Quote Originally Posted by BShea View Post

DEGC is leading negotiations for the city on the lease and I would guess the new arena is part of those talks. Ilitches will want to move slow to give themselves time on the Pistons front -- to see who buys the team, and to assess their interest in a joint downtown arena. Tom Wilson hasn't been shy about saying that a shared arena is the best option. That would look attractive to banks, too, because 82 nights a year would have guaranteed revenue streams rather than the 41 nights of a single-team stadium. Makes it easier to schedule events on the other nights because you don't need as many.
Thanks for the insight Mr. Shea. I agree that the Ilitches and the city of Detroit don't want the Wings to relocate to Oakland County but these stories about Joe Louis being unsuitable is disturbing because Olympia has been managing JLA as well as Cobo Arena for years and if that's the case then the blame is on Olympia. Granted, Joe Louis was built on the cheap and was placed in the worst location but the media is spinning it like the roof is falling in, the ice is melting and the rats have colonized the place [[ok, the bit about the rats may be true) yet people still go to the Joe to see their favorite team and they will be there next season and the season after that.

IMO, the Ilitches need to kill the stories about their "impending" move to Auburn Hills and re-confirm their commitment to Detroit. I can understand they are waiting for the Pistons situation to clear up but the Pistons don't need to move. They would only move if a new owner have love for the city of Detroit.