Leaving the Palace wouldn't be a bad thing

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 03:29 PM

Thanks to Mr. Ilitch's announcement that he wants to buy the Pistons now there are suitors coming out of the wilderness stating that they too are interested in the Pistons. The question that I have to ask is: what if this was a ruse? Until this week, no one had any idea who was even thinking of buying the team and after the statement, {{poof}} prospected buyers. Hell, the News is reporting that Magic wants a piece. If the Ilitches want to buy the team and PS&E then great but if the plan was to smoke out interested parties then it was brilliant. Why do I think it was a ruse? I will explain later but first.......

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 03:34 PM

What if a story about teams playing in different arenas in different cities was previously played out. For instance, the basketball team played in the bigger city but in a crappy arena and a new owner appears and proceeds to build a brand new arena outside the city limits. The arena was "state of the art" for its time and as the years went by the arena would be "world-renown." The owner also become an original owner of a NHL team and they share the arena with the basketball team. Eventually, the owner sells everything to another and that owner reaps the rewards many times over. The owner sells the hockey team but the team remains in his arena.

Years later, new owners for the hockey team saw a brighter future for the big city so plans were made to build a state of the art arena downtown. But first, they would need the centerpiece team to play there which is the basketball team. Problem is that the team owner at the time owned his arena so there is no incentive to vacant his own arena. Yes, the area where the arena is located had seen its better days and it lacked money-making avenues such as luxury suites but the arena is still world-renown. In the end, the owner agreed to move his franchise back to the city and the group building the new arena agreed to buy his arena. As an result of the teams returning to the city not only was the arena built but development around the arena was built and now this part of town is lit up like a Christmas tree.

Any idea what city I'm referring to?

**Detroit Stylin** · August-14-10, 03:46 PM

Washington DC?

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

Washington DC?

Good choice but no. The late Abe Pollin did own the Washington Bullets [[now Wizards) and he was the founding owner of the Washington Capitals but he built Verizon Center [[formerly MCI Center) before he sold the Capitals.

**Detroit Stylin** · August-14-10, 03:54 PM

So which one is it?

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

So which one is it?

Okay, I will give you a hint.

It's the last place where you will find "devils" LOL LOL

**gnome** · August-14-10, 04:09 PM

kwame's pants?

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

kwame's pants?

Afraid not.....heehee

**gazhekwe** · August-14-10, 08:27 PM

Tampa?????

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

Tampa?????

C'mon...Tampa doesn't have a basketball team but here is another hint.

The city is west of the Continental Divide

**gazhekwe** · August-14-10, 08:55 PM

LOL, I know not a whole lot about sports. But if there are Devils, I bet it is hot.

**East Detroit** · August-14-10, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

Okay, I will give you a hint.

It's the last place where you will find "devils" LOL LOL

The city of angels?

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

The city of angels?

You are correct. 100 DetroitYes points for you....

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 10:30 PM

Now that ED got the city right, let me continue.

Los Angeles was in the position that Detroit is in today. When the Forum was built, it quickly became one of the premier arenas in the league and with the success of Showtime, the Forum became "Fabulous." Los Angeles city have a crappy arena called the Sports Arena which is still in use. That said, The Palace of Auburn Hills is the Forum and the LA Sports Arena is Joe Louis Arena. No way could the Sports Arena could ever compete with the Forum much like JLA could not compete with the Palace.

Now the owners of the LA Kings wanted a new money-making arena with all the bells and whistles and they wanted it in LA. [[You can substitute in Mike Ilitch and it is the same scenario) However, to build this arena you need the biggest marketable team to play in the new arena. The Lakers is no. 1 in Los Angeles so the goal was to convince the Lakers that their future was downtown. [[Detroit may be Hockeytown but as long as the NBA continue to get billion dollar TV contracts, the basketball team will always be the target to market) The rest is history.

I believe that Ilitch's desire to purchase the Pistons is a ruse because he does not need to own the team. He just need them to play in said future arena. He needed to know who was in the game so he announced that he was willing to buy the team to draw out the contenders for the purpose of knowing who to go to when the team is sold to make that deal to share the new arena. Now I could be wrong but notice how the press is reported how many people want the Pistons. If Mike Ilitch had said nothing, there would have been no talk.

