Having fun, making money fine for Tom Gores, but winning is big goal

Auburn Hills -- We know he likes to have fun, dancing in his seat at basketball games. We know he likes to make money. We know he's bright and energetic and craves the Adrenalin rush of buying, and sometimes selling.
What we don't know yet about new Pistons owner Tom Gores is this: How desperately, passionately does he want to win?
And by "win," I mean "win NBA games," not just win on the ledger sheet. Gores hit all the business-savvy platitudes Thursday when introduced as the team's new owner. He also wisely kept his top basketball people, starting with president Joe Dumars, while clearly nudging his coach, John Kuester, toward the exit.
The Pistons have been in stagnant limbo for too long, two years since the death of owner William Davidson. There have been player insurrections and a coach twisting cruelly and far more losing than the franchise was accustomed to.
A lot has to change quickly, and a lot probably will change, from the coach to the roster. For Gores, a 46-year-old billionaire with no experience as a sports franchise owner, the learning curve will be steep, with no time to waste. In fact, he said the sale was completed ahead of the June 30 target date specifically so they could get to work.
"We're gonna go full speed ahead, talking about every single detail and giving every single person a chance to say why they want to be part of the Pistons," Gores said. "We'll listen and we'll be thorough, but we'll be fast."
That's good, especially when a team has gone 57-107 the past two seasons. The further the Pistons spiraled from their glory years, the tougher it would've been to regain.

Responsible spending

Now, this franchise doesn't need a caretaker. It needs a difference-maker. Gores has tangible talent, no doubt. The caution is, business sense is not the same as basketball sense, and financial investment is not the same as emotional investment.
Gores says he'll lean on his basketball people, and promises "I will lose sleep trying to deliver." The thing is, core values are great concepts, but in basketball, talent acquisition and development are the keys.
Yes, it's important for Gores to integrate all the renowned entertainment properties into one money-making conglomeration of fun. Concerts generally are fun, no matter what. Basketball only is fun if you win. A radio talk-show host asked Gores on Thursday to pick only one: Win an NBA championship or make money? Gores was taken aback briefly, and then admitted he couldn't choose.
"They go together," he said. "There's no winning at all cost. We want to win correctly."
Davidson was known for those traits. He steadfastly declined to hand out maximum contracts, or go over the league's luxury-tax threshold. In that sense, Gores might not be a lot different, based only on what he's emphasizing right now. Who knows, maybe he'll eventually peel off gigantic contracts like tissue paper.
But if you're expecting a Mark Cuban-type maverick, well, that's not exactly how he got to be a multi-billionaire.
"If you're getting value, of course you spend the money," Gores said. "But if we frivolously spend just to say we did, we're not being responsible. … I'm willing to be whatever the franchise needs. We're gonna lean on Joe, and we're gonna push him hard."

Let the rebuilding begin

Dumars is just thankful someone finally will let him do anything. It's no secret Kuester is still employed (technically) and Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are still on the roster (technically) because Dumars wasn't permitted to make any changes while Karen Davidson courted buyers.
It was painful to watch the Pistons disintegrate into squabbling malcontents, and no one felt the pain more than Dumars. He sees signs of quick change in the new owner. That said, he still doesn't know what Gores will be all about. They've met, of course, and Gores gave him a strong endorsement. Gores was flanked on the dais by two executives from his Platinum Equity company who will be his primary people here — Bob Wentworth and Phil Norment — and all three had the no-tie, open-collar look.
I asked Dumars his first impressions of Gores and his people.
"They're very detailed, and they ask a lot of questions, good questions," he said. "Smart guys. Very meticulous."
This will be different for Dumars, and we'll see if it's better for him. There's a lot still to be learned. Gores is different in a lot of interesting ways. He's taking over a storied franchise from a quiet, venerable owner, and he certainly brings a touch of Hollywood from his home in Beverly Hills, Calif.
But make no mistake about one thing — Gores is a businessman at the very core. He said he never planned to own a sports franchise, but the chance to buy into the rebirth of his home state, not far from where he grew up (Flint) and where he want to college (Michigan State), was too great to pass up.
So here he is, dancing in the big seat now. And here he goes, full speed ahead.
"I'm not afraid to be different," Gores said. "And I want us to be different."
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