"Charlie was not in good form when we saw him," Calipari told Deportes en la Z. "He was overweight, and unfortunately, we could not slow down the entire team and it was a decision taken collectively. Last year, Charlie behaved really well with us and his only problem was his weight."
Villanueva was listed as having a playing weight of 232 pounds last season for the Detroit Pistons, and according to a picture of him standing on a digital scale posted on his Twitter account, he is currently at 243.5 pounds.
It has been a rough start to 2012 for the Pistons forward, as he was limited to only 13 games for Detroit this season due to injuries and averaged career lows in almost every major category, including a career-worst 7.0 points per game.
The loss of Villanueva leaves the Dominican team with only two current NBA players, Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks and Francisco Garcia of the Sacramento Kings.
Horford's younger brother Jon, who plays at the University of Michigan, is also a member of the team. Villanueva never worked out with the team this summer, despite reports saying he met with team officials in New York City, the team (and Coach Cal) were reportedly disappointed with the shape that he was in last summer, which led to the decision to drop him.
"An NBA player like him deserves respect and for respect, we have taken this decision," Calipari said. "I enjoyed coaching him a lot. He is a great player."
While he may no longer be with the team due to his weight, Villanueva used to be a major contributor for the Dominican national team.
Villanueva was drafted seventh overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors before being traded after his rookie campaign to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for T.J. Ford.
His best season in the NBA came in 2008-09 while he was still a member of the Bucks when he averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, both career highs.
Detroit signed him during the following offseason to one of the worst contracts in recent NBA history that looks worse with each passing season.
The Pistons owe Villanueva $16.6 million over the next two seasons and although reports say team officials aren't considering using their Amnesty Clause to rid themselves of his contract, they may change their minds if he doesn't show up at camp in top shape.
It's hard to justify paying a player that amount of money when his numbers have dropped off in each of his three seasons since arriving in Detroit in the summer of 2009, and there's currently no reason to believe he will significantly improve anytime soon.
Do you think Coach Cal made the right choice in dropping Villanueva or do you think they will miss him once they start playing? Should the Pistons give up on the forward and amnesty him over the summer? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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