None of this is news, per se, but given the lack of official statements from all parties involved, Mike Ilitch's comments about the state of his negotiations to buy the Detroit Pistons are certainly noteworthy.
In Toronto to see Jimmy Devellano get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Ilitch was asked about the Pistons by the Detroit Free Press:
"We're getting close," Ilitch said when asked if there was any news to report about him buying Pistons. "We're getting close."
When asked whether the Wings could play at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Ilitch said: "Well, I don't want to get into all that. We're going to build a stadium in Detroit. ... I want two teams in one building. So that's all I can tell you."
Unless I'm mistaken, this may be the first time Ilitch has publicly revealed his intention to move the Pistons back to Detroit. Granted, most of us have been reading between the lines and assumed as much long ago, but still, seeing it between quotation marks certainly makes the whole thing seem more real.