Q&A: Pistons Owner Tom Gores
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, August 10, 2014 with No comments
Courtesy of Vince Ellis
Question: The No. 1 topic that has dominated the entire off-season has been Greg Monroe. What are your thoughts on the contract impasse? (Monroe is a restricted free agent.)
Answer: “We think Greg is a great player. First of all, he’s done a really great job of establishing himself as a player in Detroit. He’s shown great respect to the city and as a young man he’s really done everything we could ask of him.
“With Greg we just believe in him. I’d like Greg to really get excited about being in Detroit because he deserves it. He’s really been good to the city. You’ve seen him. He’s good to the city. Stan is going to have to figure out exactly everybody’s role, but we’re believers in Greg Monroe. He’s not just a great player; he also has a good basketball character. I know it’s been a lot of the off-season stuff, but I’m a believer in Greg Monroe.”
Q: There’s a pretty substantial offer on the table (slightly better on a per-year basis than the four-year, $54-million deal Josh Smith signed last summer). Is there any disappointment that it hasn’t resolved itself and he hasn’t taken the offer yet?
A: “Of course we would like him to do that, but the fact is Greg has to decide what’s exactly right for him and he has great people representing him. We’d like Greg to get on board, but he’s got time to think about it and we should give him that time.”
Q: In your several years owning the team, you’ve developed good relationships with players. You have a good relationship with Monroe, Andre Drummond was at your birthday party this past weekend and when Brandon Knight was traded last summer you wrote a note to then-Bucks owner Herb Kohl asking him to take care of Knight. Where does that come from that you feel like you have to establish a good relationship with players?
A: “It’s the only way I want to do it. Brandon was a draft pick and he’s a great person, a great player, so I just think that they deserve a lot of honesty, they deserve a lot of support. As much as we talk basketball and we want to win, our guys put in a lot of time, so I did write a note to Herb and the reason I did it was because Brandon deserved that note because he’s such a good person.”
Q: What was the CliffsNotes version of the note?
A: “The CliffsNotes version was it was very difficult, but I just want to let you know that I’m sending you a player over there that’s a great person and he’s done everything that we’ve asked of him to deliver. Personally and professionally I believe in him. I just wanted him to know I wasn’t sending him off in anyway that was small or I didn’t think highly of him. He really deserved that. I like to make sure another owner knew what he was getting.”
Q: It’s been a newsy summer from a league perspective and the most recent thing would be the catastrophic injury suffered by Pacers small forward Paul George at USA Basketball camp. You have Andre Drummond and he’s moving on to Chicago to continue tryouts with Team USA. Does George’s injury give you pause?
A: “It’s always difficult in this kind of situation. As a Detroit Pistons owner you get worried, but at the same time there’s such a valuable experience that comes out of them being together as players, camaraderie for the country, camaraderie for themselves, a different purpose. I think there is a part of it that’s great for the players because it’s just winning for your team. There’s something bigger at stake and they’re not doing it for their contract or this or that.
“I’m not torn on it. The upside is for the players. Is their downside for teams? That’s possible. As just a business owner? It’s very possible, but at the same time you can take a guy like Andre Drummond who has the ability to have this experience with all these different guys who are going to play for their country and are really superstars, how would I ever take that away from him? At the end of the day, I think the guy should have the experience.”
Q: Do you see Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s point that there really isn’t a tangible benefit for the league to subsidize international basketball competitions?
A: “Tangibly speaking, he’s probably right. But the intangible, and this has nothing to with the league, the intangible of these guys who are selected is to have a special experience. They will get personal time with each other, they will build relationships that will be life-lasting and beyond basketball. So tangibly speaking ... Mark’s a very smart guy and he’s probably right. But intangibly, taking even the NBA out of the equation, I think we have to respect our players’ rights to do this and be involved in something like this. It is powerful worldwide.”
Q: Another happening was the Donald Sterling matter. It cast a cloud over the league during the playoffs. Commissioner Adam Silver was faced with a difficult challenge early in his tenure. How do you think he handled it?
A: “He did what he needed to do. That was a very, very tough situation and unique. He needed to stick up for what the league represents in terms of fairness and the right thing. I think Adam did what he had to do, and it seems like it’s proving itself out.”
Q: He had your full support in every decision?
A: “Absolutely. Everybody might approach it differently. I would have one approach vs. Mark vs. you vs. Adam or anybody else. I think he needed to draw the line and the idea in terms of what we represent in this league. I think he was put in a very tough position, and I think time is going to show he did the right thing.”
Q: Back to the Pistons. We are around the three-month anniversary of when you first sat down with Van Gundy to talk about the job. What do you like so far?
