RealGM

Looks like more than casual interest...
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2016/01/18/silver-wants-know-pistons-downtown/78961220/

I think they're waiting to see the impact the new arena will have on the city and whether there'll be space for another team there. I think they'll definitely move there eventually. But not anytime soon. Maybe by 2020

They need to,I was just down their working at Buffalo Wild Wings cause I do HVAC and Downtown is looking friggin awesome. I haven't been down there in a while but it is nice and active. Dan Gilbert and other have really brought that area back to life.

MotownMadness wrote:They need to,I was just down their working at Buffalo Wild Wings cause I do HVAC and Downtown is looking friggin awesome. I haven't been down there in a while but it is nice and active. Dan Gilbert and other have really brought that area back to life.

Wait until the new stadium is finished. The place is going to get even more active. There's also a new business school for Wayne State, hotels, restaurants, and there's a trolley that would take Midtown people to Downtown. It's going to be the new city to invest in. When the Pistons move there? What if the Joe Louis arena was upgraded for the Pistons? That would save Gores money and he could sell the Palace of Auburn Hills. But I still think it's a wait and see approach with Gores to see if it's worth the investment.

He would be wise to buy the property now... even if it doesn't work out he'll do well with anything by the riverfront.

Yeah, Gores would be wise to get this done. If he really cares about the community like he really says, then be like Dan Gilbert who actually invests in the downtrodden areas of Detroit and move the team and production down there.

Downtown is where business is booming right now. It really is a slow but revival down there.

I think when Mike Ilitch passes away the Tigers will be quickly sold, and I think Dan Gilbert will likely be the purchaser. Tellum was brought in by Gores to "unite the families" - Davidson and Ilitch hated each others guts, and Ilitch and Gilbert are battling it out in the City of Detroit with land grabs and who will be the savior of the city with their investments and the like. Tellum was brought in to get Ilitch, Gores, Gilbert working together rather than all doing their own thing and competing for the same things.

If the Pistons move downtown, Gores will likely have to purchase land from Gilbert, or even finance building a new arena together. Don't know how that would work in the eyes of the NBA though. It would be in Gilbert's interest to see a Piston arena built where he owns all the surrounding land, and it would be in Ilitch's best interest if Gores built it a fair distance away from his Hockeytown District and a decent time later so they're both not brand spanking new and competing for same business.

I know people want the team to move to Detroit out of sentiment (Silly) and understandable (Commute) reasons, but they'd be silly to leave an arena that they own to be a tenant for Illitch*. But unless the arena is in awful shape (It's not), a move is unlikely.

In the near future, unlikely. 10 years from now? Maybe. Did hear rumors that they might play a few games in Detroit, like they do with Grand Rapids in preseason.

As for the city, aside from Downtown, the Cass, and Corktown, Detroit is still in shambles. Case in point, the public school system. Or the east side.

*: If you honestly have to ask why it would be silly to move from an arena that a sports team owns (and is in good shape), then I hope you don't run a business.

So it may actually happen in the next 10-20 years or so.

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2016/01/column_detroit_pistons_will_mo.html#incart_2box_sports

Yeah, they should definitely play inside the new Red Wings arena for a couple games here and there.

I'm all for it from a fans perspective...much more central location...more to do before and after in the surrounding area..
Palace would still get a lot of use as the main concert venue, shows, etc...I can't wait until it happens.

detroitKG wrote:I'm all for it from a fans perspective...much more central location...more to do before and after in the surrounding area..
Palace would still get a lot of use as the main concert venue, shows, etc...I can't wait until it happens.

Exactly. People keep forgetting that just because the Pistons wouldn't be playing at the Palace, it doesn't mean you just all of a sudden shut the place down. Gores would be wise to keep it and snatch up all the non sporting events due to there being so many sporting events at the new building downtown.

Forget building a second arena downtown. Share with the Wings. Make the same financial investment in the new arena as the Ilitch's are and go half up with the Ilitch family and keep 100% of the Palace or don't make a financial investment but let Ilitch get 50% of the revenue at the Palace while Gores would get 50% at the new arena. In other words, Gores would get all Piston revenue, Ilitch would get all Wings revenue and they would split every non sporting event at the new arena and the Palace 50/50.