New exec: Palace is Pistons' home for now

Arn Tellem, in his first Detroit media interview since being named vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment last week, made it clear today that his first order of business will NOT be moving the Pistons from the Palace of Auburn Hills to a new Ilitch arena in Detroit.

That said, Tellem left no doubt that he plans to rapidly connect with the region's top leaders, from the Ilitch family to Dan Gilbert and government officials, to boost the profile and impact of the Pistons in the region.

Tellem, 61, a University of Michigan Law School graduate and a top sports agent for professional baseball and basketball players for 30 years, will start his new role with the Pistons on Aug. 3, moving himself and his family from Los Angeles to Michigan.

"I was very happy here," he said from L.A., "but I was also itching to have a greater purpose," he said.

Tellem doesn't get an immediate stake in Pistons ownership under Tom Gores, but it's clear that there's a pathway for him to become a part-owner.

"I'm relocating, I wanted to have skin in the game and let the community know that I'm invested and definitely here for the long run," Tellem said.

While the PIstons say the Palace is the team's home for the foreseeable future, Tellem stressed that there are "a lot of other ways you can make an impact and be involved in a city beyond just having an arena downtown."

"We're committed to Detroit and we're committed to being involved in its recovery and revitalization. The location of where you play, or pitting parts of one community against another, is not to me where it's at."

Tellem sprinkled his conversation with references to Detroit and Michigan, fondly recalling watching Mark (the Bird) Fidrych pitch in Tiger Stadium during his law school days. U-M is where his sister and one of his sons also went to college.

He plans to meet quickly with both the Ilitch family and Gilbert, owners of sports teams where Tellem has long-standing relationships with key executives and advisers.

"I grew up in the business with (Detroit Tigers general manager) Dave Dombrowski, who is a dear friend," he said. Tellem said that one of his early career mentors, sports attorney Steven Greenberg, son of Tigers great Hank Greenberg, is an adviser to Gilbert and the Ilitches.

"I'll be spending a lot of time with Steve exploring those possibilities," Tellem said, noting that the different team owners could work together on deals involving TV contracts, venues, music and philanthropic outreach.

On the future of the Palace, he said: "Right now, the Pistons have a terrific home in Auburn Hills, and they've invested millions and millions of dollars in ensuring the the Palace remains a state-of-the art arena. There's no plans to change that right now."

He's anxious to see the team become a contender again.

"I remember when I had Ben Wallace (as a client), going to a a sold-out Palace and how great that was, how loud the arena was, the loudest arena in the NBA. To help turn around a storied franchise in a great sports town, I thought, would be extremely gratifying.

"I think the Pistons have had great success and great history at the Palace," Tellem added. "The greatest years of their franchise have been at the Palace. It's an extremely valuable asset, the largest arena, I think in the NBA."

Indeed, the Pistons have been reaching out in recent years to get memorable players from past Pistons teams more involved with with the franchise as ambassadors -- and perhaps someday as part-owners. The team hosted a Bad Boys reunion last year of players from championship teams of 25 years ago, and the team is supporting former NBA All-Star and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's mentoring program for Detroit youth.

Tellem said he decided to make the switch from sports agent to team management because "it's the right time, the right place and the right person to do it with. The right time in my life; I'm up for a change to do something different and challenging. The right place, where I began my professional career as a lawyer coming out of Michigan. And the right person in Tom Gores.

"I've always been intrigued by how a team can impact a community, how a team is really a community asset. And to help a team turn around a storied franchise, that's an exciting opportunity I couldn't pass up."

One thing's for sure: By joining a franchise that hasn't made it to the NBA playoffs since 2009, Tellem certainly will get a chance to do something different and challenging.

Contact Tom Walsh: twalsh@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomWalsh_freep.