May 15, 2025 | Articles Homepage News The Pistons
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores on the offseason: ‘We have to move with urgency’
DETROIT – Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is pondering steps that could see him land with another title contender.
Jayson Tatum’s devastating Achilles injury suffered during the Boston Celtics’ playoff loss to the New York Knicks could have far-reaching repercussions next season and beyond.
The Detroit Pistons, who earned the Eastern Conference sixth seed this season, could be in position to take advantage of the situation if the Bucks and Celtics slump next season.
That’s one takeaway from the NBA Playoffs, which have produced exciting results on a nightly basis. For the Pistons, who boast one of the best collections of young talent in the NBA, the future starts now.
That was the message Pistons owner Tom Gores shared during his end-of-season media availability that was held moments before the Game 6 season-ending loss to the N.Y. Knicks. With the Pistons roster featuring many young players under the age of 24, it would be easy to assume that the franchise will have a long runway when it comes to playoff contention.
But you know what they say about assumptions. Even if teams like the Bucks or Celtics take steps back, teams behind the Pistons like the Orlando Magic or Philadelphia 76ers are lurking. The Pistons can’t assume their rise will follow a straight path, and the players have to return with the mindset to seize opportunities and not expect a long period of relevance will automatically happen.
That’s why Gores, who painfully remembers the 14-68 season that happened a very short time ago, urged the whole organization to keep the sense of urgency that fueled this season’s turnaround.
“Before last season, our message to the players, to our organization, to myself, to everyone was urgency, win or lose,” Gores told the media. “Our urgency is not going to stop. We have to move with urgency. The urgency is not going to change.”
Gores also spoke on several other topics during the short Q&A session.
(Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: After the struggles from last season, what are your feeling currently?
Gores: The overwhelming feeling I have is gratitude to this team, the individual players, how they’ve come together. It’s a really unselfish group and nobody really thought much of (the Pistons) coming into this year. I expected them to do well, but not this well, quite honestly. But credit to them. Every excuse in the book was there for them, but through hard work, they didn’t accept it. I’m just really, really proud of them, but we’re not done.
Q: What is your message to the fans, who showed up big time for the playoff series against the Knicks?
Gores: It wasn’t that long ago that I was apologizing to the fans, but they hung in there. I want to thank the fans for hanging in there. I think the team needed them. Last year was really rough. This was the year the team really needed them, and Detroit showed up, and I’m appreciative of it.
Q: Toward the end of the season, after the skirmish in Minnesota that saw Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II and Marcus Sasser receive suspensions, you wrote a letter posted to social media to support the team. Why did you feel that was needed?
Gores: Our players are just putting their hearts on the line and if you feel like there’s been something maybe a little unfair, you got to speak up. I haven’t felt the need to speak up that much this year, but I just wanted to make sure that they knew I was there. I just want to support them.
Q: What gratification do you get from this season?
Gores: Right now, my gratification is for the players and they deserve all the credit in the world. There’s many days during the season that things were difficult, but they really got through it. And then just seeing the fans happy. I’ve always wanted to make the fans happy personally.
Q: What’s impressed you most about the culture Coach J.B. Bickerstaff has built in less than a year here?
Gores: J.B.’s a gift to us. I’ve got to know J.B. pretty well, and he’s really threaded the needle between having enough energy for this team, enough discipline, while also having fun, letting them be emotional.
He also invested very early in this team, every individual player. It’s been a lot of hard work. It’s not just his coaching on the floor, but he’s really threaded the needle between energy, emotions, and discipline. And that’s what you see on the floor.
I didn’t lose any sleep this year knowing that J.B. was there on the sideline. That guy cares more than anybody could care, and that’s really a gratifying feeling to know the guy at the helm cares that much. You got to calm him down, and the players feel that. These young men are really smart, and they feel it when somebody really genuinely cares for them.
Q: Although he fell short in Most Improved Player voting, what’s it like for you to watch Cade Cunningham’s ascension into superstardom?
Gores: Again, gratifying, but not surprised about Cade. We knew it the minute we drafted him, understanding his basketball IQ in general. I’m focused on MVP for him. Everybody saw this year that he’s a superstar in the making. And I talked to Cade during the season and reminded him that so much of the character of this team revolves around his ability to stay strong. We forget he’s still a very young man, but he doesn’t show it