Detroit Pistons To Be Bought By Mike Ilitch!

**1KielsonDrive** · October-05-10, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Artds.... I don't know what the heck you're talking about.... first you mention that LA has 15 million people and it isn't the same type of market as Detroit.. and then you talk about the detriment of Detroit's sprawl.... Has it ever occurred to you that those 15 million in LA are spread out to nearly twice the size of metro Detroit??

And your Oakland County being a different market.... where did you get that one from??

If 3 teams can play in LA in a single venue for a metro area twice the size of Detroit, then why does Detroit count as having Oakland County as a separate market??

And the Pistons eventually WILL play in Detroit again. The city will not pay for it... it will likely be another combination of tourist taxes, tobacco settlement taxes, and other creative financing... like they did for CoPa and Ford Field.

Only thing is Eminent Domain cannot be used to acquire the remaining land near Foxtown.

Gistok, try 6, 8, maybe 10 times the size of metro Detroit. A long time ago, just the city proper of LA was around 800 square miles, compared to Detroit at about 130 square miles. 800 square miles barely touches the metropolitan area surrounding LA.

**Detroit Stylin** · October-05-10, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

Oh, I just meant the property around the stadium, not all of his stuff!

I don't know what he paid for some of those lots, but they will likely go through the roof if they're across from a Wings/Stones stadium.

....Stones?

**Gistok** · October-05-10, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive

Gistok, try 6, 8, maybe 10 times the size of metro Detroit. A long time ago, just the city proper of LA was around 800 square miles, compared to Detroit at about 130 square miles. 800 square miles barely touches the metropolitan area surrounding LA.

1KielsonDrive... I was just using a lowball figure... I know that there's lots of mountainous areas within their supersprawl metro area that don't [[or better yet "shouldn't") contain built up areas... but the Santa Ana winds occasionally "take care" of those areas....

**Detroit Stylin** · October-05-10, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

1KielsonDrive... I was just using a lowball figure... I know that there's lots of mountainous areas within their supersprawl metro area that don't [[or better yet "shouldn't") contain built up areas... but the Santa Ana winds occasionally "take care" of those areas....

Either that or mudslides....

lincoln8740 · October-05-10, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by BigD

There is no way the Wings move to the Palace for 10 years. That would have devastating effects for downtown Detroit, and more importantly for Ilitch's Hockeytown and Motor City Casino. The most likely scenario is the Wings stay at the Joe and the Pistons stay at the Palace while the new arena is built.

I wish that was true--I really do. But there is no way in Hell that Illitch, after buying the Palace, is going to deal with a City owned structure. Yes the lease terms are great but the benefits of keeping ALL of the money for parking, concessions etc and not having to deal with any unions or shall we say "inferior" employees in Detroit is too great to pass up.

Once again I hope I am wrong

**BrushStart** · October-05-10, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

....Stones?

You've never heard 'Stones' before to refer to the Pistons? I didn't make it up. I hear lots of people using it. Slang.

**spiritofdetroit** · October-05-10, 06:53 PM

Channel 4 reports that the if the sale goes through, the Wings will play several games this season at the Palace to acclimate fans to the idea of playing 2-3 years there during a build downtown.

I think the city would be smart to say - have the Joe for free, we get rid of our terms on it - keep the Wings in the city during construction - as a requirement for any stadium financing. That isnt too much pushback on Ilitch, but would keep the Wings in the city during that time. There would be many, many, restuarant closures during that 2 or 3 year period of the Wings move out - they provide 50 nights a year of people downtown.

**R8RBOB** · October-05-10, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by spiritofdetroit

Channel 4 reports that the if the sale goes through, the Wings will play several games this season at the Palace to acclimate fans to the idea of playing 2-3 years there during a build downtown.

I think the city would be smart to say - have the Joe for free, we get rid of our terms on it - keep the Wings in the city during construction - as a requirement for any stadium financing. That isnt too much pushback on Ilitch, but would keep the Wings in the city during that time. There would be many, many, restuarant closures during that 2 or 3 year period of the Wings move out - they provide 50 nights a year of people downtown.

