April 7, 2025 | Homepage News The Pistons
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores on team’s success: ‘There’s no limits’
LOS ANGELES — The Detroit Pistons are one of the top feelgood stories of the season.
The Pistons’ turnaround from being one of the worst teams in league history to being in firm control of a playoff spot has garnered praise from national voice.
First-year Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s player development, sideline acumen and passioned advocacy has him firmly in the Coach of the Year discussion.
First-year President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon’s smart additions to the Pistons’ young core will likely garner Executive of the Year consideration.
Young star Cade Cunningham was named to his first All-Star Game last month.
In an article featuring first-year President of Business Operations Melanie Harris, Sportico reported earlier this year that the on-court success is driving business success.
You can even look the sidelines where longtime Pistons play-by-play announcer George Blaha was recently selected for Basketball Hall of Fame induction later this year.
As you can imagine, the success of the franchise had team owner Tom Gores in a good mood when speaking to reporters earlier this year at halftime of the Pistons’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at the brand-new Intuit Dome.
“So far, so good,” a smiling Gores said. They’re working hard. That’s the thing about this team, they’re hungry and they’re humble, and they’re not afraid.
“As I’ve said many times, there’s no limits to what we can do, no limits.”
Gores continued: “It’s all very exciting. We got J.B., who was just named coach of the month, who maybe is the coach of the year. Maybe Trajan can win executive of the year. Cade’s an All-Star, Blaha is going to the Hall of Fame. We got some stuff happening!”
The success serves as a validation for Gores’ decision to remake the executive team after last season’s 14-68 record. Gores addressed several other topics (including Detroit’s bid to bring back the WNBA) in a short Q&A session.
(Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and length).
Q: Why have things completely turned around this season?
Gores: “Well, look, I mean, you got to acknowledge J.B., who has brought these guys together. I always knew we had a young core that could make things work, but J.B.’s really brought them together. They’re unselfish, this is a team that’s unselfish. And give Cade credit, although he doesn’t take credit. You can give J.B. credit, although he doesn’t take the credit. Nobody’s takes credit, they just work to get better and stay humble and hungry.”
Q: What has this season meant for you personally?
Gores: “It means a lot to me just to be able to deliver to our fans in Detroit. Last year, I apologized to the fans (for the bad season), so it means a lot from that perspective, but it also just means a lot to see these young men succeeding with the help of the good veterans that have come in.”
Q: How important has Cunningham been to the resurgence?
Gores: It’s really important. He’s the glue, very much the glue. And as said last year, he’s that guy, he’s that kind of guy.
Q: Coming off of last season, how surreal has the success been this last month or so?
Gores: “It’s surreal, but the thing is, we’re not done. This team’s really capable. It’s pretty incredible what they’re doing, and they just got to keep doing it, but there is a point you pinch yourself to make sure it’s all real.”
Q: You have stressed patience, but what were your expectations coming into this year?
Gores: “I knew our young players were good, and I expected them to grow, but I can’t say I expected our record to be as good as it is today. But I expected them to grow, and I believed in them the whole time. Trajan’s done a good job complementing the group with a group of solid vets. Our expectation is to win every game, and we can win every game.”
Q: Assess Langdon’s first season.
Gores: “Getting to know Trajan is a big part of the reason I got comfortable bringing him on with us as a partner. He runs good process, runs good systems. We have discipline in our decisions, and he’s also unselfish. He’s brought on a lot of tremendous people in the front office that are really skilled people. Just like we’re really developing the rhythm on the court, we’re building a similar rhythm in the front office where we really have good culture. It really starts from being unselfish and having a foundation that we can play with or work with. Trajan has been tremendous.”
Q: Do you feel any validation?
Gores: “I don’t know. I mean, the players’ hard work validates us, but it always feels good to see your hard work come to fruition when it always doesn’t. It’s just the way life goes, but it’s good to see success, and I always did believe in this young team. But we have more work to do.”
Q: Why are you interested in returning the WNBA to Detroit?
Gores: “If we’re allowed to get a team, we’ll do a really good job. We have a great city, and we’re committed. Our community’s amazing so I hope we get one.”