Detroit Bad Boys - Complete coverage: Tom Gores talks about future of Frank, Dumars, and PistonsA community of Detroit Pistons fans since 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48119/detroitbadboys-fave.png2013-04-15T21:15:08-04:00http://www.detroitbadboys.com/rss/stream/39928872013-04-15T21:15:08-04:002013-04-15T21:15:08-04:00Tom Gores met with Dumars, Frank over weekend
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<figcaption>Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Keith Langlois has a complete story from Tom Gores' conversation with Detroit Media. We've got the highlights. </p> <p>Tom Gores spoke to Detroit media on Monday and didn't mince words: Tom Gores expected more than he got from his franchise this season, and he's willing to make whatever changes are necessary to move the franchise forward.</p>
<p>We got bits and pieces of Gores' conversation with the media as it happened thanks to Twitter. You can check out our recap <a href="http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2013/4/15/4228642/tom-gores-speaks-to-detroit-media-about-lawrence-frank-joe-dumars/in/3992887" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>It didn't take long for an official story to emerge on<a href="http://www.nba.com/pistons/features/truebluepistons_130415.html" target="_blank"> Pistons.com</a>, and it's worth a full read.</p>
<p>For those who don't click through, here are the highlights:</p>
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<p>Tom Gores is prepared to make thorough but quick decisions:</p>
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<p>We're assessing everything fast...It's a very important time, a critical time for the franchise. We're fortunate enough to have a good young group of people, so we'll do it fast, like we did when we came in and bought the team. We're going to do this very, very quickly, but thoroughly.</p>
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<p>Gores expected the Playoffs - which I read as<a target="_blank" href="http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2013/4/15/4228642/tom-gores-speaks-to-detroit-media-about-lawrence-frank-joe-dumars/in/3992887#156513963"> </a><a href="http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2013/4/15/4228642/tom-gores-speaks-to-detroit-media-about-lawrence-frank-joe-dumars/in/3992887#156513963">more rhetorical than literal</a>.</p>
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<p>I expected to be in the playoffs, so I'm disappointed by that. When I said that last year, I meant it. I am very excited about what we have going. We have a lot of (salary cap) room. We've set ourselves up financially and basketball operations set ourselves up, so I'm excited about the future. But I'm not content about how we performed this year.</p>
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<p>Will Dumars and Frank be back next season?</p>
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<p>We're assessing it right now. Both of them, including ownership, has to be accountable for the year.</p>
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<p>Gores will do what it takes to take the next step, including opening the checkbook.</p>
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<p>We want to win a championship. We want to get into the playoffs. We want to do all those things. It is an extra important year... We are prepared to spend and we're prepared to do what we have to do to move this franchise forward. We want to win. You can tell the world: We're ready to spend.</p>
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<p>We could go back and forth about whether or not spending large in free agency this summer is a good thing (and I'm sure we will), but even if it isn't, I'd argue it's always a good thing to have an owner who will spend what it costs to build a winner.</p>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2013/4/15/4228868/nba-rumors-tom-gores-meets-with-joe-dumars-lawrence-frankBen Gulker2013-04-15T19:54:45-04:002013-04-15T19:54:45-04:00Tom Gores speaks to Detroit media
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<figcaption>Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Bits and pieces of Tom Gores' conversation with Detroit media are seeping out via social media, and it sounds like earlier reports are true: Gores wants changes. </p> <p>On Sunday, the New York Daily News reported that Tom Gores has had enough of Lawrence Frank and Joe Dumars. I immediately thought the same thing as <a href="http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2013/4/14/4224846/nba-rumors-joe-dumars-on-the-ropes-nydn-reports" target="_blank">Mike Payne in his analysis</a>: I'll believe it when I see it.</p>
<p>While we don't yet have the full story, Twitter is flooded with information confirming earlier reports. Tom Gores isn't happy with how the season played out.</p>
<p>We'll have more on this as we get more details. For now, here's a summary of what the beat writers are saying:</p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Tom Gores just spoke to the media. Says he is still assessing the jobs that Joe D and L Frank have done. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Pistons">#Pistons</a></p>&mdash; Matt Dery (@deryNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/deryNBA/status/323942983382753280">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Gores didn't sound like he was giving L. Frank a ringing endorsement when we just talked to him. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Pistons">#Pistons</a></p>&mdash; Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) <a href="https://twitter.com/vgoodwill/status/323943397083721728">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Gores said he's excited about the position the team is in going forward but it's very important to have the right management team in place</p>&mdash; Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) <a href="https://twitter.com/vgoodwill/status/323943567435374593">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>But that's not to say he's definitively bringing back Dumars or Frank. Tough call at this stage</p>&mdash; Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) <a href="https://twitter.com/vgoodwill/status/323944371064029184">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Pistons owner Tom Gores tonight: "I expected to be in the playoffs. So I'm disappointed by that. When I said that last year, I meant it."</p>&mdash; John Niyo (@JohnNiyo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnNiyo/status/323945189767016449">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Story coming soon on <a href="http://t.co/Bc1VG6uWVd" title="http://Pistons.com">Pistons.com</a> with more from Tom Gores on off-season. Says he'll decide "quickly" on future of leadership</p>&mdash; Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keith_Langlois/status/323946400960356352">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Gores:I expected better results.Both of them (Joe and L) are accountable, as is ownership.This is a critical time for the franchise</p>&mdash; Matt Dery (@deryNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/deryNBA/status/323946575091097600">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p>I'm particularly excited about these bits:</p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Goes says the assessment will be done quickly. He says he will be involved in L Frank decision. He said he will spend $$ this summer</p>&mdash; Matt Dery (@deryNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/deryNBA/status/323943378964332544">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Pistons owner Tom Gores: "We're prepared to do what we have to do .. We want to win. You can tell the world: We're ready to spend."</p>&mdash; Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keith_Langlois/status/323946123377119232">April 15, 2013</a></blockquote></span></p>
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<p>We've been talking quite a bit about Tom Gores the Pistons owner over the last few days. The fact that he's stating publicly that he's willing to spend to make the team better is a very. good. thing.</p>
<p>If I'm missing anything, sound off in the comments.</p>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2013/4/15/4228642/tom-gores-speaks-to-detroit-media-about-lawrence-frank-joe-dumarsBen Gulker2013-04-14T21:37:16-04:002013-04-14T21:37:16-04:00Is Joe Dumars done in Detroit?