I went to clickondetroit.com and as I was reading the story about the sale, I came across this:

There is speculation that Ilitch would move the Auburn Hills-based team to Detroit, where the rest of his franchises are housed.Smilovitz has said Ilitch may try to move the Pistons to the Joe Louis Arena, which is the Red Wing's home.

Let me the first to say that if Mike Ilitch is bold enough to move the Pistons out of the Palace and into Joe Louis, I guarantee the shovels will be in the ground a week after the announcement is made. Now I don't believe he would do such a thing, however, Big Mike could be looking at 81 dates at JLA which means foot travel for MCC, HT Cafe, parking at the Mike and Marian Ilitch various parking lots, residual business for Chris Chelios, Cobo Joe and city parking lots. Would be a shot in the arm for Detroit.

**esp1986** · October-05-10, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by spiritofdetroit

Channel 4 reports that the if the sale goes through, the Wings will play several games this season at the Palace to acclimate fans to the idea of playing 2-3 years there during a build downtown.

I think the city would be smart to say - have the Joe for free, we get rid of our terms on it - keep the Wings in the city during construction - as a requirement for any stadium financing. That isnt too much pushback on Ilitch, but would keep the Wings in the city during that time. There would be many, many, restuarant closures during that 2 or 3 year period of the Wings move out - they provide 50 nights a year of people downtown.

I have a feeling, that considering the short term upgrades required at the Joe, the Wings want the city to pay for a significant chunk of those costs. Something the city can't afford to do. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

Also, I don't think it will be too long before something starts happening with a new arena. The Ilitches have continued to buy property under confidentiality agreements, or one can only presume. They have 'bought out' the leases of tenants on some of the properties. If they are just going to let the properties sit for years, then why would they turn down the money being paid in rent?

**stasu1213** · October-05-10, 08:50 PM

It would be nice if Ilitch could make a deal with the Ford family to rent Ford Field for a couple of games. Ilitch could keep the profits. This would be good expecially during the playoff games if the piston make them.

**R8RBOB** · October-06-10, 06:00 AM

Bill Davidson has to be rolling in his grave knowing that his beloved Pistons is on the brink of being sold to his rival and that his crown jewel is going to lose the team that it was built for. If only he had a son like Greg Miller of the Utah Jazz, Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs, Rocky Wirtz of the Chicago Blackhawks and Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees then his sports empire would remain in Davidson hands. Instead his widow is going to "take the money and run" and 37 years of Davidson control comes to an end. All I can say is; Pistons, Detroit await your return.

**Hypestyles** · October-06-10, 11:06 AM

Drew Sharp almost immediately jumps to negative conclusions about the pending deal with the Ilitch organization-- geez, how reflexively contrary can you get?http://www.freep.com/article/2010100...rumbs-from-pie

**Gistok** · October-06-10, 01:49 PM

I think Drew Sharp has a few screws loose....

The Ilitch's own a Pizza Empire, a legendary hockey team, a baseball franchise, a successful gambling casino & complex, a group of 4 performance venues [[Fox, Masonic, Scottish Rite and Motor City) among them the nations most successful theatre [[Fox)... and are [[finally) dabbling into historic building renovations [[after a long hiatus since the Fox restoration)...

Now granted they have a lot of things going on at once.... are any of these entities suffering from lack of attention?? NO!!

I guess Drew Sharp doesn't "see the forest for the trees"??

As for financing a new dual use arena.... the city is broke... and the Ilitch's know that. They may have to depend on some creative financing such as was used to build Comerica Park and Ford Field..... but it won't be out of the pockets of overtaxed Detroiters...

**bailey** · October-06-10, 02:01 PM

At least this time he didn't make up any fake conversations about events that could not have taken place.

**esp1986** · October-06-10, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

I think Drew Sharp has a few screws loose....

The Ilitch's own a Pizza Empire, a legendary hockey team, a baseball franchise, a successful gambling casino & complex, a group of 4 performance venues [[Fox, Masonic, Scottish Rite and Motor City) among them the nations most successful theatre [[Fox)... and are [[finally) dabbling into historic building renovations [[after a long hiatus since the Fox restoration)...