**East Detroit** · August-14-10, 10:34 PM

Looks like he already found a co-investor in Magic Johnson, so it's working.

**R8RBOB** · August-14-10, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Looks like he already found a co-investor in Magic Johnson, so it's working.

I agree. You want to know who's in the game, you call them out.

**CLAUDE G** · August-15-10, 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

I believe that Ilitch's desire to purchase the Pistons is a ruse because he does not need to own the team. He just need them to play in said future arena. He needed to know who was in the game so he announced that he was willing to buy the team to draw out the contenders for the purpose of knowing who to go to when the team is sold to make that deal to share the new arena. Now I could be wrong but notice how the press is reported how many people want the Pistons. If Mike Ilitch had said nothing, there would have been no talk.

Well Mike Illitch aint an idiot, and his reason for announcing that he wanted to buy the Pistons was for a reason.

I don't think he wants just the Pistons, but Palace Sports and Entertainment. If he can pull that off, then he would control just about every major public venu in the Detroit area exept for the Silverdome and Ford Field

**mikefmich** · August-15-10, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

Well Mike Illitch aint an idiot, and his reason for announcing that he wanted to buy the Pistons was for a reason.

I don't think he wants just the Pistons, but Palace Sports and Entertainment. If he can pull that off, then he would control just about every major public venu in the Detroit area exept for the Silverdome and Ford Field

Lets hope and pray he goes for 4 Aces and just calls Mr. Ford too. Im getting to old waiting.

**R8RBOB** · August-15-10, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

Well Mike Illitch aint an idiot, and his reason for announcing that he wanted to buy the Pistons was for a reason.

I totally agree. I believe that I praise him because his statement caused projected buyers to come out and admit that they are interested too. There is a method to his madness.

**Catman** · August-15-10, 08:48 AM

Well, all this plotting and strategizing by Mike Illitch will keep Alzheimer's from affecting him!

He's exercising his brain ya know.

**R8RBOB** · August-15-10, 09:11 AM

Paraphrasing L. Brooks Patterson........."If the Pistons leave, I don't lose anything, I just lose bragging rights."

The King of Oakland County has spoken.

**Detroit Stylin** · August-15-10, 10:49 AM

Its like what was stated in another thread. It would only make sense for all major sports teams to assemble downtown since donwotnws are longer the retail juggernauts that they were especially with the rise in popularity of online shopping, they are becoming more and more the entertainment centers of regions. Detroit is not going to be any different with the uptick in entertainment/ dining options downtown...

**ghettopalmetto** · August-15-10, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

Its like what was stated in another thread. It would only make sense for all major sports teams to assemble downtown since donwotnws are longer the retail juggernauts that they were especially with the rise in popularity of online shopping, they are becoming more and more the entertainment centers of regions. Detroit is not going to be any different with the uptick in entertainment/ dining options downtown...

Downtowns aren't "retail juggernauts" because they don't have the population density to support retail. Places with significant downtown populations, like Chicago and Philadelphia, have incredible amounts of retail in a small area. The problem in Detroit is that people--and more importantly, people with disposable incomes--live in a dispersed geographic arrangement.

The $300 million question, of couse, is who pays for this new addition to Detroit's Theme Park Quasi-Downtown. You bet your ass Mike Ilitch isn't going to pony up the cash, not when he needs a $700,000 loan with favorable terms to tear down a historic structure like the Madison-Lenox.

**Gistok** · August-15-10, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by ghettopalmetto

The $300 million question, of couse, is who pays for this new addition to Detroit's Theme Park Quasi-Downtown. You bet your ass Mike Ilitch isn't going to pony up the cash, not when he needs a $7 million loan with favorable terms to tear down a historic structure like the Madison-Lenox.

That loan was for $700,000... and it was interest free if something is built in its' place by a certain period of time... something like 5-7 years. Still waiting for that "something"....

**ghettopalmetto** · August-15-10, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

That loan was for $700,000... and it was interest free if something is built in its' place by a certain period of time... something like 5-7 years. Still waiting for that "something"....

My bad. I was off by an order of magnitude in Mr. Ilitch's favor. Post corrected.