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Sign up for E-newsFebruary 17, 2005
Tom Wilson Chat Transcript
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Since joining the Pistons in 1977, Tom Wilson has handled all business aspects of not only the Detroit Pistons, but also of Palace Sports and Entertainment, which includes The Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theatre, Meadow Brook Music Festival, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Shock.
Tom Wilson sat down to chat with Pistons fans on Tuesday, February 17th. |  |
Doug Gilbert (Chicago): Good Afternoon Mr. Wilson sir. What exactly do you do as PS&E President and CEO and what are some of your duties?
Tom Wilson: The job is varied because there are entities like The Palace, DTE Energy, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, as well as our responsibilities with the Pistons, Shock and the Tampa Bay Lightning. I'm involved with all aspects of the organization - from Public Relations to Marketing to General Administration.
Charles Snow (Tampa): The Tampa Bay Lighting just won the Stanley Cap, now that their will be no hockey this season. Will that affect you business from a business standpoint?
Tom Wilson: The finances in hockey are so bad that we will actually lose less money by not playing than by playing. The tragedy is the great number of our employees, along with those of other teams, who will lose their job because of missing this season. Unfortunately, hockey's problems require dramatic action and dramatic changes in the way the sport is run. In a perfect world, we would love to be able to pay the players an average salary exceeding $1 million, roll back ticket prices by 20% and still have the clubs have an opportunity to make a dollar. In our original proposal to the players, that would have been the result. The damage is so significant to the sport now that the salaries will have to come back even further.
Cindy Murphy (Rochester Hills): Hey Mr. Wilson! What was the Pistons-Celtics rivalry like? What kind of problems did Larry Bird cause us?
Tom Wilson: In every sport there's a measuring stick. And no matter how good we became, we could never beat the Celtics. They became the be all and end all for the Detroit Pistons, and we couldn't think about winning a Championship until we could get by them. Isiah used to say, about Larry Bird specifically, that if we were up ten points with a minute to go, and they called a time-out, when Boston came back on the floor, Isiah looks in Bird's eyes and he knew that in Larry Bird's mind, there was still no question that the Celtics were going to win that game. They might not, but that was the way Bird approached every situation. His competitive fire, much like Isiah's for us, set the tone for his team. And as long as he was on the floor, our ability to win was in doubt.
Dave (Waterford): Tom, when will the Palace get an NBA All-Star game? We haven’t had one since 1979 at the Silverdome.
Tom Wilson: I'd be surprised if we are ever fortunate enough to host the All-Star game. In the NBA's opinion, and keep in mind about 10,000 people fly in for that weekend, we do not have enough hotel space conveniently located to either arena in town to make it function smoothly. When you look around the country, most every city is over run with quality hotels. Right now, we are not blessed with that. Perhaps when the Casinos build their long promised hotel space that will change.
Carolyn: Man you are a busy guy. What do you do in your spare time?
Tom Wilson: Fortunately, my avocation is my vocation, and I am blessed to have opportunities to attend many concerts and shows with my family. I am a huge movie buff and enjoy theatre, but to me, there aren't many nights better spent than sitting under the stars at DTE or Meadow Brook listening to one of my favorite artists.
Leon Jefferson (Bloomfield Hills): What was the Pistons-Bulls rivalry like, was it hard to keep Jordan's numbers down?
Tom Wilson: There was such a futility attached to our rivalry with the Bulls once they passed us. It was always interesting, because even when we beat them, before they became the team they would become, I think we all felt it was just a matter of time before we'd be chasing them. Once they matured, much like the old Celtics, there was never a comfortable lead, if you were fortunate enough to have on at all, because you just knew Michael would find a way. The only thing you could hope for is that some day he would get old. There was no other way to beat him.
Chris Collins (Ontario, Canada): Mr. Wilson sir, I've been a fan of you since the glory days. When you retire, it will be a very sad day in Pistons land. A very, very sad day. From a business standpoint, who do you think is a better General Manager: Isiah Thomas or Joe Dumars?
Tom Wilson: I think the records would indicate that Joe has a superior track record compared to anybody, not just Isiah. Isiah is in a wonderful position of having an unlimited budget and I'm sure it is killing him to be spending well over $100 million, literally double what Joe Dumars has spent, and yet have a team that may not make the playoffs. Given time, Isiah is a brilliant, competitive individual who will succeed at anything he tries; but at this stage of their careers, Joe has shown all of the qualities of courage, foresight, instinct and aptitude that anyone needs to really succeed in that role. I think Joe takes a back seat to no one in basketball.
