Pistons. Not to take away from my previous teams, Milwaukee and Toronto, which have all been great experiences for me, but here in Detroit … I never been on a team that the GM is so down to earth and initiates the effort to have a personal relationship with his players on and off the court. I never seen a GM show up at every practice and will sit down to observe every move. Believe it or not, I see Joe Dumas as a father figure and the leader of our group. I’m happy to call the State of Michigan my new home. I signed a 5-year deal with the team and I’m hoping in making a pivotal impact to the team and the community of Detroit during my stay here. I purchased a home here and I’m looking to stay and making Detroit the home where my career excels to that next level. God willing with such great teammates and coaching staff, we can bring back the championship back to Motown!
For more information, please visit the official website of Charlie Villanueva: www.CV31.com
Sorry Charlie
Charlie Villanueva.
It was bad enough when Commissioner Stern announced the Social Media policy a few weeks ago, which I call the “Charlie Villanueva Rule”, LOL, it prevents players from twittering during games; and as well as 45-min prior or after the game. I’m actually for that rule now. As most of you might know by now, I help Twitter become trending amongst fellow NBA players after my halftime tweet. At the time, I thought this was going to be a new level of communication, a new way to interact with fans during real time game action, but oh well… sorry Charlie. It’s bad enough that got taken away, but on top of that there some other reasons fans are telling me “Sorry Charlie”.
The Pistons are off to a pretty decent start, considering all the injuries. I would not have believed you if you told me, sorry Charlie but 5 of your top 6 scorers in the team will be injured at different points of the beginning part of the season. My UConn boys Rip Hamilton missed 22 games, Ben Gordon missed like 7-8 games, and one of our other leaders, Tayshaun Prince has missed like 22 games. To add to the damage, yet again, “sorry Charlie”, but I recently broke my nose a couple of games ago vs. Atlanta. I only really missed 1 game, but it’s just an inconvenience to play with that mask. I had successful surgery done, but it still hurts. Now I’m here making my best impersonation of Richard Hamilton by wearing a plastic mask on my face in every game, which again guys, I do not like it. It’s like playing with a hand on your face constantly. I’ve been adjusting to it as best as I can, but I can’t wait to take this off. I have to play with the mask for another 3-4 weeks. On top of all this, here we go again, “Sorry Charlie”, but yet another player gets injured, Will “Dynamite” Bynum recently hurt his ankle and has missed a few games thus far. With all those injuries, we still manage to keep an 11-14 record, which isn’t great, but not bad. We won our 5 of our last 7 games. I’m hoping we can keep up that same positive winning mentality going. I think it’s something to still be positive about regardless who tells me “Sorry Charlie”. J
Note: Don’t forget to follow Charlie V. (@CV31): www.twitter.com/CV31
Christmas with Mi Familia
Charlie Villanueva.
I’m looking forward to this Christmas. I’ve yet to complete my Christmas shopping, but I have a lot to be thankful for. I’m in a nice new home, great new team, but more importantly, I get to spend this Christmas with my family. I have a bunch of family flying out to Detroit for the holidays. I can’t wait to see them, especially when it comes to my mom. I will be the first to admit, I’m a mama’s boy, LOL. My mom is my everything. I’m thankful I can look forward in enjoying my time with her and the rest of family. When it comes to Dominicans… food like plantains, music like merengue, and sports like baseball are all part of our culture, but on top of the list has to the importance of family. I value and cherish my time with the familia.
I wish you all a feliz navidad y prospero ano nuevo. Take care ya.
For more information, please visit the official website of Charlie Villanueva: www.CV31.com
Los puntos de vista expresados en Blog Squad en Español representan únicamente la visión de quienes escriben en ella. No representan la posición de la NBA.com/español, de la NBA o de alguno de los equipos de la liga.
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2010 CENTROBASKET FIBA TOURNAMENT
Charlie Villanueva.
Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Blog Day #2: Tuesday, July 7, 2010
PASSIONATE
Hey guys, so our team is looking pretty good. It was a rough start, but the Dominicans won our first game, and yet we won again tonight. I’m writing this now late Tuesday night, from the hotel room, it’s around midnight, and we’re now getting back to the hotel. The night before, we beat Panama, this was our first game of the tournament. I didn’t play the way I wanted to in that game. I got into early foul trouble, and wasn’t shooting the ball well. On top of that, remember what I said about the air conditioner, well… it was still broken and the court was like an ice skating ring – it was way too slippery. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I sat most of the second half. Coach thought it was best for me as well. Nonetheless, our team held it down. Our bench stepped it up in a big way, and my MVP of that game goes to Kelvin Pena, which finished with 18 pts – this kid can shoot. We were down most of the game, but then rally in the 4th quarter; I think it was an 11-2 run that sparked the comeback. I’m proud of how we pulled together towards the end, when it counted the most. But we shouldn’t never been down to being with. We need to throw the first punch and maintain that lead, and also stay consistent.
