When Eugene Gargaro went to The Palace last summer to solicit support for the Detroit Institute of Arts, he anticipated the typical prolonged corporate decision-making process to play out. Instead he got the business version of a 24-second shot clock.
"The meeting took about 10 minutes," the DIA's chairman of the board said Tuesday night to a gathering there to celebrate the Detroit cultural jewel's partnership with the Pistons and tour the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo exhibit. "They told me, 'Gene, we get it.' "
And that was about five minutes longer than Pistons owner Tom Gores expected, Palace CEO Dennis Mannion joked, for his organization to throw its full financial and moral support behind the DIA as part of the "Grand Bargain" that saved the art institute from being put at risk through Detroit's bankruptcy resolution.
Gores made clear when he bought the Pistons four years ago this month that a motivating factor was the chance to use the platform it allowed him to do good for his home state and all the communities where the Pistons could make an impact.
"We have an owner who has taken the long view of this city, the long view of this state," Mannion said to a crowd that included ex-Detroit Mayor and Pistons Hall of Famer Dave Bing and former Pistons Rick Mahorn, James Edwards, John Long, Earl Cureton and Greg Kelser.
Backing the DIA continues the Pistons broad community outreach, from the 31 Live, Learn and Play centers they've outfitted in area schools and community centers to celebrating local heroes through the Game Changer program to efforts aimed at fitness, literacy and making a difference in the lives of America's service personnel.
"Tom Gores had a vision to, one, on the court win now and build for the future, but the other vision was that we become a major player in the greater Detroit community," said Stan Van Gundy, Pistons coach and president of basketball operations.
The theme of the program was "The Art of Winning" and Van Gundy understands that the Pistons' organizational reach will expand exponentially once the record turns around. Andre Drummond, looking noticeably leaner, joined Van Gundy and Mannion on stage and later talked about the work he's putting in and daily communications with teammates Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Cadlwell-Pope on their anticipation for a breakthrough season ahead.
"We can have a lot bigger platform to do right for the community," Van Gundy said, "if we get it right on the court and start winning games."
He even got some free advice on one way to improve the Pistons for the 2015-16 season.
"The valets outside were helping," he laughed. "They had suggestions for the eighth pick in the draft."