Palace Sports & Entertainment President & CEO Dennis Mannion said that the Pistons are "finally starting to show signs of life at the box office in Tom Gores' third year of ownership," according to Tom Walsh of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Mannion: "We're seeing a big jump now in interest in group tickets. That's sales to groups of more than 15, and we've got a whole department dedicated to that." He added, "We're on pace to double those sales this year." But Walsh notes the uptick in ticket orders "hasn't shown up yet in NBA attendance figures." The Pistons drew an average of 14,486 fans per game for their first 10 home games of the '13-14 season, ranking 28th among the NBA’s 30 teams, which is "where they finished each of the past two years." Mannion said that interest in season tickets "picked up this past off-season with the signing of free agents Josh Smith and Chauncey Billups, along with a trade that brought point guard Brandon Jennings." He expects season-ticket sales "to rise 25% this year, while single-game sales will depend on the team's fortunes." Mannion said that the front-row courtside seats "are sold out." He added the lower-level suites are "virtually sold out -- except for some we held back for individual game sales." Walsh notes upper-level suites "are 50% sold out with full-season buyers and 25% are taken by half-season buyers" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/5).
