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

**BrushStart** · February-22-11, 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by Red Devil

I dont think he will flip the Pistons, since then he wouldn't be able to show off the team to his clients and employees, not to mention the Hollywood crowd. He seems to be a flashy guy, and NBA franchises are the flashiest pieces of rich guy bling that you can find.

I wouldn't be so certain of this. We really have no idea what Gores' intentions are. If you can draw any conclusion from his total silence through this entire process, it's that he may be considering breaking up Davison's empire and selling the team to the highest bidder. Gores is certainly aware of the fear that the team could be relocated and hasn't spoken a word to calm those fears. He also hasn't done anything to assure us of his loyalty to this region. The only thing we have to go on is his history of buying and selling companies, and PS&E is really nothing more than a big entertainment company with a sports franchise tied up in it.

**Red Devil** · February-22-11, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

I wouldn't be so certain of this. We really have no idea what Gores' intentions are. If you can draw any conclusion from his total silence through this entire process, it's that he may be considering breaking up Davison's empire and selling the team to the highest bidder. Gores is certainly aware of the fear that the team could be relocated and hasn't spoken a word to calm those fears. He also hasn't done anything to assure us of his loyalty to this region. The only thing we have to go on is his history of buying and selling companies, and PS&E is really nothing more than a big entertainment company with a sports franchise tied up in it.

He hasn't said anything because he isn't allowed to until the Pistons sale is complete.

**BrushStart** · February-22-11, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by Red Devil

He hasn't said anything because he isn't allowed to until the Pistons sale is complete.

That may be true as of the time he went into exclusive negotiations with Davison, but I highly doubt any non-disclosure would have prevented him from talking about being back in Michigan, or his interest in owning a Detroit franchise because he has a love for his home state. If it wasn't for the fact that Gores was born in Flint and went to MSU, which are possibly just coincidences, people would be really concerned about him uprooting the team based on what's been going on in the league.

**R8RBOB** · February-22-11, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Red Devil

He hasn't said anything because he isn't allowed to until the Pistons sale is complete.

I have to agree. He can't talk on things pertaining to the Pistons because he don't own them yet. However, the idea of an out-of-state financier buying the Pistons gives people pause because he made his money buying things and selling them piece by piece. Before the Pistons was put up for sale, no one in Michigan had never heard of Tom Gores [[well, at least me) and he is being elevated as the savior of the Pistons. That's fine but we have to remember that he lives 2500 miles away in sunny Beverly Hills. People are leery of out-of-towners coming to town. As I previously posted, Clay Bennett came to Seattle, spoke big words about making the SuperSonics a winner and two seasons later they were gone to Oklahoma City because he had no personal connection to Seattle just like Tom Gores doesn't have a personal connection to Auburn Hills.

**R8RBOB** · February-22-11, 08:47 AM

If it wasn't for the fact that Gores was born in Flint and went to MSU, which are possibly just coincidences, people would be really concerned about him uprooting the team based on what's been going on in the league.

Gores was born in Israel. He grew up in Flint. I don't believe Gores would uproot the team because it would unlikely the NBA would allow a fifth franchise to play in California but that does not mean he could turn around and sell the team to the higher bidder. I'm not saying that is what he wants to do but it is his business to buy and sell. That's how he makes his money.

**rjk** · February-22-11, 09:45 AM

Before an NBA team can be purchased or moved it has to get the approval of the other NBA owners. The Seattle Supersonics were allowed to move, but that came after goverment officials refused to provide money to update the arena in Seattle.

It just makes good buisness sense to have an NBA team in the 11th most populated market. There would be no valid reason for someone to move the Pistons out of Detroit and I think NBA owners would vote accordingly. They have an arena that's a money maker with the large number of suites and they've led the league in attendance up until recently. Of course attendance is down now, but it would be down in any city with a team as bad as Detroit and is currently and without a star player.

If the Pistons were allowed to move there would be a line of NBA teams wanting to move into this market. So the NBA would basically be playing musical chairs with their teams which doesn't make any sense.

**iheartthed** · February-22-11, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by rjk

Before an NBA team can be purchased or moved it has to get the approval of the other NBA owners. The Seattle Supersonics were allowed to move, but that came after goverment officials refused to provide money to update the arena in Seattle.

It just makes good buisness sense to have an NBA team in the 11th most populated market. There would be no valid reason for someone to move the Pistons out of Detroit and I think NBA owners would vote accordingly. They have an arena that's a money maker with the large number of suites and they've led the league in attendance up until recently. Of course attendance is down now, but it would be down in any city with a team as bad as Detroit and is currently and without a star player.

