Detroit Pistons hope new practice facility becomes part of city's fabric

Imagine enjoying an excellent dining experience as members of the Detroit Pistons stroll nearby.

After the meal, take a short walk to a nearby market to pick up a few items before heading to the car, which requires walking past tree-lined streets.

When the Pistons open their multimillion-dollar practice facility and corporate headquarters in the New Center district in the summer of 2019, the goal is to not just have another fortress walled off from the general public.

They are hoping to become part of the community’s fabric.

“Our goal is to really connect our team with the community,” Palace Sports & Entertainment and Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem told the Free Press recently.

“We want this to be a destination where the public feels they’re partners. My hope is that people will be drawn to this area and feel a part of it as much as we do.”

To that end, there will be restaurant and retail space, as the Pistons promise to avoid building a typical, non-inviting office building in the neighborhood north of Midtown and just a short distance from the new Little Caesars Arena, where the Pistons will begin playing next month.

Next step

When the Pistons announced their partnership with Henry Ford Health System in February to build the multi-use complex that will serve as team headquarters, practice facility, and comprehensive sports medicine facility, it was the next phase in the Pistons' move from the Palace of Auburn Hills in northern Oakland County to downtown Detroit.

At a February news conference with Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, Detroit mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit councilwoman Mary Sheffield, Henry Ford executives and Tellem, it was estimated the facility would cost from $50 million to $60 million. The council later approved by a 7-2 vote a nearly $20-million brownfield tax incentive and other exemptions tied to the project.

The 100,000-square-foot project located just south of West Grand Boulevard and the train tracks from the New Center Amtrak station will feature:

• A more modern player locker room and lounge.

• A weight room facility with state-of-the art equipment.

• Film and study meeting rooms.

• Advanced training room capabilities with full hydro and cryogenic treatment systems.

• Green space and courtyard locations for outside access and views of the city.

• A new sports medicine building – connected to the training facility.

A person with firsthand knowledge of the move told the Free Press the Pistons are discussing bringing Peak Performance Project technology to the facility. The California-based sports science facility, which counts Pistons forward Stanley Johnson and center Andre Drummond as clients, is known for its cutting-edge technology when it comes to improving performance and injury prevention.

The Pistons are the latest NBA franchise to either build or propose a new facility, joining the Philadelphia 76ers, the Chicago Bulls, the Toronto Raptors, the Minnesota Timberwolves and others. The facilities are more than just places for players to practice, rehab and work on their games.

“Our practice facility is like our second home,” Drummond said at the February announcement. “We spend countless hours there on the basketball floor and in the training room, taking care of our bodies in the cold tub, the hot tub. You do whatever it takes to play at a 100% each and every night. I know that the facility that they’re building down here is going to be even more suitable than what we have now.”

Truly Detroit

During a recent media tour days before Little Caesars Arena's opening, it was quite apparent the new arena is operated by the Olympia Entertainment, the organization that oversees the Detroit Red Wings.

Officials promise a Pistons feel on game nights, thanks to the building's advanced LED technology, but it’s something that needs to be witnessed before any final conclusions can be drawn. The first chance comes Oct. 4, when the Pistons open exhibition play against the Charlotte Hornets.

At the media tour, Tellem insisted the arena is also the Pistons’ home, but he admitted the Pistons wouldn’t truly be downtown until the practice facility is constructed.

Until the site is finished, basketball and business operations will continue in Auburn Hills. A ground-breaking ceremony is tentatively scheduled for October.

Tellem said the facility will be a cap tip to LCA.

He raved about how the new arena weaves into the city landscape, and he hopes to accomplish that on a small scale in the New Center area.

“We’re right at the edge of Midtown toward New Center and our coming in will only escalate and be a further catalyst for more development so it will continue up the Woodward corridor — tentacles that hopefully will continue to extend out into the neighborhoods,” Tellem said.

Contact Vince Ellis: vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.