Micheal (Bowling Green, KY): How did you first get into the sports and entertainment business?
Tom Wilson: Actually, I had a small part in a television show in Los Angeles portraying a basketball player who was fixing games. We filmed at the Forum Arena in Los Angeles with much of the Lakers front office and team. Over the course of the week, I became friendly with many of the people and they had a job open in Marketing and offered it to me. About five years later, we moved back home to Detroit, and I hooked on with the Pistons a couple of months after that.
Jerome (Houston): Hey there Mr. Wilson how it hanging sir, I have two questions for you. 1. With the addition of Carlos Arroyo how of an impact does he bring to this Pistons team? 2.Do you think Chandi Jones will get to start or play more next year? I've watched her for years at UH and miss her plays a lot.
Tom Wilson: 1. Arroyo is one of those rare players that makes everyone around him better. Joe has described him as the best passing point guard we have had here since Isiah. A great passer makes the game easier for the other players on the court. Great passes lead to easier shots, and as you know if you play the game, if you make a lay-up or two, the basket seems a lot bigger - you shoot the ball with far more confidence. The guys love being on he floor with him. And because he sees the court so well, they know if they keep moving and find an open spot he will get them the ball. With Arroyo, McDyess and a soon-to-be-healthy Delfino, we can afford to play Lindsey shorter minutes where he can have an even greater impact, and our bench becomes much deeper.
2. Chandi is an extraordinarily talented girl, who struggled a little bit with the size and speed of the game in her first year. But I know Bill has great hopes for her as soon as this year. She was a big-time scorer in college, a 20-plus every year, and if she even approaches those numbers with us, the Shock are going to be a very dominant team.
Pistons Fan: I was wondering about Andreas Gliniadakis' situation. Will he be playing in Europe or will he join the Pistons in a season or two? Thanks!
Tom Wilson: Joe and Larry discuss that every summer. AG was drafted with the understanding that he was a project; a seven-foot-two big body with a certain amount of European skills. He has a lot of work to do on all aspects of his game and it often takes big guys a lot longer to mature into NBA players. But they still hope that within a year or two he will improve enough to play with us.
Mike Simpson (Bloomfield Hills): Do you think players should be able to go straight from high school to the NBA?
Tom Wilson: In a perfect world, I think we would all rather see kids go to college for at least a few years just so they mature, so they are better educated and so they are better basketball players. For every incredible story like LeBron, there are thousands of kids who think they can do it too. I fear those kids lose focus on what's important in terms of education and maturation in their blind attempt to be the next LeBron James. All of our players go out and give a consistent message to kids about the importance of staying focused on your education. When you think of all the high school basketball programs, and how only three or four kids in a big city will go on to play major college basketball, and how only 30 of those college kids will ever play in the NBA every year; it gives you an idea of what a long shot and how truly special your talents have to be. Sadly, way too many kids are overreaching with their dreams.
Pistons Fan (Pontiac, MI): Mr. Wilson. Thank you for answering my question! On the subject of Darko, how is our guy looking to the management in practice? He seems to have a great build and a nice attitude. Is superstardom in his future? How soon can we see Carlos Delfino back in action?
Tom Wilson: Joe Dumars is as confident today in Darko's abilities as he was when he was drafted. Joe said on draft night, "It’s going to be a couple of years of apprenticeship for Darko with the Pistons." Normally when you're picking the second player in the draft, it's because your team is lousy. So that player is thrown into the line-up and plays 35 minutes a night, whether he deserves it or not. In Darko's case, he went to a team that was already loaded. And so we've had the luxury to bring him along slower. I think you'll see his minutes increase as the season goes on. As for Delfino, crossing fingers and knocking on wood, he will be back within two weeks. He has a chance to be something really special.
Tom Wilson: Thanks for all of the questions. We really appreciate all of the support that we have had from all of our fans. If you get a chance, check out the ESPN magazine poll - which ranks all 92 baseball, football and basketball teams - where fans pick out who they like the best. We just finished Number One in sports. That’s a credit to everyone who works here and the special partnership we have with you and all of our fans.
