If Tom Gores buys Pistons next week, will they play in Detroit?

**GOAT** · January-07-11, 06:16 PM

The Pistons won't come to downtown anytime soon. Why would they when they have a perfectly good place to play right now? Sure its older but still one of the better venues around. It is a goldmine for concerts and other crap. I don't like it, I don't like the look of it and I hate where it is at but the place makes money.

With the above why bother spending more money for another place toplay? Ilitch doesn't have the $$$ to build an arena on his own; the city and state can't afford it.

It is all wishful thinking that isn't going to happen any time soon.

**jtf1972** · January-07-11, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

Besides, if it was so state of the art then why are those chairs tight as hell to sit in? LOL

Because we're fat.

lincoln8740 · January-07-11, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by schulzte

This is not BS. The Palace was 15 years ahead of its time in terms of luxury amenities and had been added on to twice since it opened. The Palace can generate as much revenue as any arena in the NBA, which is what "state of the art" really means to an owner. That the seats in the 40th row are 2 inches narrower than they would be in a new building is rather inconsequential. The main reason so many arenas from the '70s and '80s were torn down so early is because they lacked luxury suites and club seating, its not the the structures themselves were obsolete or failing necessarily. Still today the Palace has more luxury suites [[193) than any other NBA or NHL arena in North America. Now that nearly every NBA team has their jewel box of an arena, they are not going to be replaced every thirty years anymore, including the Palace. Call me crazy, but I think the Palace will still be standing for another thirty years.

That doesn't mean that there won't be a new arena downtown. It just may not be as big and flashy as some of those built for both NHL and NBA teams together. There is no rule that says an arena has to cost $500 million. Oklahoma City built a 19,000 seat arena downtown for $90 million ten years ago, and then spent $100 million adding on and upgrading when the Supersonics moved there. I'm not saying you can build as cheaply in Detroit as in Oklahoma City, but you get the idea.

I think the Wings can go out on their own and build an arena if they can keep costs under control and avoid a huge annual debt service. Remember, the Wings aren't exactly losing money at the Joe, they just need to increase revenue enough with enhanced seating and new events in order to afford to pay for the new building. They will likely sell naming rights and get a small portion paid for by local government to assist in the financing package. A new downtown arena would certainly be able to outcompete the Palace for many concerts and sporting events due to the hotel situation being so much better. I could see the NCAAs hosting basketball tournament games and the Frozen Four downtown regularly with a new arena in place.

http://www.newolympia.blogspot.com

Great post with regards to the palace. One has to wonder what the the " I hate everything in oakland county" crowd would say if the palace was located in detroit or even livonia.

**Dan** · January-07-11, 09:44 PM

I'm willing to bet Mike Ilitch still ends up owning the Pistons....or at the very least part of PS&E.

**detroitbob** · January-07-11, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by Dan

I'm willing to bet Mike Ilitch still ends up owning the Pistons....or at the very least part of PS&E.

I agree that Ilitch may end up with the Piston's or part of PSE and as for the lifespan of arena's today, 30 years seems to be life cycle of these buildings. Gone are the days when a team will play in a venue like Olympia for 50 plus years.

thatguy123 · January-07-11, 11:54 PM

Here are a couple of facts for the extreme outer fringe:

1: It doesn't take 8 hours to go to a pistons game. Anyone who says that is severely exaggerating and playing ignorant to the fact that the Pistons just recently were the team with the highest attendance. I can park my car at a local bar, take the shuttle and be on 75 20 minutes after the game ends and it costs less then parking at a tigers or wings game. Try being out that fast after a game downtown.

2: Anyone who trying to use an extremely feeble excuse that the palace isn't "state of the art" because of it's age is desperate and grasping at straws. They also havn't been to very many sports venues outside of the region. The palace is one of, if not the best venues in the country. Anyone who claims the palace needs to be torn down need their head examined.

3: The Stones dont need to play in downtown Detroit. The team does not need to be downtown just so you can have some false sense of relevancy. 99% of people don't care where they play.

**CLAUDE G** · January-08-11, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by Dan

I'm willing to bet Mike Ilitch still ends up owning the Pistons....or at the very least part of PS&E.

Im kind of thinking the same thing.

On the bright side, if Illitch does not get the Pistons he will probably use that 400 million dollars he was going to use to buy the Pistons to build his new Hockey arena.

As much as I hate building new stadiums, I just can't stand going to the Joe.