A: “I knew he was great. I didn’t realize how great he was. He’s a powerful guy, a great communicator. He’s delivered on every aspect of what I expected. The part of Stan that’s been very interesting is the way he engages with every single player and what they have to do in terms of going forward. Stan is not afraid to engage. Stan has great words, but what’s better about Stan is his actions. I’ve run a lot of businesses globally, and I can tell Stan understands how to make it happen.”
Q: The free-agent signings were targeted to address needs but lacked sizzle. Do you in hindsight wish this would have been the approach last summer when you made the splash of signing Josh Smith?
A: “Everybody has a different approach. One of things that I’ve really enjoyed about what Stan is doing is he’s connecting the floor to the front office, so everything he’s doing is about the way he’s going to coach it and the way he’s going to run this team and the way he’s going to move this franchise forward. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“I have personally seen Stan be an executive. He has the ability to do both things. I know a lot of people question this, but I can tell you I’ve seen him in action. We all know he’s a great coach, but he’s a great executive. He’s a great leader. He’s very strategic.”
Q: With the numbers out there for some of the signings — Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler — some say you had to pay the Detroit tax, meaning you had to overpay for free agents. Is that true?
A: “We signed what we felt we needed. Most importantly, if you win, they will come. We have to get back to our winning ways. I think, in this year’s free agency, I think we got the guys we really needed. Stan knows that. I believe in his vision and it helps that he knows what he’s going to coach, but we have to find a way to win. Detroit
is a great place to be, and I promise you it’s better when you’re winning.”
Q: Do you expect the playoffs? You’ve always been asked that question and people come back and throw it in your face when you don’t make the playoffs, but is that the expectation this season? (The Pistons haven’t made the playoffs in five seasons and are 83-147 in Gores’ three seasons of ownership)
A: “Every year I will tell you I expect our team to compete. One of the things that Stan and I talked about is to win, but don’t sacrifice the future. Stan understands.
“Now, am I willing to lose with Stan? Absolutely. Stan knows exactly what he’s doing. We’re on the same page in that we’re building for the future, but we want to win and we both we realize that’s what the franchise needs and we’re going to work toward it. I don’t think there’s going to be a year that I’m going to get up and say it’s not time to win. I don’t believe that organizationally. I don’t think it’s great for the players culturally.
“I believe in winning. If you get a little bit complacent and say this is a rebuilding year, what are you telling everybody? We want to win and we want to win badly. That’s what will ultimately create a championship.”
Answer: “We think Greg is a great player. First of all, he’s done a really great job of establishing himself as a player in Detroit. He’s shown great respect to the city and as a young man he’s really done everything we could ask of him.
“With Greg we just believe in him. I’d like Greg to really get excited about being in Detroit because he deserves it. He’s really been good to the city. You’ve seen him. He’s good to the city. Stan is going to have to figure out exactly everybody’s role, but we’re believers in Greg Monroe. He’s not just a great player; he also has a good basketball character. I know it’s been a lot of the off-season stuff, but I’m a believer in Greg Monroe.”
Q: There’s a pretty substantial offer on the table (slightly better on a per-year basis than the four-year, $54-million deal Josh Smith signed last summer). Is there any disappointment that it hasn’t resolved itself and he hasn’t taken the offer yet?
A: “Of course we would like him to do that, but the fact is Greg has to decide what’s exactly right for him and he has great people representing him. We’d like Greg to get on board, but he’s got time to think about it and we should give him that time.”
Q: In your several years owning the team, you’ve developed good relationships with players. You have a good relationship with Monroe, Andre Drummond was at your birthday party this past weekend and when Brandon Knight was traded last summer you wrote a note to then-Bucks owner Herb Kohl asking him to take care of Knight. Where does that come from that you feel like you have to establish a good relationship with players?
A: “It’s the only way I want to do it. Brandon was a draft pick and he’s a great person, a great player, so I just think that they deserve a lot of honesty, they deserve a lot of support. As much as we talk basketball and we want to win, our guys put in a lot of time, so I did write a note to Herb and the reason I did it was because Brandon deserved that note because he’s such a good person.”
Q: What was the CliffsNotes version of the note?
A: “The CliffsNotes version was it was very difficult, but I just want to let you know that I’m sending you a player over there that’s a great person and he’s done everything that we’ve asked of him to deliver. Personally and professionally I believe in him. I just wanted him to know I wasn’t sending him off in anyway that was small or I didn’t think highly of him. He really deserved that. I like to make sure another owner knew what he was getting.”