Now granted they have a lot of things going on at once.... are any of these entities suffering from lack of attention?? NO!!

I guess Drew Sharp doesn't "see the forest for the trees"??

As for financing a new dual use arena.... the city is broke... and the Ilitch's know that. They may have to depend on some creative financing such as was used to build Comerica Park and Ford Field..... but it won't be out of the pockets of overtaxed Detroiters...

The people have 7 kids... and nearly each one of them is running part of the business. The duties of each sport are relegated to the people of that sport, i.e. Dombrowski running the Tigers, Devellano and Holland the Wings. The Wings require little attention anymore, with the salary cap. Ilitch used to be much more involved, but now that it is more of a puzzle, he is leaving it to the experienced people. They know what they have to spend each year, and Ilitch then doesn't have to worry about anything. The same would go for the Pistons, there is a salary cap, and as long as the team isn't hemmorraging money, there shouldn't be an issue. In a year or two, however, if Dumars can't turn that franchise around, there may be an executive search commencing. Even that, Ilitch will solicit outside help on as he isn't exactly a basketball guy. The Tigers remain the only one of the teams that really require a whole lot of his attention. It is no secret he wants to win a World Series, and with the payroll where it has been for the past few seasons, he has been very involved in personnel decisions. However, following this season and next, a whole lot of money is coming off the Tigers' books too, so once again he will likely set a budget and step back and let the baseball guys do their job.

So I also think Drew Sharp has a few screws loose. Ilitch isn't as involved with the Wings as he used to be and the Pistons will also require little involvement. The salary cap makes it so that there is little room for error, so Ilitch will leave the decisions to professionals, if we want to call Dumars that. His attention will be toward the Tigers more than anything, but if a team is struggling, he will get involved.

**R8RBOB** · October-06-10, 02:11 PM

If anyone read Bill Shea's comments regarding this issue, he has stated that Detroit/Wayne Co can use the same bond measure that was used for the construction of Comerica Park and Ford Field. Ilitch will have to get another Japanese bank to help finance the arena but having both the Pistons and Red Wings committed to play in a dual-purpose arena make getting financing a tad easier. Make no mistake, Detroit will not be on the hook for building an arena for the Ilitches regardless what Rosenberg is saying. They will have a part but like everyone has said Detroit is broke and Mike knows that so why squeeze blood out of a turnip? Oh, you can't.

**iheartthed** · October-06-10, 02:12 PM

Are the Pistons for sale separate of PS&E? Because if he doesn't buy PS&E, won't that mean he doesn't own the Palace?

I also have a hard time seeing the Red Wings leave downtown for any protracted period of time. The Pistons would play in Cobo Arena again before Ilitch allowed that to happen.

**iheartthed** · October-06-10, 02:15 PM

Also, imagine the logistics of trying to get that many people in and out of the Palace on game days when both teams are playing. What a nightmare...

**esp1986** · October-06-10, 03:16 PM

I really think everyone is on the same page, except for Michael Rosenberg. Everyone knows Ilitch's intentions, he has talked with the city and county about it. He is not in a position to tie anyone's hands, and threaten to leave for the suburbs, although he could if he wanted to. Ilitch wants to work with the city and county to do it right. What the city will be on the hook for is infrastructure improvements. The streets surrounding the area where the arena ends up, wherever that may be, will need to be reconfigured. I also think that will be a perfect time to reconfigure the highway exit and entrance ramps. The Grand River one is a disaster, and is falling apart. Looking forward, the city, for the upcoming budget year, has whittled the deficit down to $85M, meaning that in 3-4 years, they will likely be able to afford the infrastucture improvements necessitated by this arena. While the city can ill afford to finance the arena, they will need to find a way to foot the bill for the roads.

**Hypestyles** · October-06-10, 03:29 PM

as far as a land-area to put everything.. what about those abandoned Brewster projects...knock it down and clear it all out.. as far as foreign financing to help with the stadium, Ilitch's company can approach firms looking to invest in Michigan.. China, the Arab world/UAE, India...