Our game tonight vs. Jamaica was even tougher than Panama. Roy Hibbert, which you guys know plays for the Indiana Pacers, was a tough guard. The guy is a monster, with good foot work, and he wouldn’t miss a Free Throw. He gave us some problems in the paint, but we got him into early foul trouble, which was a huge benefit for us. He eventually fouled out. And we took advantage of that. This game should our team’s depth. Our bench came through in a major way yet again. We should a lot of passion and heart in this game. The crowd is also an advantage for us, like our 6th man, they stayed cheering and had faith in us regardless of the scoreboard throughout the game. I love that! I finished the game, leading my team with only 13 pts, wasn’t a great shooting night, but I think defensively I contributed much more (couple of blocks and steal). I had to change my sneakers at halftime since I had ordered these custom Nike kicks with the wording of “Santo Domingo” imprinted on them, but they didn’t arrive to DR till this evening like 8pm. The game started at like 8:30pm. So I had someone get them from me at the hotel as soon as it arrived. At halftime, I made the switch, lol. It crazy, because something as simple as switching your sneakers, gives you a boost in confidence. Regardless, I’m just happy we came through as a team with our second win. Oh and by the way, even though the air conditioning still didn’t work, the Federation provided these big portable cooling fans in every corner of the court, which helped keep the court cooler than before. That helped a bit.
We have the day off tomorrow then is British Virgin Islands on Thursday. Let’s keep it rolling. Later.
2010 CENTROBASKET FIBA TOURNAMENT
Charlie Villanueva.
Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Hey guys, I gotta say this… it has been a great honor and privilege to represent my roots and culture of the Dominican Republic by joining the national team, which I official joined the team as of last year based on the FIBA rules, receiving dual-citizenships. Now for this summer, the Dominican Republic will host the 2010 FIBA CentroBasket Championship, which is the qualifier tournament for the Central American and Caribbean region for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship. The CentroBasket tournament will be held at Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto of Santo Domingo, running games scheduled from July 5-11, 2010. I got here a couple of days ago and began practicing with the team immediately.
For this tournament, the following 10 national teams will take part: Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and US Virgin Islands. The 2010 CentroBasket Championship qualifies the top four teams for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship; announced to take place in Argentina. Just for your own info, our team roster consist of the following members: (you might recognize some of these names, especially if you follow college basketball)
Ronald Ramon #4
Carlos Morban #5
Carlos Paniagua #6
Elpidio Fortuna #7
Juan Pablo Montas #8
Kelvin Pena De La Cruz #9
Elys Manuel Guzman #11
Franklin Western #12
Charlie Villanueva #13
Amaury Filion #14
Jack Michael Martinez #15
Looking forward in playing with such a great group of guys. Our coach is Eric Musselman, which has great NBA experience and knowledge, he was the former head coach for the Sacramento Kings and Golden State. Since I take great pride on my DR red-white-and-blue, exactly the same colors of my Detroit Pistons, I figure I start a daily blog, while in Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic. Just another way to stay connected to the beloved NBA fans. Thanks to the NBA Enebea, as I’m down here during my participation in the 2010 CentroBasket Championship as a member of the Dominican Rep. national team, I’ll keep you guys posted with the ins and outs. Like I always say, stay connected. Let’s get started.
Blog Day #1: Monday, July 6, 2010
DETERMINATION
The nerves has had me going up and down all day as I’m now getting ready to prepare for my debut in my country, the Dominican Republic. It will be the first official game I play out here as a member of the Dominican team. I was on the team last year, but that FIBA tournament took place in Puerto Rico, which I still have a sour taste in mind related to the final outcomes of those games. Last year’s results left disappointment in my hands, and with great disappointment there will be great determination. My only goal, and my primary reason to be here is to win Gold. I know it won’t be easy, but anything received great in life is well fought and earned. And I’m here to go to war.
It feels crazy because I was born and raised with a Dominican culture though in Elmhurst Queens, New York City, but standing here, in the grounds where my mom and dad both descent from, and both lived a struggled living, I stand today as a proud man and son. I can’t front, at first I felt some pressure, especially since I was classified as the only NBA guy – Al Horford and Francisco Garcia couldn’t participate in the tournament due to some other circumstances. So I had some concerns at first. Francisco actually got here yesterday from Sacramento. So even though he won’t be playing, he will still be here in full support. We’ll need that! Al is still with us at heart, he might try to make it down here at some point. But regardless, this is the Dominican TEAM, not Charlie’s team or any individual’s team. We need to come together as one. It’s crazy how people, especially media, gets over hyped on the importance of a single player and neglect how critical it is to have the right balance on your team in order to produce wins. We all need to contribute, and I’m confident we will do so in this native showcase tournament of CentroBasket.