If the Pistons were allowed to move there would be a line of NBA teams wanting to move into this market. So the NBA would basically be playing musical chairs with their teams which doesn't make any sense.

I highly doubt that the Pistons are leaving the Detroit area, but I would never say never. Seattle isn't that much smaller than Detroit and they still don't have a team. Las Vegas wants a team. Baltimore doesn't have a team. They could decide to expand to more Canadian cities by shifting franchises instead of creating new ones since the league is already thought to be bloated, etc.

If the Pistons did leave Detroit... I could imagine it being done under some type of arrangement that brought the Cavs to Detroit from Cleveland... Eventually ending up downtown in a shared stadium with the Red Wings.

**R8RBOB** · February-22-11, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by rjk

Before an NBA team can be purchased or moved it has to get the approval of the other NBA owners. The Seattle Supersonics were allowed to move, but that came after goverment officials refused to provide money to update the arena in Seattle.

It just makes good buisness sense to have an NBA team in the 11th most populated market. There would be no valid reason for someone to move the Pistons out of Detroit and I think NBA owners would vote accordingly. They have an arena that's a money maker with the large number of suites and they've led the league in attendance up until recently. Of course attendance is down now, but it would be down in any city with a team as bad as Detroit and is currently and without a star player.

If the Pistons were allowed to move there would be a line of NBA teams wanting to move into this market. So the NBA would basically be playing musical chairs with their teams which doesn't make any sense.

The NBA allowed Bennett to move the Supersonics because he wanted the taxpayers to pay for a $500 million dollar arena that he knew the city/county would never agree too since a) taxpayers money was used to renovate KeyArena in the mid-90s and b) taxpayers money was used to build Quest Field and Safeco Field. After OKC realized they had a fanbase for basketball, Bennett bought a team to move them there. If if Seattle/King County agreed to build a $500 million dollar arena, Bennett would upped the stakes and said he needed a $600 million dollar arena. Seattle never had a chance to keep the SuperSonics.

As for the Pistons, well anyone who thinks that Detroit has them all to themselves is crazy. Any franchise can be moved. [[see Charlotte Hornets, Vancouver Grizzles, Seattle SuperSonics, New Jersey Nets) In the case of the Nets, they have no reason to leave New Jersey. Right now they are playing in a new arena in Newark, yet they are eager to move to Brooklyn. As I posted previously, there is a guy in Vancouver right now who want to bring the NBA back to that city and if Karen Davidson did what the former owner of the Warriors did [[opened bids) the odds of the Pistons leaving the area would increase because there are people who want a NBA team in their city. As for a line of team wanting to move here, that's a stretch but I pray we never have to witness that.

**schulzte** · February-22-11, 11:05 AM

Anyone who suggests the possibility of the Detroit Pistons moving either needs to have theirs head examined, or is just riling up regional insecurities. The Pistons led the league in attendance for years when the team was good, and they have an arena packed with luxury suites and amenities; there are actually very few franchises in the NBA with a fan base as large and strong along with an arena as good. The Pistons franchise is one of the NBA's crown jewels, and David Stern wouldn't even be letting Mr. Gores get his foot in the door if he wasn't comfortable with him keeping the Pistons in Southeast Michigan. There many, many teams in the NBA that would move before the Pistons would [[Sacramento, Toronto, Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Minnesota, New Orleans). I will eat my shoe if the Pistons move in the next 20 years, and I'm not even a big Pistons fan.

http://www.newolympia.blogspot.com

**BrushStart** · February-22-11, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by schulzte

Anyone who suggests the possibility of the Detroit Pistons moving either needs to have theirs head examined, or is just riling up regional insecurities. The Pistons led the league in attendance for years when the team was good, and they have an arena packed with luxury suites and amenities; there are actually very few franchises in the NBA with a fan base as large and strong along with an arena as good. The Pistons franchise is one of the NBA's crown jewels, and David Stern wouldn't even be letting Mr. Gores get his foot in the door if he wasn't comfortable with him keeping the Pistons in Southeast Michigan. There many, many teams in the NBA that would move before the Pistons would [[Sacramento, Toronto, Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Minnesota, New Orleans). I will eat my shoe if the Pistons move in the next 20 years, and I'm not even a big Pistons fan.

http://www.newolympia.blogspot.com

Stirring up regional insecurities? No. Being realistic about Gores' motives. Yes.