**R8RBOB** · October-06-10, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by esp1986

I really think everyone is on the same page, except for Michael Rosenberg. Everyone knows Ilitch's intentions, he has talked with the city and county about it. He is not in a position to tie anyone's hands, and threaten to leave for the suburbs, although he could if he wanted to. Ilitch wants to work with the city and county to do it right. What the city will be on the hook for is infrastructure improvements. The streets surrounding the area where the arena ends up, wherever that may be, will need to be reconfigured. I also think that will be a perfect time to reconfigure the highway exit and entrance ramps. The Grand River one is a disaster, and is falling apart. Looking forward, the city, for the upcoming budget year, has whittled the deficit down to $85M, meaning that in 3-4 years, they will likely be able to afford the infrastucture improvements necessitated by this arena. While the city can ill afford to finance the arena, they will need to find a way to foot the bill for the roads.

When it comes to entrance/exit ramps that is the responsibility of the state or in particular MDOT. The city would be the hook for acquiring land and clean-up any contaminants but since the Ilitches have acquired so much land in the FoxTown area this would not be a problem. Where to build? Behind the Fox or on Woodward and I-75

**rjk** · October-06-10, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

Silly rabbit...Trix is for kids.

Why would Ilitch need to hold anything over Bing's head? FoxTown was given to him on a silver platter. Perhaps you have been listening to Rush too much. Bend over and grab his ankles!!! What next? anal poisoning!!

Building a stadium/arena isn't as easy as you think. Especailly in a city that has as many problems as Detroit.
If I'm a resident of Detroit I'd be pissed if Bing serves up this stadium to Ilitch on a silver platter. He better try to drive a hard bargain, but unfortunately Ilitch now has all the cards.

By the way, if you know that that's one of RL's catch phrases you're obviously listening to him more than me.

**faygoredpop** · October-06-10, 11:12 PM

I found this in The Oakland Press.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/artic...0617511533.txt

It states that Brooks Patterson would like the Pistons to stay in Auburn Hills, but if Ilitch does move them to Detroit, for Ilitch not to expect money from Oakland County to pay for the arena since they are coughing up money for Cobo.

Macomb county may follow suit and not offer a dime for the new arena for Pistons, then only Wayne county would be footing the bill.

I can see our taxes going up to pay for this arena.

Maybe this is why Bing wants to shrink the city so they can develop it into commercial land all over the place, but us citizens will be paying for it with bond issues.

**R8RBOB** · October-06-10, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by faygoredpop

I found this in The Oakland Press.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/artic...0617511533.txt

It states that Brooks Patterson would like the Pistons to stay in Auburn Hills, but if Ilitch does move them to Detroit, for Ilitch not to expect money from Oakland County to pay for the arena since they are coughing up money for Cobo.

Macomb county may follow suit and not offer a dime for the new arena for Pistons, then only Wayne county would be footing the bill.

I can see our taxes going up to pay for this arena.

Maybe this is why Bing wants to shrink the city so they can develop it into commercial land all over the place, but us citizens will be paying for it with bond issues.

faygoredpop, this story has to be a fabrication. There is no way in hell that L. Brooks Patterson could have ever said such a thing because if he did then the good folks of Oakland County reelected a mentally, deranged nutcase.

Two words for you: Ford Field
Ford Field along with Comerica Park was built in part from a bond issue that would tax hotel/car rental yada, yada, yada. The bond was for Wayne County and Wayne Country only which is why the stadium is owned by a joint authority consisting of only Detroit and Wayne Co. Oakland and Macomb had zero involvement. You think OC would have use their tax dollars to build Ford Field when there was already an 80,000 seat stadium located on Featherstone for the Lions.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-07-10, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

Just been reading comments on the Freep, Detroit News and ESPN. Most of the comments have been in favor of moving back to Detroit but there are those folks who frowning on the possibility of the Pistons leaving Auburn Hills. Truthfully, I would love the Pistons back in city limits because I remember how Davidson and Wilson believed that no one would come to Detroit to see the Pistons. The Pistons had their time in the suburbs but it's time to come home. They are the only team in the league that plays outside their city limits and hopefully that comes to an end.

The New Jersey Nets will be playing in Brooklyn next season, so unless they change they're name to the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit won't be the only team playing outside they're city limits.