Current Pistons owner Karen Davidson would only speak on the weather, but The Detroit News' Greg Kuppa and Vincent Goodwill teamed up to drop a cluster bomb report on the current state of the Detroit Pistons sale. They're relaying that the Pistons' 'For Sale' sign could come down as early as next week with... Tom Gores as the new team owner:
Sources close to the sale said this week Gores, the billionaire financier from Beverly Hills, Calif., who grew up in Flint and attended Michigan State, remains the leading bidder for the team and for Palace Sports & Entertainment. Moreover, he is now presumed to be the bidder who will emerge as the owner.
His position is so pre-eminent that Gores could close a deal as soon as next week, according to one source familiar with the process. Others say while that may overstate how quickly a deal can be done, the Pistons nonetheless would like to have an agreement in place to present to the NBA board of governors Feb. 18-21 in Los Angeles.
I've got more of my opinion on it at Detroit Bad Boys, SB Nation's Detroit Pistons blog, but this is undoubtedly good news for the Pistons. While Ilitch would have been nice, Gores seems to be genuinely interested in owning a NBA franchise and has proven over the years to be a very successful businessman. I'd say Ilitch was most people's 1a option, but Gores is a worthy 1b candidate to own the team. At this point, the sale just needs to happen, so the franchise can move on in the right direction and not in limbo.
We'll keep you posted as this develops further.