Other team owners want mobility in the market. They want to have to have the option to move their own teams if they so desire, so they aren't going to vote to stop Gores from moving the Pistons if that's what Gores wants to do. Neither David Stern or the team owners gives a shit about Detroit or how the fans feel. Stern cares about the NBA, and 9 times out of 10, that means catering to the owners. The owners care about their ability to do whatever the hell they want. And, Tom Gores, well, he seems to care about making money above all else.

If you think that it's impossible for the Pistons to be uprooted, you need to have your head examined. When I was living in Vegas over the summer, those desert people over there were clamoring about bringing the Pistons to downtown LV. There is even a location for a stadium picked out. Vegas would build Gores a brand new, truly state of the art arena and put the keys right in his hand. If you don't think a guy like Tom Gores is going to leverage that fact when he wants a new stadium funded by the taxpayers of Michigan, you are really naive. This whole deal reeks of a SuperSonics type situation.

**R8RBOB** · February-22-11, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by schulzte

The Pistons franchise is one of the NBA's crown jewels, and David Stern wouldn't even be letting Mr. Gores get his foot in the door if he wasn't comfortable with him keeping the Pistons in Southeast Michigan. There many, many teams in the NBA that would move before the Pistons would [[Sacramento, Toronto, Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Minnesota, New Orleans). I will eat my shoe if the Pistons move in the next 20 years, and I'm not even a big Pistons fan.

http://www.newolympia.blogspot.com

You're right. The NBA wouldn't dream of moving the Pistons when they have other teams that they could move....BUT......the NBA can't "move" a team. The NBA [[read owners) can only approve or deny a franchise from relocating to another city. To move a franchise rest with the owner of said team. David Stern can't do anything otherwise he would have stopped the move of the SuperSonics.

Back to the list of teams you listed. There are only two teams [[Memphis and New Orleans) that are for sale but the problem with acquiring those two teams is that they have lease agreements that would costly to break. [[for example the Grizzlies' lease with Memphis runs until 2021) The Pistons on the other hand is in an unique situation. Because Davidson built the Palace for the Pistons then that means that they didn't need to be under a lease.agreement. Wannabee owners see this and know that they could acquire the Pistons and relocate them without having to pay any fees to break a lease. Right now, Detroit is the attractive franchise to acquire.

Again, Stern would fight to keep a team in the Detroit area. Perhaps he would revise history.

Once upon time, before most of you “Celtic Fans” were born, during the 1977-78 season while the Braves were struggling on the court, Celtics owner Irv Levin wanted to move his franchise to California. However, the NBA would not allow him to take the cornerstone franchise out of Boston. NBA lawyer David Stern offered a compromise in which Levin and Brown would swap franchises, so that Levin could take over the Braves and move them to San Diego.

**schulzte** · February-22-11, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

Stirring up regional insecurities? No. Being realistic about Gores' motives. Yes.

Other team owners want mobility in the market. They want to have to have the option to move their own teams if they so desire, so they aren't going to vote to stop Gores from moving the Pistons if that's what Gores wants to do. Neither David Stern or the team owners gives a shit about Detroit or how the fans feel. Stern cares about the NBA, and 9 times out of 10, that means catering to the owners. The owners care about their ability to do whatever the hell they want. And, Tom Gores, well, he seems to care about making money above all else.

If you think that it's impossible for the Pistons to be uprooted, you need to have your head examined. When I was living in Vegas over the summer, those desert people over there were clamoring about bringing the Pistons to downtown LV. There is even a location for a stadium picked out. Vegas would build Gores a brand new, truly state of the art arena and put the keys right in his hand. If you don't think a guy like Tom Gores is going to leverage that fact when he wants a new stadium funded by the taxpayers of Michigan, you are really naive. This whole deal reeks of a SuperSonics type situation.

Get your head examined first. This is nowhere near the Supersonics situation. The Supersonics moved over an arena issue, plain and simple. KeyArena in Seattle has 17,000 seats and 60 suites, and few amenities. The Palace has 22,000 seats and 180 suites. Folks in Las Vegas are completely out of touch with reality [[I have family that lived there, trust me). They've been talking about new arenas in Vegas for years and nothing ever happens; that town is all hype and talk. No professional sports team would succeed in that town, there are so many entertainment options other than sports. That region is half the market size of Detroit with an economy struggling just as badly, so where is all that corporate sponsorship and arena funding going to come from? Casinos? Not likely. Any franchise move is subject to approval by the owners, and teams with big nice arenas and good fan bases aren't just allowed to move. Sacramento, Seattle, and Charlotte [[Hornets) all wanted new arenas, and didn't get them or aren't going to. They didn't just decide move on a whim. Vancouver attendance was dwindling and the Canadian dollar was weak. The NBA doesn't want New Orleans to move yet, so they bought the team from the owner, so don't tell me the NBA has no control over this situation; they do. The Pistons situation has nothing in common with other franchise moves that have occurred in the past ten years.

http://www.newolympia.blogspot.com

**BShea** · February-22-11, 03:14 PM

The Gores camp has told me he will not move the team.

