Illitch ‘real close’ to buying Pistons

For those who think that Detroit Pistons GM Joe Dumars is hampered in making deals because of the ownership of the team being in flux, take note of a story in the Detroit News:

"“We’re getting close — real close,” Ilitch told Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo Sports on Monday night at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ilitch was in attendance for the induction ceremony of Jimmy Devellano, senior vice president of the Wings.Ilitch, who has said he would like to bring the Pistons downtown, was asked if he would considering moving the Wings temporarily to The Palace should a new stadium be built.“Well, I don’t want to get into all that,” Ilitch told Yahoo. “We’re going to build a stadium in Detroit. But I’ve got to work out … I want two teams in one building. That’s all I can tell you.”"