The baddest of the Bad Boys is coming back to Motown. According to the Detroit News, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is in discussions to become a minority owner of the Pistons. The news comes one month after Isiah returned to Detroit for the 25th anniversary of the Bad Boys.
“Not a ceremonial piece, but a respectable piece,” was how a source with knowledge of the negotiations termed the potential deal.
When Gores told Thomas it was possible for him to invest in the franchise he helped build, he jumped at it. Thomas, 53, was slated to buy a piece of the team before his retirement in 1994, but when news leaked of the then-unprecedented move, he and late owner Bill Davidson had a public falling out.
Many, including myself, believe it was former Palace CEO Tom Wilson who leaked that information back in 1994, afraid of the power Thomas would yield over Bill Davidson and the rest of the franchise. He is commonly referred to as “Teflon Tom” to Detroit sports fans.
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As a lifelong Pistons supporter, I absolutely love the move. Zeke is one of, if not the most beloved athletes in this city’s history. Nobody cared about basketball before he came, nobody tuned into Pistons games before he was drafted. He was basketball in Detroit. He is basketball in Detroit.
His post-playing career has been, uh, well documented—the Knicks, the Pacers, the CBA—all colossal failures. But like Chris Webber told me last month, Isiah deserved another shot in the league. He has an eye for talent, his drafts in Toronto were pretty damn good. But he won’t be doing any of that as minority owner. He might have some input, sure. But this is still a Tom Gores led operation, this is still Stan Van Gundy’s team.
Isiah’s just bring a little more flavor to the franchise. I, for one, welcome it.