The Toronto Raptors 7th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Charlie Villanueva, has agreed to sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Dallas Mavericks according to a report by Tim Macmahon of ESPNDallas. Whether he will make it the final roster and become a reliable backup for Dirk Nowitzki remains to be seen as the Mavs roster is already set for the season per mavsmoneyball:
Dallas already has 15 players with guaranteed contracts. Ivan Johnson and Eric Griffin have partial guarantees from the team and will be attending training camp. If Villanueva were to be added to the roster, someone would have to be cut. The Mavericks don't have a stretch four on the roster behind Dirk Nowitzki. Villanueva, at least a number of years ago, fits that role.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Villanueva holds a career average of 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in nine seasons with the NBA. His numbers, however, slowly declined after he received a five-year, $38 million deal from the Detroit Pistons which expired last season.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report thinks that the deal with the Mavs is the best opportunity for Villanueva to require his story and revive his career in the NBA. Rick Carlisle is one of the best if not the best when it comes to utilizing stretch bigs - Dirk Nowitzki would be the perfect example - and Villanueva, who holds a career best of 39% from three and 48% from the field, may be able to finally maximize his unique talents as a shooting big within Carlisle's system. The Mavs has also proven that they are the best destination for players who wan't to revive their careers. From Tyson Chandler, Oj Mayo, Brandan Wright, to Monta Ellis, the Mavs have a long list of players who managed to turn their careers around after playing under Mark Cuban and Rick Carlisle. And Villanueva is still 30 years old and still has a lot left in his tank.
"I'm still young, I've still got a lot of years of playing left," he told Mayo back in February. "I just want to play."
Buckley also believes that this is the perfect time for Villanueva to show that his best days are not behind him yet. Free from the burden of immense expectations that he had to carry in the past, he has the chance to prove that he can be a reliable rotation player and a backup big man in a contender like the Mavericks.
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