Adam Silver is bullish on the renaissance of Detroit as an American comeback story. And his message to Pistons fans is that a similar narrative can be told about their basketball team with just a little more patience and the right combination of hard work – which he assured them is being invested – and good fortune.
“From an outsider’s perspective at the league office, they have great pieces in place here in terms of the talent on the floor,” the NBA commissioner told Pistons season ticketholders during his visit to Little Caesars Arena for Friday’s match with Cleveland. “It’s a fun team to watch – great, young talent. They have to learn how to play winning basketball as a team – and that takes time.”
Silver spoke to the gathering alongside Mark Barnhill, a partner to Pistons owner Tom Gores in Platinum Equity, and Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem. Silver says he communicates frequently with Gores, grinning as he acknowledged Gores shared his feelings with him after the NBA acknowledged a referee’s error on a crucial last-second call at New York last week to rob the Pistons of a likely victory.
“There are no shortcuts in any business,” Silver said. “It’s enjoyable for all of you being a part of the journey as long as you feel the arrows are pointed up and you’re going in the right direction. I can tell you it’s difficult for teams to meld, to come together, but I offer the assurance that from my standpoint, there’s no rock that’s going unturned.”
Silver told the group of a time years when he served as second-in-command to David Stern as commissioner before succeeding him a decade ago. Before the Pistons had moved to Detroit and several years before Gores bought the Pistons in 2011, Silver said Cleveland Cavaliers owner and Detroit business leader Dan Gilbert hosted Silver at his office – where Silver still vividly recalls Gilbert’s model display of the Detroit he envisioned – and then on a walking tour of downtown.
“It’s quite remarkable,” Silver says of how that vision has come to life, spurred in no small measure by Gores’ decision to relocate the Pistons from Auburn Hills and his continued efforts as a catalyst for Detroit’s rebirth. That commitment was underscored with last week’s approval by Detroit City Council of plans for the Future of Health development, a partnership between the Pistons, Henry Ford Hospital and Michigan State University in a $3 billion project that includes a state-of-the-art hospital, medical research center and 662 units of much-needed housing in the New Center area where the Pistons sunk roots with their Henry Ford Pistons Performance Center in 2019.
“Detroit is clearly a city on the rise. Looking back, all of this has happened and Tom’s been part of it. To see that vision Dan Gilbert had, the investment, now having more of a national perspective – I travel for a living; every week I’m somewhere different – Detroit is clearly a city on the rise. It’s recognized as that nationally. We’re seeing businesses
move into your community, positive vibes coming from your town. Sports are a big part of it.”
Silver told Pistons season ticketholders of the breathtaking growth he sees coming for basketball globally and how great an ambassador for the city the Pistons would become as a part of that journey. The NBA’s efforts to grow the game in places as far-flung as Africa and China are in their relative infancy but promising enormous benefit to the game and the league in the near future.
Barnhill and Tellem also addressed Pistons season ticketholders to echo Silver’s comments on the diligence being waged behind the scenes.
“We appreciate you and your support and your attention,” Barnhill said. “We also know we owe you the most superior product we can put on the floor and we’re working hard on that. We have a path forward, a plan, a young core, flexibility under the salary cap, other things that are happening. These renewals aren’t linear. We’ve taken a step back, but we’re going to deliver a product to you we can be proud of.”
“We are determined to have a team that’s going to make the city of Detroit proud,” Tellem added. “We’re not going to stop until we get there. Having been in sports many, many years, Tom Gores and all of the people who work with the Pistons, we’re living and dying with this. We’re determined to give you a winner – and we will. I promise you that.”
The Pistons will go into the summer with a young core in place that includes six recent draft picks – Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser, all 23 or younger – plus recent trade acquisitions Quentin Grimes and Simone Fontecchio. They’ll add a high lottery pick in the June draft and go into the summer with more projected cap space – somewhere north of $60 million – than any other NBA franchise. Gores and general manager Troy Weaver have expressed their intent to be aggressive in bolstering the roster now that the “restoration” has laid a sufficient foundation of talent.
“These guys are doing everything they can,” Silver said. “They’ve demonstrated a willingness to spend. It’s not for lack of resources. The practice facility is state of the art. It’s beautiful. Every resource is available to your staff and players. It takes time.”