ESPN NBA

By Alfredo R. Berrios

ESPNdeportes.com

SAN JUAN -- Forward Charlie Villanueva will enter next season with the Detroit Pistons with the sole intention of competing in the NBA Finals.

"The expectations are very high," said Villanueva, who is representing the Dominican Republic in the FIBA Americas Championship. "Joe Dumars went out and got me and Ben Gordon."

Villanueva and guard Gordon agreed to terms with the team last June. They were teammates at the University of Connecticut and both are expecting to play a key role in Detroit's success next season."

Joe definitely wants to win and wants to win now," Villanueva added. "We think we have a good opportunity to do so."

For the moment being, Villanueva is confident that the Dominican team will be successful in the tournament which takes place in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 6-11 forward expects the Dominican team will qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship to be held in Turkey next year. "

I think we have a good team. We have three NBA players and it's the first time something like this has ever happened," said Villanueva, whose team played its first game of the qualifier Wednesday against Brazil.

The Dominican Republic lost 81-68.

Villanueva praised the hard work put forth by head coach Julio Toro, an experienced Puerto Rican coach who previously led the Puerto Rico and Venezuela national teams.

"He's a great coach and has brought us a sense of team," said Villanueva.

Playing alongside Francisco Garcia of the Sacramento Kings and Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks brings a level of excitement to Villanueva. He understands that the trio has to work together for the Dominican Republic to secure one of four tickets to the World Championship in Turkey.

"With the competition at hand, chemistry is very important and the chemistry is definitely there," Villanueva explained in regards to the addition of the three NBA players to the Caribbean squad.

The Dominican Republic joins Brazil, Argentina, Panama and Venezuela in Group B.

The Dominican national team abruptly exited a ceremony held for the FIBA Americas Championship on Tuesday after a reported incident involving Charlie Villanueva and Al Horford.

The incident took place at an official event held at a hotel in the Puerto Rican capital. Only players and team officials were allowed. For that matter, security personnel did not allow players' relatives to enter the ceremony.

According to a post on Villanueva's Twitter account:

"Oh maaaaan, we just got disrespected!!! This is real whack. Check this out, these games is all about politics I tell u. I'm pissed ... So because the team entered the ceremony with my mom & Al Horford's mom they said we couldn't enter. Whaaat! They made a big deal out of it ... Our Coach got furious, he knows the politics. We're supposedly the favorite so everyone is hating. In addition our coach is from PR, crazy ... You know what though, this just adds more fuel to the motivation. You guys don't understand how the DR team is getting treated. I'm pissed!"

Said an official with the Dominican team: "The problem at hand is the way the security team handled the situation. They were told, 'Where do you think you're going?', when Villanueva and Horford tried to enter the event with their respective mothers. We do understand the situation but that wasn't the way to handle it."

The NBA is represented by seven players in the FIBA Americas Championship. The Dominican Republic leads all teams with three.

Carlos Arroyo led Puerto Rico to an 81-66 win over Mexico. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

Besides the Caribbean representatives, the Houston Rockets have Luis Scola on Argentina's team while Brazil counts on Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns and Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Canadian center Joel Anthony is a reserve with the Miami Heat.

There's also a few former NBA players here. Carlos Arroyo, who last played for the Magic, and Daniel Santiago, who previously played for the Milwaukee Bucks, joined the host country's national team. Of the 10 teams vying for the four spots en route to Turkey, three of the coaches are Puerto Rican.

It's the first time ever that Puerto Rico has three coaches in a world championship tournament. Puerto Rico is led by Manuel Cintrón. Julio Toro coaches the Dominican Republic and David Rosario is at the helm of the Panamanian team.