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<figcaption>Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News cites league sources that say Joe Dumars' "reign will soon be coming to a close".</p> <p>Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/lawrence-question-kobe-back-article-1.1316250?pgno=2">reported in a Sunday column</a> that the tenure of Pistons GM Joe Dumars may be coming to an end. In a report from unspecified leagues sources, Lawrence had a brief comment about Dumars:</p>
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<p>The Pistons aren’t in the playoffs for the fourth straight season and they’ve been irrelevant for a lot longer, as they’re almost 10 years removed from their championship season under <span>Larry Brown</span>.</p>
<p>It’s been a long run for team president Joe Dumars, but league sources say that Dumars’ reign will soon be coming to a close. Dumars is so entrenched and such an iconic figure from his playing days, we’ll believe it when we see it. But it sure sounds as if he’s on his way out, along with <span>Lawrence Frank</span>, who is finishing his second season as coach.</p>
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<p>It's tough to put much stock in an anonymously-sourced report included at the end of a three-page Sunday column. In echoing Mitch Lawrence, I'll believe it when I see it too. While it's a plausible move, it feels unlikely that Tom Gores and Palace Sports and Entertainment pulls the trigger this summer. Dumars has been a part of Detroit's identity, for better or for worse, for as long as most Pistons fans can remember.</p>
<p>Despite the difficult direction of the team since 2008, it has been an up year for Joe Dumars. He selected the steal of the 2012 NBA Draft in <span>Andre Drummond</span>, and he was able to free the team of the bloated contract he handed to <span>Tayshaun Prince</span> in 2011. If <span>Jose Calderon</span> decides to resign with the team this summer, it could be an end to one of the best calendar years of Dumars career as a GM.</p>
<p>If Calderon does not stay with the team, and this season can be viewed in a longer-term context, the situation is a bit gloomier for Dumars. The <a href="https://www.detroitbadboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Pistons</a> will finish this season with the team's worst record in three years, tying its 2009-10 NBA season with the 12th best record in the Eastern Conference. The team regressed from the season prior, and things appeared to get worse right out of the gate with 8 losses in a row.</p>
<p>Prior to the season, <a href="http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2012/11/01/sports/doc509268e7bf4df748022063.txt?viewmode=default">Pistons owner Tom Gores pointed toward an ultimatum</a>, however casually and in platitudes:</p>
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<p>"I came here to win. I’m a now person. Last year (at the end of the season I) said we’re going to get into the playoffs and I meant it. We need to get into the playoffs"</p>
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<p>Gores clarified that he's not expecting "playoffs or bust", but he does have one yard stick he'll be using to judge this last season:</p>
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<p>"There’s no ultimatum that says, ‘If you don’t make the playoffs, you’re gone.’ We don’t work like that. <b>The ultimatum is we have to get better. We have to work hard, we have to show progress.</b>"</p>
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<p>As I mentioned above, the team regressed from the season prior, and things certainly got worse in terms of record. Now fans will have a good opportunity to judge Tom Gores with his actions this summer. Either he's a man of his word, or his interviews and speeches are fluff in the best case, lies in the worst case.</p>
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<p>One question fans should ask themselves-- are Joe Dumars' recent moves (Andre Drummond, Jose Calderon) enough to keep him on for at least another season? In truth, those moves shouldn't provide optimism toward what Dumars might do this summer, as his established strength (the draft) won't help him succeed in his dramatically-established weakness (free agency).</p>
<p>This summer marks the third time in recent years when Joe Dumars will have a major free agent purse at his disposal. In 2008-09, Dumars rather famously spent roughly $125 million on three of the wrong players while shipping out his youth movement for scraps. In 2011, then under Tom Gores, Dumars repeated the mistakes of 2009 to the tune of $63 million-- including a buyout for <span>Richard Hamilton</span> to help maintain the status quo with Tayshaun Prince and <span>Rodney Stuckey</span>. Both of these free agent spending sprees helped bring the team to its knees, but this time the risk is higher than it has ever been. Finally, the Detroit Pistons have a young, gifted frontcourt in place, but bad moves this summer could turn a potential Eastern Conference contender into a long-term lottery regular.</p>
<p>This summer, the Detroit Pistons have more to lose than they have in a very long time.</p>
<p>Are the league sources that Mitch Lawrence cites on to something about Dumars' job security? It's hard to say one way or the other. There is one important distinction with this rumor, however-- I don't ever recall even an anonymously-sourced rumor about Dumars' potential firing. Up until today, "sources" would never suggest such a thing. Just hearing this slight buzz, however faint, could mean that Joe Dumars' seat is getting a little toasty as the season comes to an end.</p>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2013/4/14/4224846/nba-rumors-joe-dumars-on-the-ropes-nydn-reportsMike Payne