The Pistons have a new owner lined up; billionaire investor Tom Gores has reached a deal to buy the team. Gores is LA based at present, but grew up in the Flint area and went to MSU.
That should help the club going forward; the club had been somewhat in limbo after owner Bill Davidson died; his wife and kids weren't interested in keeping the club and had been looking for a buyer. Tigers/Red Wings/Little Caesars maestro Mike Illich had been interested in creating an entertainment juggernaut by buying the Pistons, the Palace stadium and the two suburban concert venues that are part of the Davidson's empire to go with the downtown venues Illich already owns, but the two couldn't come up with a price.
Now, Gores has to make some tough decisions in the next few weeks. Rip Hamilton has been a well-paid observer as of late, only getting in one good stint off the bench in three weeks, getting a string of DNPs otherwise. Some sort of closure might be called for, whether it be a trade or a buyout. However, such a buyout will require the Pistons writing Hamilton a eight-figure check for a discounted portion of the next season and a third's pay; that's a call that the Pistons couldn't easily make until they knew who would be writing that check.
Dennis Rodman's getting his number retired, on April Fools' Day. No comment, other than that he was one of the better defensive players and rebounders in his prime; he even wasn't the rolling freak show that he became later in life while with the Pistons.
the freak show that followed is why it took so long.
Posted by: alan | February 12, 2011 at 01:08 PM