NorthEndere · January-08-11, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by thatguy123

Here are a couple of facts for the extreme outer fringe:

1: It doesn't take 8 hours to go to a pistons game. Anyone who says that is severely exaggerating and playing ignorant to the fact that the Pistons just recently were the team with the highest attendance. I can park my car at a local bar, take the shuttle and be on 75 20 minutes after the game ends and it costs less then parking at a tigers or wings game. Try being out that fast after a game downtown.

Really, is that how folks in Metro Detroit measure success? How fast you can get out of a city after a game? Really? That's so Detroit, and that's so sad. Most others in most other cities try to make a night of a game, if they can. You know, milling around for a while after the game. Take the family to dinner, for a walk, etc. This is even more true if it's just you and someone else.

**ggores** · January-09-11, 05:59 PM

The Auburn Hills Palace is a joke and has been since inception. Pistons should play in a City. Preferrably Detroit.

**Patrick** · January-09-11, 06:25 PM

The Auburn Hills Pistons

**Hypestyles** · January-09-11, 06:45 PM

if the team stays in auburn hills, I will likely keep my pace of attending games... rarely..

but in any case, I guess they won't be leaving the state..

**Supersport** · January-09-11, 11:31 PM

Here is my take on the deal.

Ilitch never wanted to own an nba team, he simply wanted an entertainment monopoly and a dual sport arena built in Detroit. Gore has expressed interest in owning his own nba team, though hasn't publicly stated an interest in entering the entertainment business. I think Gore may in fact buy the pistons and entertainment arm, but it'll be short lived. Gore will maintain ownership of the pistons, the sell palace sports to Ilitch. As part of the agreement, Gore and Ilitch will build a new state of the art facility in Detroit. What ultimately happens with the palace is anybody's guess, but it is not state of the art and is a nightmare in regards to traffic. If one truly wants a state of the art facility, having the first mass transit line in Detroit stop there should be in the cards. That's my 2 cents.

**Red Devil** · January-10-11, 01:16 AM

Be careful what you wish for LBP. Word on the street is that Gores is actually planning to move the franchise from Auburn Hills to his hometown AND rename it as the Flint Tropics

**Gistok** · January-10-11, 01:32 AM

Originally Posted by thatguy123

Here are a couple of facts for the extreme outer fringe:

I can park my car at a local bar, take the shuttle and be on 75 20 minutes after the game ends and it costs less then parking at a tigers or wings game. Try being out that fast after a game downtown.

Funny you doing the name calling when you show your ignorance about downtown traffic.... you mentioned 1 escape route from the Palace... southbound I-75.... I bet at least 70% of the folks going to a Piston game enter and exit that route.

Downtown, which you seem to have overlooked... has major roadways leaving downtown like spokes in a wheel... you can exit Fort, Michigan, Grand River, Woodward, Gratiot, Lafayette, Larned and Jefferson [[and eventually hook up with 4 freeways). Then there's also the Lodge, Chrysler and Fisher Freeways...

So far that's 11 exits out of downtown... and that's just the major ones. All you've come up with is a single congested I-75 south at M-24. I'm sure that cloverleaf freeway entrance gets pretty clogged after games.

Now compare 10 exits versus 1 exit.... before you start name calling... you better do the math...

And you mention that 20 minutes later you can be on I-75.... hell with all the easy exits from downtown after 20 minutes I'd be halfway home to SCS already....

**rjk** · January-10-11, 07:19 AM

The Pistons are said to be involved in a three team trade with the Nets and Nuggets that could be announced in a day or two. It's baically a salary dump for the Pistons but I would think that the future owner would have to put his stamp of approval on the trade. That future owner has to be the one who presently has the 30 day window to buy the team.

My guess is that Illitch came to grips with how difficult it would be to finance the purchase of a team and the construction of a stadium in this economy. Especially a team/sport that he never really showed a lot of interest in.

Though I would rather have the Pistons play in Detroit I think Gores will be better for the Pistons. I'm not a big fan of one person owning two sports teams let alone three.

**ejames01** · January-10-11, 07:29 AM

The Palace isnt state of the art. It is old and it sucks. It takes forever to get there and forever to leave. Ford Field is where it is at!!!

**R8RBOB** · January-10-11, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by ejames01

The Palace isnt state of the art. It is old and it sucks. It takes forever to get there and forever to leave. Ford Field is where it is at!!!

Well compared to Joe Louis Arena, I guess the Palace would be "state of the art." LOL

Truth be told, I don't care if the Palace is state of the art. What matters is the team and the fans. The last time I attended an event at the Palace was when the Pistons was still a winning team and that was a long time again. The Pistons were winning but the fans were quiet like mice. Here you have a winning team and the fans could care less.

