Due to the shortened season, the NBA has reduced Charlie Villanueva's suspension from five games to four games.

After sitting out the last game of last season, Villanueva will now only have to sit out three games to start this year's season instead of four. He still makes for a risky play in Week 1 without knowing how new head coach Lawrence Frank plans on working him back into the rotation.

Charlie Villanueva admitted that rust and lack of conditioning will be an issue when training camp opens for the Pistons.

"Guys have not been together for a long time," said Villanueva. "I definitely expect a little bit more rust, but I think we will pick it up quick. Hopefully, Coach [Lawrence Frank] will understand." This is understandable but not exactly encouraging from CV, who has been a huge disappointment since joining the Pistons. His role is hard to define because right now Detroit only has eight players under contract.

Charlie Villanueva posted his second straight solid game for the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, scoring 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with five rebounds and a block.

The numbers aren't huge but he was more comfortable on the court, and after a disastrous start to the tournament it's safe to assume he has gotten his act together. Absent the turnaround, he'd have left an indelible mark on himself heading into fantasy drafts.

Charlie Villanueva is slowly improving his play in the FIBA Americas tournament, as he scored 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting with five rebounds in the Dominican Republic's win over Panama on Monday.

Make no mistake, he didn't play great and we're talking about Panama here, but at least he hasn't been the butt of hundreds of Twitter jokes over the past two games. And while Detroit is a fantasy wasteland until we see how things shake out, it's good to know that he's not the dead man walking we saw about 3-4 days ago.

Charlie Villanueva and Francisco Garcia took a beating on Twitter Thursday after failing to play well for the Dominican Republic in Eurobasket.

While Garcia didn't look great, Villanueva struggled mightily, with reports of him being out of shape, lazy and having a low basketball IQ running rampant. It's probably a good thing CV got paid when he did by the Pistons, because he really hasn't done anything since signing that contract. Well, unless you consider a five-game suspension that will cost him the first four games of the new season 'something.'

Charlie Villanueva is considering playing in his home country of the Dominican Republic if the lockout threatens the upcoming season.

For a guy that struggles with his weight and agility, any reports that have him actively playing game-speed basketball are good for him. Whether it's a good idea for him to risk his $24.1 million contract that covers the next three seasons is a question for his insurance broker.

Charlie Villanueva said he wants to be back in Detroit.

Villanueva will be the subject of some trade rumors, but he's unlikely to go anywhere. He's set to earn $24.1 million over the next three seasons. Villanueva's game is extremely roto-friendly, so it will be worth monitoring his role under the new regime.

Charlie Villanueva has received a five-game suspension for his role in the brawl with Ryan Hollins on Monday night.

After missing Detroit's season finale, he'll miss the first four games of the 2011-12 season as well. Villanueva finishes a disappointing season averaging 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 22 minutes a game.

Charlie Villanueva got into a shoving match with Ryan Hollins and then lost his mind after being ejected on Monday night.

We don't know what Hollins said to set Villnaueva off, but he tried to get to the Cavs' bench before being stopped, and then attempted to go to the Cavs locker room after the game at least twice before being stopped by police. The Cavs' locker room is barricaded and guarded by police currently, and the Palace is on "lockdown" according to the Plain Dealer on Twitter. Given the history of the Malice at the Palace with Ron Artest, David Stern is not going to take this one very well - especially with Villanueva reportedly heard to say "I'm gonna kill that dude." Villanueva's season is surely over, and he could be getting several games off to start next season, as well.

Charlie Villanueva came off the Pistons bench for 20 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes Sunday night.

Villanueva got a hot hand tonight, so he played a few extra minutes. On most nights, he'll play 20 or less. We wouldn't chase these numbers as Villanueva's production is highly inconsistent.

Charlie Villanueva came off the bench to score 15 points in 15 minutes on Friday.

He only hit one 3-pointer and 7-of-15 shots, and apparently wanted to get his in a win over the Bucks. Given his shady minutes each night, he's much too risky to start for fantasy teams right now, unless you're in an incredibly deep league.

Charlie Villanueva (back) returned to action on Wednesday, scoring eight points on 4-of-11 shooting (no threes) with five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes.

Like most of the bench mob in Detroit, they need to be ignored until they prove themselves on the court. The same goes for Austin Daye, who scored just nine points on 3-of-5 shooting (including a three) with four rebounds, three assists, and one block in 19 minutes.

Charlie Villanueva (back) will return to action on Wednesday night against New Jersey.

Ben Wallace was already declared out of this one as we noted earlier, so the two will trade spots on the active roster for Wednesday's tilt. Villanueva will return to his usual role as an inconsistent contributor off of the bench. He's not worth the trouble in leagues with 12 teams or fewer.

Charlie Villanueva did not play on Tuesday due to a sore back.

With both he and Ben Gordon ultimately sidelined tonight, one is only left to ponder how much winning a championship actually means to a general manager. Apparently for Joe Dumars, it means everything.

Charlie Villanueva (back) may be limited on Tuesday night when the Pistons visit the Wizards.

If Villanueva can't put it on a full night's worth of minutes or has to shut it down early, look for Austin Daye to possibly see a slight bump in value. Odds are is that each player will wind up eating into each other's fantasy stock as has been the case for most of the season.

Charlie Villanueva, who didn't play on Friday, checked into Saturday's game at the start of the fourth quarter and didn't miss a shot, finishing with 13 points and three 3-pointers.

He was 5-of-5 on the night and may have gotten himself out of John Kuester's doghouse tonight. Don't start him, but keep an eye on him if you need a 3-point shooter.

Charlie Villanueva and coach John Kuester got into a verbal spat on the sidelines again Wednesday night.

With 9:22 left in the fourth quarter, Kuester yanked Villanueva out of the game after some defensive lapses. Villanueva then started "yelling and pointing" at Kuester, according to the Free Press. Kuester just stared back at Charlie V. It's just more of the same for the Pistons and we wouldn't be surprised if Villanueva lands in the doghouse.

Charlie Villanueva played just 8:34 on Wednesday, finishing with seven points.

John Kuester could have silenced him for matchup purposes, or just because he didn't feel like using him tonight. And that's why it's very risky to put CV into your fantasy lineup.

Charlie Villanueva nearly double-doubled off the bench in Tuesday's game, scoring 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting (including two threes) with nine rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 25 minutes.

John Kuester has seemingly opened up the rotation to everybody, and while that could yield some new winners and losers, we're not going to get fully behind Charlie V based on one outing. Just keep your eye on him for now.

Charlie Villanueva hit 6-of-10 shots and four threes for 16 points and five rebounds off the Pistons bench on Saturday.

He scored 16 on Friday and is not in John Kuester's doghouse. Tayshaun Prince and Tracy McGrady might be, and if they are, CV is going to get more run going forward. Keep a close eye on this situation, and make a move if Villanueva starts getting 20-25 minutes a game. He played just 20 minutes tonight, but played very well.