Q: It’s been a newsy summer from a league perspective and the most recent thing would be the catastrophic injury suffered by Pacers small forward Paul George at USA Basketball camp. You have Andre Drummond and he’s moving on to Chicago to continue tryouts with Team USA. Does George’s injury give you pause?
A: “It’s always difficult in this kind of situation. As a Detroit Pistons owner you get worried, but at the same time there’s such a valuable experience that comes out of them being together as players, camaraderie for the country, camaraderie for themselves, a different purpose. I think there is a part of it that’s great for the players because it’s just winning for your team. There’s something bigger at stake and they’re not doing it for their contract or this or that.
“I’m not torn on it. The upside is for the players. Is their downside for teams? That’s possible. As just a business owner? It’s very possible, but at the same time you can take a guy like Andre Drummond who has the ability to have this experience with all these different guys who are going to play for their country and are really superstars, how would I ever take that away from him? At the end of the day, I think the guy should have the experience.”
Q: Do you see Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s point that there really isn’t a tangible benefit for the league to subsidize international basketball competitions?
A: “Tangibly speaking, he’s probably right. But the intangible, and this has nothing to with the league, the intangible of these guys who are selected is to have a special experience. They will get personal time with each other, they will build relationships that will be life-lasting and beyond basketball. So tangibly speaking ... Mark’s a very smart guy and he’s probably right. But intangibly, taking even the NBA out of the equation, I think we have to respect our players’ rights to do this and be involved in something like this. It is powerful worldwide.”
Q: Another happening was the Donald Sterling matter. It cast a cloud over the league during the playoffs. Commissioner Adam Silver was faced with a difficult challenge early in his tenure. How do you think he handled it?
A: “He did what he needed to do. That was a very, very tough situation and unique. He needed to stick up for what the league represents in terms of fairness and the right thing. I think Adam did what he had to do, and it seems like it’s proving itself out.”
Q: He had your full support in every decision?
A: “Absolutely. Everybody might approach it differently. I would have one approach vs. Mark vs. you vs. Adam or anybody else. I think he needed to draw the line and the idea in terms of what we represent in this league. I think he was put in a very tough position, and I think time is going to show he did the right thing.”
Q: Back to the Pistons. We are around the three-month anniversary of when you first sat down with Van Gundy to talk about the job. What do you like so far?
A: “I knew he was great. I didn’t realize how great he was. He’s a powerful guy, a great communicator. He’s delivered on every aspect of what I expected. The part of Stan that’s been very interesting is the way he engages with every single player and what they have to do in terms of going forward. Stan is not afraid to engage. Stan has great words, but what’s better about Stan is his actions. I’ve run a lot of businesses globally, and I can tell Stan understands how to make it happen.”
Q: The free-agent signings were targeted to address needs but lacked sizzle. Do you in hindsight wish this would have been the approach last summer when you made the splash of signing Josh Smith?
A: “Everybody has a different approach. One of things that I’ve really enjoyed about what Stan is doing is he’s connecting the floor to the front office, so everything he’s doing is about the way he’s going to coach it and the way he’s going to run this team and the way he’s going to move this franchise forward. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“I have personally seen Stan be an executive. He has the ability to do both things. I know a lot of people question this, but I can tell you I’ve seen him in action. We all know he’s a great coach, but he’s a great executive. He’s a great leader. He’s very strategic.”
Q: With the numbers out there for some of the signings — Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler — some say you had to pay the Detroit tax, meaning you had to overpay for free agents. Is that true?
A: “We signed what we felt we needed. Most importantly, if you win, they will come. We have to get back to our winning ways. I think, in this year’s free agency, I think we got the guys we really needed. Stan knows that. I believe in his vision and it helps that he knows what he’s going to coach, but we have to find a way to win. Detroit
is a great place to be, and I promise you it’s better when you’re winning.”
Q: Do you expect the playoffs? You’ve always been asked that question and people come back and throw it in your face when you don’t make the playoffs, but is that the expectation this season? (The Pistons haven’t made the playoffs in five seasons and are 83-147 in Gores’ three seasons of ownership)
A: “Every year I will tell you I expect our team to compete. One of the things that Stan and I talked about is to win, but don’t sacrifice the future. Stan understands.
“Now, am I willing to lose with Stan? Absolutely. Stan knows exactly what he’s doing. We’re on the same page in that we’re building for the future, but we want to win and we both we realize that’s what the franchise needs and we’re going to work toward it. I don’t think there’s going to be a year that I’m going to get up and say it’s not time to win. I don’t believe that organizationally. I don’t think it’s great for the players culturally.
“I believe in winning. If you get a little bit complacent and say this is a rebuilding year, what are you telling everybody? We want to win and we want to win badly. That’s what will ultimately create a championship.”
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