**gumby** · January-10-11, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by Red Devil

Be careful what you wish for LBP. Word on the street is that Gores is actually planning to move the franchise from Auburn Hills to his hometown AND rename it as the Flint Tropics

Maybe he could play for them and also wrestle a bear during halftime as well. lol.

Tom Gores is from Flint just like Michael Moore is from Flint. Gores grew up in the small town of Genesee which is like 15 to 20 mins away from Flint.

**Lowell** · January-27-11, 09:27 AM

I was watching the Pistons game a few nights back and was suddenly struck by the purple cast of the background. It was due to the huge number of empty seats in a arena that had had a long sold-out run.

Today comes news that Forbes says the value of the team has dropped over $100 million in value and fallen from 4th to 13th as most valuable NBA franchise.

It will be interesting to see what the true value will be when an actual sale occurs. This must open a can of worms in the bidding war among Ilitch and other suitors.

**401don** · January-27-11, 09:42 AM

I noticed Rip decided to stay home with the flu last night. Obviously he wanted to avoid the media with Chauncey in town. This is getting beyond awkward. I wouldn't be surprised if he and his agent decide to stay away indefinitely and put the pressure on the Pistons to suspend him for a game or two in order to make it more uncomfortable for the organization and push for a trade sooner. It's very tough to make deals in the NBA though where you can't just eat a portion of the salary like in baseball.

**iheartthed** · January-27-11, 11:30 AM

Pistons' value falls from $479M to $360M

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110126/SPORTS0102/101260439/Forbes--Pistons’-value-falls-from-$479M-to-$360M#ixzz1CFokYjKU

Detroit, valued by Forbes at $479 million last year, is reportedly worth 25 percent less this year [[$360 million) and finished with the NBA's second-worst dip, behind a LeBron James-less franchise that's lost 18 straight games.

The difference in deprecation between the two teams: a single percentage point.

"The past year for the Pistons has been brutal," Forbes senior editor Kurt Badenhausen told The Detroit News. "The team isn't playing well, attendance has fallen off a cliff and sponsorship revenues are down."

Cleveland, in Forbes' team values released Wednesday, has the dubious honor of being the league's biggest value loser [[$476 million to $355 million) since 1998, the year the publication started analyzing the value of franchises.

Among all NBA teams, the Pistons dropped from No. 4 to No. 13 in value in one year. The Knicks have the highest value, according to Forbes, at $655 million.

http://detnews.com/article/20110126/SPORTS0102/101260439/Forbes--Pistons%E2%80%99-value-falls-from-$479M-to-$360M

I guess owning the stadium and the parking lot ain't all it's cracked up to be. The Knicks share their stadium with several other major league franchises and their stadium doesn't have any dedicated parking whatsoever.

**Hypestyles** · January-27-11, 11:37 AM

hopefully Ilitch can come back into the bidding mix now that the "real" price has been revealed..

**rjk** · January-27-11, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I guess owning the stadium and the parking lot ain't all it's cracked up to be. The Knicks share their stadium with several other major league franchises and their stadium doesn't have any dedicated parking whatsoever.

The Pistons would be worth even less without the things you mentioned.

The Knicks are at the top because of the massive market that is NY city.
A big market trumps everything when pricing a team.

**iheartthed** · January-27-11, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by rjk

The Pistons would be worth even less without the things you mentioned.

The Knicks are at the top because of the massive market that is NY city.
A big market trumps everything when pricing a team.

Not really. The New Jersey Nets, who play in the same market as the Knicks, aren't even in the top 20... And are worth less than the Pistons. In fact, the Nets are worth less than the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is a market that is a fraction of the size of New York [[and a fraction the size of Detroit for that matter).

On the other hand, the Green Bay Packers, who don't even play in a major city, are a pretty valuable franchise [[albeit a different sport).

**Danny** · January-27-11, 12:54 PM

Of course if Gores buys the Pistons, He will indeed keep them in Auburn Hills for over 25 to 50 years. The Palace is 20 years old still young and well kept up. L.B. Patterson will like the ideal despite his negative comments on Detroit. Mike Illitch is over 70 years old and he can't have everything he wishes. He's going to retire soon or work until he gets crippled. So the future of Detroit Pistons/ Soon to be the Oakland County Pistons will remain in Patterson's WHITE DETROIT city.

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