When former owner of the Detroit Pistons Bill Davidson passed away in 2009, his widow Karen Davidson made the decision to sell the franchise. After some brief overtures by the late Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch to buy the organization, it was ultimately sold to Genesee, Michigan native Tom Gores for $325 million. Obviously, everyone hoped that playoff runs, and championship drives would become a staple under the new boss. Unfortunately, however, things have not gone as planned under Gores leadership so far. With some new blood recently in the organization, the owner and Pistons fans hope fortunes will change.
Since taking the helm in 2011, success has been hard to find for Gores. Despite numerous coaching changes and roster overhauls, the Pistons have only made the playoffs once under the new owner. Along with this, their record is well under .500. Marquee signings have not worked out, or have been unable to get the Pistons on the right track on a consistent basis. It’s difficult to assess whether it is bad luck or a lack of the knowledge that would allow Gores to give the proper attention to the right areas that create a successful basketball organization.
With the hiring of new General Manager Troy Weaver a few years back, it appears Gores is committed to building an organization completely through the draft. These next few years may cement whether history will deem Gores successful as an owner. Will he be able to put a consistent winner on the court. With the additions of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and others, he and Pistons sure hope so. Many of these players have shown flashes of success, but can they put it all together to bring a Championship or two to Detroit?
One major flaw in the ownership style of the Michigan Native, is that he appears more focused on facility matters than building a championship team. For starters, shortly after taking over the franchise, he made the decision to move the team to Little Caesar’s Arena to share the property with the Detroit Red Wings. In addition, this would include a new practice facility for the Pistons. What’s the problem with this? Their former home, the Palace, was only 25 years old and had a state of the art practice facility of its own. Furthermore, it was much more accessible than a downtown arena. If you have top of the line amenities, but put a poor product on the court, it isn’t a recipe for creating a successful sports organization. It’s now imperative that Gores concentrate on building a quality product on the court, if he wants to bring Championships to Detroit, as he says he does.
To say Tom Gores ownership has been tumultuous would be an understatement. This team has woefully underperformed under his leadership. One of the reasons for this is because Gores is attempting to run a world class organization from his California home. Yes, that’s right, this owner is trying to operate an NBA organization from afar. If Tom genuinely wants success in Detroit, he needs to be invested in the day to day operations of the ball club. This means being present frequently, and knowing first hand what decisions need to be made, and how to make them. Until he comes to this conclusion, it’s quite possible the Pistons will continue to flounder.
Too bad for the team members. I’m sure they want a great team!
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