New Crew

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – For five-plus seasons, the Pistons had no question marks or concerns at power forward. If Rasheed Wallace didn’t often use his broad array of skills to dominate games, he also was never overmatched and rarely outplayed. And on those occasions Wallace would slide to center, Antonio McDyess was there behind him to further solidify the position.

They weren’t mirror images, but the ability each had to step outside and pose a constant perimeter threat, combined with their superb post defense, gave the Pistons great depth and dependability at a position that for years has been peppered throughout the league with All-Stars and future NBA Hall of Famers.

This year, for the first time since Joe Dumars stole Wallace at the 2004 trade deadline, the Pistons’ power forward position, though heavy with options, contains a degree of uncertainty.

On a conventional depth chart, the position looks like this: free-agent acquisition Charlie Villanueva first, backed up by veteran holdover Jason Maxiell and 2009 second-rounder Jonas Jerebko.

But no fewer than five other players are capable of giving John Kuester minutes at power forward. Tayshaun Prince will slide over when Kuester wants to go small, which they’ll probably do late in games in which they’re trailing. Jerebko’s fellow rookies, Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers, are both equipped to play either forward position. And veteran free agents Chris Wilcox and Ben Wallace are both capable of playing either power spot.

Villanueva, 25, holds the key. A gifted and versatile scorer, Villanueva moved into Milwaukee’s starting lineup last season when injuries to Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut left the Bucks with a scoring deficiency. Villanueva flourished, averaging 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27 minutes a game.

While Villanueva isn’t as prolific from the 3-point line as Wallace – Wallace took 319 to Villanueva’s 258 last year – Villanueva is far ahead of Wallace’s pace at a similar stage of their careers and his .345 percentage of last season was a career best. He can also score around the basket, using his length at 6-foot-11 to shoot over smaller power forwards, and his most underrated trait is his ability to put the ball on the floor.

“I’ve watched Charlie since he was a high school kid,” Pistons vice president Scott Perry said, “and the one thing that’s always stood out with him is he’s got a natural ability to score the basketball. He’s a guy at 6-11 that can handle the ball. He’s very underrated at that. That ability allows him to be that much more of an effective scorer.

“He’s very capable of shooting the NBA 3-pointer. You’ve got to respect and honor that, but also know if you get out there and crowd that he’s good enough to get around you and get inside.”

Villanueva comes to Detroit with the reputation as a mediocre defender, but the Pistons believe he has the physical gifts to hold his own within the framework of a stout team defense for a team that plans to emphasize that end of the floor.

“Offensively, he’s very, very talented,” Pistons assistant Pat Sullivan said. “From his days in Toronto and Milwaukee, he’s a very skilled four man, someone who can spread the defense, which is huge in our game today. They really present tough matchups. The biggest charge for all our guys is to make sure that, No. 1, we’re a very, very solid defensive team – what this franchise has always been known for.”

Maxiell, entering his fifth season and the first on a four-year contract extension, is about as far removed from Villanueva as two power forwards could be. Undersized at 6-foot-7, Maxiell nevertheless is the far more physical player who can’t match Villanueva’s shooting touch, range or ballhandling skills. Yet at his best, Maxiell can be a dynamic force off the bench for his game-changing offensive rebounds, lob dunks and emphatic blocked shots.

“The good thing about Max is you know what you’re going to get from him every night,” Sullivan said. “He’s a high-energy guy. Max makes a lot of loud plays. He might not be a 20-point scorer, but the things he does around the basket, the big finishes, make him a real force.”

Maxiell regressed offensively last season, possibly because his playing time fluctuated as the Pistons groped to find suitable lineup combinations, but became a more versatile defender able to guard “stretch” power forwards like Rashard Lewis effectively away from the rim. In 18 minutes a game, down 3 ½ from the previous season, Maxiell saw his scoring drop from 7.9 to 5.8 and his rebounds drop from 5.3 to 4.2.

“You hope for Max to just get back to the level of consistency he was starting to show at the end of year three,” Perry said. “I think that’s the big thing. Last year probably affected him – in and out of the rotation. It’s still up to him to keep himself ready, but that probably affected him mentally and he wasn’t as sharp. That and staying in shape – when Max is in good condition, he’s got more lift in his game, more confidence in his game. I saw him recently and he looks like he’s in really good shape.”

Jerebko played small forward the past two seasons in Italy, but the Pistons initially will have him playing power forward. During the NBA Summer League, partly because the roster also included Daye and Summers, Jerebko actually played the majority of his minutes at center.

“The first thing I liked about him is he’s a high-motor guy,” said Sullivan, who coached Jerebko in Las Vegas. “He’s always going. With him, you’ve always got to tell him to slow down. You like that, especially with a young player. He’s very athletic. He can get out and run, he can shoot the basketball, but the thing he does best is he’s super active – setting screens, rolling to the basket, offensive rebounds. He has a knack for it. That’s how he plays.”

Both Sullivan and fellow assistant Darrell Walker compared Jerebko’s game to David Lee’s in Las Vegas. Pistons strength coach Arnie Kander said Jerebko tested No. 1 athletically in the battery of tests he administered to the 50-plus prospects the Pistons brought to Auburn Hills leading up to the draft, when Jerebko measured a little better than 6-foot-10 in shoes.

“You’ve really got to love his energy he brings to the court every day,” Perry said. “He’s athletic. He sticks his nose in there. He’s going to try to defend you – a lot of the little things that get overlooked sometimes in the box score.”