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

**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.

**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, 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.

**Hamtragedy** · August-19-10, 10:56 AM

Magic Johnson was shamefully pitching Rent-A-Center ads two years ago. I can't believe that if he was that desperate, he has any money to buy the Pistons, or credibility to manage them. As more evidence, notice how well his plans to revamp Grand River and Greenfield went.

**Hypestyles** · August-24-10, 02:24 PM

I hope Ilitch gets to buy the team, then brings in Magic Johnson as a co-partner, they can bring Starbucks to the stadiums.. Also, Johnson can get involved in creating a new Magic Movie theater somewhere in downtown Detroit [[yeah, there's the Ren-Cen, but there can be more)..

**fryar** · August-24-10, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

Also, Johnson can get involved in creating a new Magic Movie theater somewhere in downtown Detroit

+1.
I've always wanted to see that as well. It would be very compatible with that venture's "mission," which is basically to put big suburban style multiplexes smack-dab in an underserved minority area in order to provide jobs and help develop it. Never could find a way to phrase it without giving him a hard time for anchoring a development in Harlem, which is by no means a bad deal, but parts of Detroit need it more, and it would probably be more "courageous" to do that here. There was already reason to be optimistic about Harlem at the time they did that deal. I don't know if specifically downtown is right, or the Gateway Plaza, but a development of some kind in a minority neighborhood in Detroit should be right up his alley [[provided there was reason to think it might be profitable).

**GPCharles** · August-24-10, 02:43 PM

The Pistons will not move back downtown.

First, they never drew squat when they were downtown. Why would they come back?

Second, Oakland County is their market. A good percentage of the moneyed people in Oakland County never set foot in Detroit. Also, NBA teams tend to draw very well from the Jewish portion of the population, which is also predominantly in Oakland County.

**Gistok** · August-24-10, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by GPCharles

The Pistons will not move back downtown.

First, they never drew squat when they were downtown. Why would they come back?

Second, Oakland County is their market. A good percentage of the moneyed people in Oakland County never set foot in Detroit. Also, NBA teams tend to draw very well from the Jewish portion of the population, which is also predominantly in Oakland County.

Care to back up some of those generalizations with some real facts??

Most of the "moneyed people" also go to symphonies and operas... wanna guess where those are located?? So I'm calling your "a good percentage of the moneyed people in Oakland County NEVER set foot in Detroit" comment as BS...

And most of the folks who boast "I ain't been across 8 Mile in 30 years"... tend to be less educated... which usually excludes "moneyed people"....

... and your comment "Why would they come back?"..... can you spell "I L I T C H"....

**R8RBOB** · August-24-10, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by GPCharles

The Pistons will not move back downtown.

First, they never drew squat when they were downtown. Why would they come back?

Second, Oakland County is their market. A good percentage of the moneyed people in Oakland County never set foot in Detroit. Also, NBA teams tend to draw very well from the Jewish portion of the population, which is also predominantly in Oakland County.

GPCharles.....I suppose you are one of those moneyed people. After all, you know the mindset right? They will never come to Detroit so the Pistons will stay in Auburn Hills. We are so heartbroken.

**R8RBOB** · August-24-10, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by GPCharles

The Pistons will not move back downtown.

First, they never drew squat when they were downtown. Why would they come back?

Second, Oakland County is their market. A good percentage of the moneyed people in Oakland County never set foot in Detroit. Also, NBA teams tend to draw very well from the Jewish portion of the population, which is also predominantly in Oakland County.

GPCharles, I think you deserve a proper rebuttal to your statement. Your comment reflect a mindset that existed back in the 80's. You're right but you are in the wrong decade. In the 80's Suburbanites [[read: Whites) would not come to Detroit which led to the building of the Palace, however, this is a different day. Suburbanites are coming to Detroit. Okay, maybe they aren't hanging over by 7 and Gratiot but they are coming to Detroit and if the Pistons ever return back to Detroit, the suburban fans will follow them too.

**Enduro** · August-26-10, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by GPCharles

The Pistons will not move back downtown.

First, they never drew squat when they were downtown. Why would they come back?

Second, Oakland County is their market. A good percentage of the moneyed people in Oakland County never set foot in Detroit. Also, NBA teams tend to draw very well from the Jewish portion of the population, which is also predominantly in Oakland County.

When the Pistons were finally getting good they moved up to the Silverdome. When they were bad it was pre-Magic/Bird which were the dark days of the NBA when no team was drawing. Even the title games were shown on tape delay after the Tonight Show. Basketball just wasn't on the national radar until after the golden age of the 80's. I hope that addresses one of your wild statements.

**R8RBOB** · August-26-10, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by Enduro

When the Pistons were finally getting good they moved up to the Silverdome. When they were bad it was pre-Magic/Bird which were the dark days of the NBA when no team was drawing. Even the title games were shown on tape delay after the Tonight Show. Basketball just wasn't on the national radar until after the golden age of the 80's. I hope that addresses one of your wild statements.

Man, the Pistons of the late 70's, early 80's really sucked. They were horrible and when Bill Davidson announced that he was moving the team to Pontiac, I doubt people really cared. When Norris hinted that he may follow Davidson to the suburbs, Coleman Young put Joe Louis Arena on the riverfront.

A lot of people tend to forget that the Pistons' fortune didn't change until 1986 when they dumped sorry-ass players like Kent Benson and Earl Cureton and drafted Rodman and Salley. The prior season, Isiah wanted out of Detroit because as he put it; as long as the Pistons get average players they were going to be an average team. Times has changed and if the Pistons are fortunate to return to Detroit, they will keep their fanbase regardless where they play.