Tom Wilson Planning Next Steps After Resigning From Pistons

Tom Wilson Spent More Than 32 Years With The Pistons

TOM WILSON, who yesterday resigned from his position as President & CEO of Palace Sports & Entertainment after more than 32 years with the Pistons, said that he "knows what he will do next but would not elaborate," according to Walsh & Ellis of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Wilson said that he "expects to go public with his plans 'in the next couple weeks.'" He "would not say whether he will stay" in Michigan; he also "owns a home in Florida." Wilson said the Pistons made him a "very generous offer to stay." Pistons COO ALAN OSTFIELD will replace Wilson, and Ostfield said that discussions about Wilson's departure "have been under way at the Palace for a week or more." Ostfield: "Five or six days ago, it started to become clear." Walsh & Ellis note the resignation comes in the wake of Owner KAREN DAVIDSON's "decision to sell the team." Wilson said that he "believes it would take 12 to 18 months to sell the Pistons," and that he "would expect that the Pistons and the Palace of Auburn Hills arena would be sold together as a package." He added that the DTE Energy Music Theatre "could be included in such a sale, or could be spun off in a separate deal." He "acknowledged interest by about a half dozen groups -- mostly local -- to buy the team but said no one has looked at the books or entered into any serious negotiations" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/18).

WHAT LIES AHEAD? In Detroit, Michael Rosenberg writes Wilson "long has been one of the most media-friendly executives in sports," which "makes his vague answers about his exit curious." When asked if he will "join a group that is trying to purchase the Pistons," Wilson said, "I really can't comment on that." However, he did acknowledge he has been "approached by half a dozen" potential owners. Rosenberg writes Wilson's story, "in many ways, is the story of the late-20th Century sports and entertainment boom -- it made him, and, in some impressive ways, he helped make it." As he "leaves an empire, it's worth remembering that when he arrived, it was more like a shack" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/18).

IT WAS TIME: In Detroit, Drew Sharp writes Wilson's departure is an "unavoidable consequence of the internal tumult swirling within an organization that ownership has placed on the selling block." Wilson "might not be the only one to leave." Despite his titles, he had "no input in the daily operation of the team." He had "many successes, but he also had a character flaw: overreaching his expertise." He was a "businessman who thought he was a basketball man." When BILL DAVIDSON died last year, "so too did Wilson's impact within the Palace hierarchy" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/18). The DETROIT NEWS' Bob Wojnowski writes it was "time to move on, and Tom Wilson knew it." His departure is a "major sign of change" within the Pistons organization. Wilson was "innovative and visible and fiercely loyal to Bill Davidson." Wilson yesterday said, "This is very difficult, because we've had a remarkable run, and they made me a very, very nice offer to stay. They didn't run me off at all. It's just time for another chapter." Wojnowski writes Wilson is a "terrific marketer and businessman, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him stay in the NBA." Although Wilson "ran the business side, not the basketball side, this is a significant loss for the Pistons" (DETROIT NEWS, 2/18).