We play our first game today against Panama. I can’t wait. I was a little concerned about the arena facility conditions. We’ve had several practices in the past week at the Palacio de los Deportes arena, where the games will be taking place, and the floor is horrible. Some of the guys have actually already gotten hurt a couple of times with the slippery floor. If you know me, I stay smart when it comes to that; I wouldn’t want to jeopardize anything. I only play if the conditions are safe. I think since the air conditioning isn’t working that’s what kills the court. There was even a point, the trainers would pour coca-cola, yes soda, in order to make the floor sticky. LOL! We’ll see what happens… the executives of the federation claim the busted air conditioning system will be fixed before tip-off. Nonetheless, we have to go out and play hard, no matter what’s against us. Let’s fight for that Gold. No Pueden!!!
I look forward in staying connect with you guys and LETS GO DOMINICANS!!!
Keep reading below for more blogs from Charlie.
Bienvenido
Charlie Villanueva. Diciembre 21 del 2009
Que pasa mi gente? This is Charlie V. publishing my first blog posting for the 2009-10 NBA Season, all done through the new section of NBA.com called “ene-be-a”, which for most of you that already speak Spanish like me, understand that it’s the pronunciation of “N-B-A” en Espanol. I think this is a really cool idea and I’m happy to be a part of the growing evolution in having more and more Latinos in the NBA, especially for Dominicans. We’ve dominated the MLB, now it’s time to come up in NBA. Shout out to my fellow Dominicans Al Horford and Francisco Garcia.
I’m going to be providing you guys with real talk, behind the scene, personal thoughts, and entertaining content for your reading. Though both my parents are from the Dominican Republic, I was born and raised here in the U.S. (New York City), so I’ll be writing mostly in English with some Spanish. We call that “Spanglish” growing up in Queens, LOL. I’m happy to finally have a place for us bilingual speaking Hispanics. It doesn’t matter if you were born here or outside the U.S., if you have any Latino background or influence in your life, nba.com/enebea is where to be at.
Keep reading below for more blogs from Charlie.
New Home, New Boss
Charlie Villanueva.
Charlie Villanueva #31 of the Detroit Pistons attempts a lay up past Chris Anderson #11 of the Denver Nuggets in a game at the Palace of Auburn Hills on December 10, 2009 in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
NBAE/Getty Images
NBAE/Getty Images
For more information, please visit the official website of Charlie Villanueva: www.CV31.com
Sorry Charlie
Charlie Villanueva.
Charlie Villanueva #31 of the Detroit Pistons adjusts his new protective mask during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks in a game at the Palace of Auburn Hills on December 4, 2009 in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
NBAE/Getty Images
NBAE/Getty Images
The Pistons are off to a pretty decent start, considering all the injuries. I would not have believed you if you told me, sorry Charlie but 5 of your top 6 scorers in the team will be injured at different points of the beginning part of the season. My UConn boys Rip Hamilton missed 22 games, Ben Gordon missed like 7-8 games, and one of our other leaders, Tayshaun Prince has missed like 22 games. To add to the damage, yet again, “sorry Charlie”, but I recently broke my nose a couple of games ago vs. Atlanta. I only really missed 1 game, but it’s just an inconvenience to play with that mask. I had successful surgery done, but it still hurts. Now I’m here making my best impersonation of Richard Hamilton by wearing a plastic mask on my face in every game, which again guys, I do not like it. It’s like playing with a hand on your face constantly. I’ve been adjusting to it as best as I can, but I can’t wait to take this off. I have to play with the mask for another 3-4 weeks. On top of all this, here we go again, “Sorry Charlie”, but yet another player gets injured, Will “Dynamite” Bynum recently hurt his ankle and has missed a few games thus far. With all those injuries, we still manage to keep an 11-14 record, which isn’t great, but not bad. We won our 5 of our last 7 games. I’m hoping we can keep up that same positive winning mentality going. I think it’s something to still be positive about regardless who tells me “Sorry Charlie”. J
Note: Don’t forget to follow Charlie V. (@CV31): www.twitter.com/CV31
Christmas with Mi Familia
Charlie Villanueva.
Charlie Villanueva #31 of the Detroit Pistons drives against Andre Iguodala #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the game on December 9, 2009 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
NBAE/Getty Images
NBAE/Getty Images
I wish you all a feliz navidad y prospero ano nuevo. Take care ya.
For more information, please visit the official website of Charlie Villanueva: www.CV31.com