For those that missed it, he did an interview with me back in September:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...FREE/309199982

And overflow here:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...OG03/100919878

**BrushStart** · February-22-11, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by BShea

The Gores camp has told me he will not move the team.

For those that missed it, he did an interview with me back in September:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...FREE/309199982

And overflow here:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...OG03/100919878

Thanks, Bill. That puts my worries somewhat to rest.

**iheartthed** · March-05-11, 10:19 AM

Looks like the Gores deal is about to fall through:

http://detnews.com/article/20110305/...-bidder-awaits

I wonder who the next bidder is?

**R8RBOB** · March-05-11, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Looks like the Gores deal is about to fall through:

http://detnews.com/article/20110305/...-bidder-awaits

I wonder who the next bidder is?

Doesn't surprise me one bit. Mrs. D want top dollar for what was considered "jewels." The Pistons, The Palace. DTE, the contract for Meadowbrook. In her mind, these jewels are worth big money and one should be willing to shell out the big bucks. The NBA wants her to sell the team to the highest bidder because they don't want one of their original franchises sold on the cheap. If this was New Orleans or Charlotte or New Jersey they would have no problem having these franchises sold for $300 million which was the price for the teams above. But the Pistons being sold for anything less than $400 million would decrease the value for all the teams. This was the reason why the Warriors [[another original franchise) was sold for so high to keep the value of a NBA franchise high.

**Red Devil** · March-05-11, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Looks like the Gores deal is about to fall through:

http://detnews.com/article/20110305/...-bidder-awaits

I wonder who the next bidder is?

Hopefully its some guys from Abu Dhabi that can spend some $$$ Manchester City FC-style

**Hypestyles** · March-06-11, 12:20 AM

...Could the Ilitches step into the fray again?

...whoever wins, would it even be feasible to start spending big money to attract star free-agents?

**detroitbob** · March-06-11, 01:24 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

...Could the Ilitches step into the fray again?

...whoever wins, would it even be feasible to start spending big money to attract star free-agents?

During a segment on Channel 7 the other night, the guy who had worked for the Palace, who now works for Mike Illitch stated he couldn't comment but didn't deny that the Illitch group is still interested. The reporter stated "Don't count illitch out"

**R8RBOB** · March-06-11, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by detroitbob

During a segment on Channel 7 the other night, the guy who had worked for the Palace, who now works for Mike Illitch stated he couldn't comment but didn't deny that the Illitch group is still interested. The reporter stated "Don't count illitch out"

I believe Ilitch has never lost interest but like Gores don't want to pay a king's ransom for the team and other things.

**Junkin4Life** · March-06-11, 07:54 AM

.

Originally Posted by detroitbob

During a segment on Channel 7 the other night, the guy who had worked for the Palace, who now works for Mike Illitch stated he couldn't comment but didn't deny that the Illitch group is still interested. The reporter stated "Don't count illitch out"

His name is Tom Wilson...

**R8RBOB** · March-06-11, 08:51 AM

If the Gores deal fall through what is Brooks going to do? Patterson put all his eggs in the Gores basket.

Who would have thought that selling an NBA franchise could be so difficult?

**R8RBOB** · March-08-11, 08:35 AM

"Just when I was out, they pull me back in."
http://detnews.com/article/20110307/...0102/103070422

**esp1986** · March-08-11, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by Red Devil

Hopefully its some guys from Abu Dhabi that can spend some $$$ Manchester City FC-style

This is the worst possible scenario.

**401don** · March-08-11, 12:01 PM

It would be really helpful to Ilitch if he could find a minor league team to help overhead at the Palace should the Pistons move downtown. I know several teams have been tried in the past. I noticed the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, playing in suburban Rosemont, almost lead the league in attendance with close to 9,000 per game. Average attendance in the league though is only around 5,500. The higher the prices for Wings games the better the market for minor league teams who attract the fan who can only pay 15-20 bucks. Perhaps some cross marketing could be done. The biggest problem of course is that these folks tend to live in southwest metro not northern Oakland County.

If Gores is really in this just to make a buck, I put my money on Ilitch. Gores has had time now to see that the NBA has a lot of problems with the labour dispute, including structural issues that no longer make half the teams competitive.