What! Isaiah Thomas is coming back to join the Pistons?

[Danny]

Could this rumor be true?

http://larrybrownsports.com/basketba...tons-gm/221304

[gumby]

Ummm. No they hired Stan Van Gundy

[rb336]

The morning news show say he's coming back in some position. BIG mistake if true

[401don]

Although winning is all fans really care about, Gores has been criticized for not being around the Palace more during these lean times. Giving Thomas a small ownership stake [[probably about 5-10% based on his various other failed ventures) puts a local face on the franchise to help sell tickets and especially corporate suites.

[DetroitPlanner]

Word is he is not joining, he is buying a minority stake in the team.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

There is an old fake commercial from Saturday Night Live for "Bad Idea Jeans". I am hoping that this, too, is some sort of satire. Isiah Thomas will never be a quiet partner. When he was with the Knicks, he was such a jackass about everything, and it was embarrassingly in the papers every day. I lived there then and would read about his incompetent actions, insulting comments, and general inability to lead the team from the court and front office. Thomas had a wonderful run as a player years ago; his life and career since does not even hint that he has a productive future with team [[or, for that matter, any team). Since some people still have positive opinions of him here, I would recommend to all parties that he leave that impression intact and invest his money elsewhere.

[Hypestyles]

Just curious: Where does Mr. Thomas live,currently?
Well, I guess in the aftermath [[midst?) of the Sterling situation, maybe Gores felt like this was a positive gesture of goodwill, and a win-win of sorts in terms of public relations. At once you get to pique the interest ofthose who have nostalgia for the 1980s era as well as acknowledging the cultural concerns about African American ownership-level participation in the league—which considering the Pistons’ African American fanbase locally is highly significant. Of course, the Auburn Hills commute is still a dealbreaker for many urban folks, but I suppose that’s a debate for another day.
That said: considering the esteemed Mr. Thomas’ track record as an executive, I’d be loathe to have him involved in any sort of team management. He was reasonably popular as a pitchman during his player years [[Toyota, etc.), maybe he could be involved in community relations/charity efforts. But I hope he’s not trying to become a “shadow” coach or GM.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Hyperstyles, you hit the nail on the head. Thomas- whom I adored as a player and a person when I was growing up- was a real failure as both an exec and a coach, and proved to be something of a pompous ass as well. I think it's a bad-faith gesture by Gores in regards to Van Gundy, to bring in someone like Isiah Thomas to be looking over his shoulder. This move- if it proves to be true- perplexes me. Thomas has not stayed in the Detroit area or involved in a major way with the organization. He has not experienced much success in basketball in the years since. Gores doesn't need Thomas's money. If he wants a minority or community member to have an ownership stake, there certainly are other options. The best case scenario in Thomas taking an ownership stake would be that he is a silent, unseen partner [[or better yet, unheard). The worst case scenario is that he gets lots of publicity for putting his foot in his mouth, tries to meddle with the new leadership team's performance, and pressures Gores into bone-heading personnel decisions.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

If Gores wants to tie the team to the community more [[and I hope he does), here are some better ideas than hiring Isiah Thomas:
1) Move the team to the new arena downtown
2) Have players visit schools to drill "stay in school" into the kids day in and day out
3) Bring back a WNBA franchise, so that school girls have positive role models
4) Run community basketball camps with kids from the city and the burbs playing on the same teams
5) Have a program for season ticket holders to donate their tix to low income families for games they can't attend
6) Don't hire or play players who set bad example for kids with their behavior on or off court

[KJ5]

Couldn't Joe D have bought a minority stake instead? I don't like this and I don't like Van Gundy doing double duty as president and coach. In fact, I can't think of a single thing that Gores has done so far that I like. It sure seems like he doesn't know what the hell he is doing.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Couldn't Joe D have bought a minority stake instead? I don't like this and I don't like Van Gundy doing double duty as president and coach. In fact, I can't think of a single thing that Gores has done so far that I like. It sure seems like he doesn't know what the hell he is doing.

I can understand not offering Joe D an ownership stake now, when he was being relieved of his duties. Also, who knows if Joe D would even want to throw his money at a stake now. I get the impression, too, that Thomas has more money than Joe D [[I know he has very wide business interests, from real estate to the Popcorn, Indiana chain).

The offering of SVG both front office and on-court leadership will either prove to be brilliant or blow up in Gores' face. I don't know which it will be. Overall, I would agree that Gores has yet to turn the Pistons around, in terms of performance, and I bet they are not super-profitable these days. But I do like a few things about him. He has not been afraid to make changes or invest money, and he has not ruled out moving downtown. He has only said that it isn't the right business decision right now. Sports franchises are long-term investments. Whether he proves to be a good or bad owner is years away from being determined. The Red Wings and Tigers performed poorly under the early years of Ilitch ownership. It took years to put in place the right leadership and let the team grow. Most analysts would say they are well run and successful franchises now.