I wasn't thrilled about Rodney Stuckey returning to the Pistons -- reports of five-year, $45 million contracts downright scared me. But the longer I think about the deal that he ended up signing -- three years, $25 million -- the more I think things just might work out. For what it's worth, ESPN's John Hollinger agrees, giving the deal a thumb's up:

Is it weird for a restricted free agent to get a three-year deal such as this? Yes, it's pretty odd, and I'm not quite sure how they arrived at this figure. But the Pistons made themselves a decent deal. They lock up their best player for the short term, and in three years, they'll have a much better idea whether he is truly a star on the rise or just a half-good player who had an excellent 2010-11. I lean toward the former, but I can understand why the Pistons would want to see him play that efficiently again before shelling out a five-year deal at this price.

Stuckey is still just 25 years old, meaning he'll be 28 -- his theoretical prime -- the next time he hits free agency. If he's truly a franchise player, he'll get paid like one, whether it's in Detroit or elsewhere.