Commissioner David Stern confirmed before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Miami and Dallas that the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved of the sale of the Detroit Pistons to the Flint native businessman Tom Gores. Gores commented on the approval through a spokesman shortly after:
“We appreciate the approval of the Board of Governors and the support of Commissioner Stern,” Gores said tonight through a spokesman. “I understand the importance of the trust that has been placed in us, and we’re very excited to be a part of something as special as the NBA. We can’t wait to make a difference in Detroit. We look forward to getting to work right away.”
The Board of Governors approval is not the final step but it is a significant one. Stern said he expects the deal to be done by the end of the week.
When Gores is finally entrenched as the owner, it will allow him to finally make some personnel decisions regarding head coach John Kuester and president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. Kuester is widely believed to be out after just two seasons as Pistons coach; he was even rumored to already have been fired over the weekend.
Dumars’ future is not as clear. Though he’s made his mistakes, he’s been handcuffed by the ownership saga and has not been able to make an significant moves, notably with disgruntled shooting guard Richard Hamilton. There’s speculation that Dumars will likely be given a second chance with the team.