Pistons under new regime creating player-friendly home

Reggie Jackson's mind was racing.

Near the end of the regular season, the Detroit Pistons' point guard learned that his father, Saul, had been hospitalized with a diabetic seizure.

Jackson learned this shortly after the team plane had landed in Detroit after a hard-fought, overtime victory at Boston.

He needed to get to Colorado to be with his father but didn't know how long he would be away from the team, and a home game against Toronto was less than two days away.

The Pistons still had faint playoff hopes, and as a pending restricted free agent Jackson was still trying to make a good impression on his new employer after being acquired at the Feb. 19 trade deadline from Oklahoma City.

Pistons president-coach Stan Van Gundy eased Jackson's concerns. He even told Jackson to take the team plane to Colorado Springs.

"It was weird for me, personally, because I was playing for my contract, but the team obviously told me don't worry about that," Jackson told the Free Press Monday after signing a five-year, $80-million contract extension.

"Just make sure everybody's good and they understand. That was crazy for me to even have to sit there and try to contemplate what was right to do — especially when most people in the office told me they would have immediately jumped on the plane with no thought about it — and that's kind of how this organization is run.

"It made me realize it was something special. It wasn't about winning games. It was about taking care of your loved ones."

Jackson said he was already sold on the Pistons' organization, but how he was treated while undergoing a personal crisis solidified his thought process: He was going to spend the next portion of his career with the Pistons.

It's an example of how Van Gundy and owner Tom Gores are trying to create a player-friendly atmosphere. It's the right thing — and an added benefit is the hope word gets out and players view the Pistons as a viable destination.

It starts early

After the team selected Stanley Johnson in the draft, Van Gundy and Gores discussed the treatment of players.

Johnson wanted to hear his name called by the Pistons at No. 8 or the Miami Heat at No. 10.

Part of that might have been Johnson's reluctance to go to less stable situations like the Sacramento Kings at No. 6 or the Denver Nuggets at No. 7, but he was open about his desire to play for the Pistons.

Johnson — and all the prospects who visited Auburn Hills — were treated as members of the Pistons. They were served freshly prepared lunches in the same dining lounge where team members and staff congregate during the season.

"We heard of places — I'm not going to name any names — bring the guys in for workouts and literally hand them a sack lunch and say thanks on the way to the airport," Van Gundy said. "We don't want that to be us.

"These guys come back around, and you've got to build a substantive reputation that people know this is a good place. We're trying to follow Tom's model on that and I think it will produce people over time. People are going to want to play here."

The Pistons brought in 57 players for predraft workouts. Only two were selected — Johnson and second-round pick Darrun Hilliard.

Seems like overkill, but many of those other players will become available for trades and free agency in the future. Maybe the memory of their predraft visit will linger.

"One of Stan's and my mottos is if you're here for a day or if you're here for 10 years, it's going to be a good day," Gores said. "We want to make sure this is a great place and I think we're getting that."

Gores engages

Gores lives in California, so he takes some local criticism because he is seldom seated courtside at the Palace.

But he is available to Van Gundy and the players, and has developed a close relationship with center Andre Drummond. They text regularly and attend each other's significant celebrations.

Last weekend, Drummond and Johnson had dominant performances that went viral at the Los Angeles-based Drew League. And who was in the crowd at the annual summer showcase in the Compton neighborhood that features appearances from NBA players?

Gores made the drive, accompanied by his son, Charles, to watch the two Pistons perform.

Jackson instantly hit it off with the Pistons owner, who originally wasn't planning on attending his Pistons debut Feb. 22 against Washington.

The day before the game, Jackson was getting a haircut when Gores called. Jackson told him he was looking forward to meeting him in person, so Gores decided to fly from Los Angeles to be at the game the next day.

"He wasn't originally here," Jackson said. "He just jumped on the plane, showed up and that was special. I'm a guy that, my whole career, I've been an underdog. For him to feel the need to come see me was special. I've never felt like I've been in that realm where I was somebody coming in that you knew you need to give attention to.

"For him to try to get to know me the next three days that he was here, really meant something."

Easy call

Jackson's father recovered quickly and was resting at home comfortably when Jackson left Colorado Springs on the team plane. He was away from the team for only a day and didn't miss the game against the Raptors.

The Pistons were able to provide the assistance because they are one of the few teams still maintaining a team plane — most of the league participates in the Delta Airlines charter program.

Saul urged Jackson to return.

"He wanted me to go play," Jackson said. "He knew what the rest of the season meant. I just kept praying that I'd see him again."

And as the off-season unfolded and Jackson thought about his free agency, his thoughts kept drifting back to how he was treated in Detroit.

"(Van Gundy) told me to just go home, check on my dad," Jackson said. "The plane was going to be there until I got back when I was ready to go.

"I think I knew then I didn't need to be nowhere else. In my mind I was already here, but that kind of solidified it. There was no need to even play around and do free agency. I was good.

"That was one of the markers that definitely made me want to be a Piston."

There was a report, citing league executives, saying the Pistons overpaid Jackson because there wasn't a market for his services.

Agents play huge roles in creating markets for their clients, and more than likely teams knew Jackson was determined to remain with the Pistons, who would have matched any offer sheet for the restricted free agent.

You definitely can say the Pistons could have taken a harder line and gotten a slightly less expensive deal. But they are committed to Jackson.

Why do anything to hinder the good will?

Jackson's agent, Aaron Mintz, said Jackson's only consideration was playing for the Pistons.

"They've made an impression on Reggie and he's had no thought other than he wanted to be here for five years and that was really the important thing," Mintz said.

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